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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 16, 2015)
Biodiversity begins with a B(ee) Jerry Freilich talks bees at Nature Matters ASTORIA — Most people can name a handful of different kinds of bees, but did you know there are 4,000 species of native bees in North America and probably several hundred in the North Coast area? Most bees are tiny, don’t bother people and are vital to the ecosystem as pollinators. Join Jerry Freilich as he discusses KRZWKHVHLPSRUWDQWLQVHFWV¿WLQ with the larger topic of biodiver- sity Thursday, April 16. The 7 p.m. Nature Matters presentation takes place at the Fort George Lovell Showroom. The event is free and open to the public. Doors will open at 6 p.m. It can be challenging to learn many species even if one is com- fortable with long Latin names. Freilich will illustrate how the diversity of bees are related to other insects and will discuss bee lifestyles as a thoughtful way of encouraging further study. There are a number of rea- sons why we don’t know and speak about these many bee species. The simplest reason is because most are small (half the size of a honey bee), fast moving and inconspicuous. They polli- QDWH WKH PDQ\ VSHFLHV RI ÀRZ- ering plants so important to our ecosystems, but they don’t sting people and in general they don’t interact with us. Beyond this, the anatomical differences among the species require careful examination un- der the microscope, which in turn requires knowledge of bee anatomy. Bee species differ, for example, in details of their wing veins, the claws and “spurs” on their legs, or in the placement of tiny body hairs. Freilich, an entomologist working as research coordina- tor at Olympic National Park, has been with the National Park Service since 1978, working at six national parks all across the country. He got his start in science as a youngster; Freilich was a student and curatorial as- sistant at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia when he was 10 years old. He has a master’s degree in environmen- tal education and a doctorate in entomology. His chief interests have always been the wonders of nature: marine seashells, aquatic insects, birding, desert tortoises and, now, bees. DON’T Did you get your tickets yet? MISS OUT ON THIS ONCE IN A LIFETIME EVENT Nature Matters is hosted by Lewis and Clark National His- torical Park in partnership with the North Coast Watershed Asso- ciation and the Fort George. The series delves into the many ways human beings look to the natural world for inspiration, sustenance and survival — the intersection of nature and culture. #%) %# "#!&) "#$ %$ ## '$% !$% ""# + A magical night, choreographed for our stage! LIBERTY THEATER Submitted photo Learn how bees are important for biodiversity at the next Nature Matters free speaker event. Columbian Theater hosts Shorty Shorts everyone to have the oppor- tunity to show their work and ideas. This year’s one-night As- toria festival features a slew of different genres, including comedy, drama, horror, music, romance, documentary, spoof, satire, animation and action. Shorty Shorts will make you laugh, think and maybe cry. Keep your eyes out for some local talent. Gula Delgatto will host the show, along with special guest Shitney Houston. Grab cocktails with the drag queens after the festival at the Voodoo Lounge. For more information, vis- LW ZZZVKRUW\VKRUWV¿OPIHVW com – Broadway World +%)' &$ (* Queer film fest plays Astoria ASTORIA — Shorty Shorts, DQDQQXDO3RUWODQGTXHHU¿OP festival featuring the works RI LQGHSHQGHQW ¿OPPDNHUV LV coming to Astoria for the sec- ond year in a row. Get in line at the Colum- bian Theater, 1102 Marine Drive, Saturday, April 18. Tickets are $6, and doors open at 10 p.m. The event is 21 and over only and is intended for a mature audience. Shorty Shorts was dreamed XS DERXW ¿YH \HDUV DJR WKH idea being that anyone could make a short, 10-minute-or- OHVV¿OPDQGKDYHLWVKRZQRQ the big screen. Regardless of ZKHWKHU D ¿OPPDNHU XVHV DQ HD camera or a simple cell phone, Shorty Shorts wants “Ballet just got its sexy back” # " *')&)(*&*,(( ** " &$-.%- 3 %! 6,41 3 !&#$ !# &#% !# %%$'$%-! 2-711-883-7588 # ,' !# % $%!# !) ("#$$ / &%* !& %! / %$!" !& %) &%&# !%! / "%! %$. "%! &# / ##% "%! !& %! & - ! $! !& %! / %&# / )# ! / !'# !& %! / !& %! / &$ ) / ## %! # !- April 16, 2015 | coastweekend.com | 11
