A new project by several state wildlife groups seeks to map bumble bees in the Pacific Northwest, and anyone with a camera and computer can help.

The project, part of the Pacific Northwest Bumble Bee Atlas, is spearheaded by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon State University and a number of scientists seeking to collect information on bumble bees in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

Biologists have recognized in recent years the importance of bees as pollinators, and their role in sustaining a healthy environment by pollinating wild and cultivated flowers, according to Fish and Game. But the vulnerability of bees has also been documented mostly through the widespread loss of populations.

“Much attention has been given to the plight of the introduced European honey bee,” said Roger Phillips of Idaho Fish and Game. “Less publicized, but no less important, is the decline of native, wild bee populations, particularly bumble bees.”

The Northwest is home to nearly 30 bee species, Phillips said, and many of them are becoming less numerous.

Ross Winton, Fish and Game Regional Wildlife Biologist in the Magic Valley, said that pesticides in agricultural areas may contribute to the loss of wild bees, but the latest study seeks to learn what’s happening outside urban and industrial areas.

“We also need to know what is happening outside of towns and cities,” Winton said. “These larger patterns will help us to understand how bumble bees are faring under larger landscape pressures like climate change and drought.”

One of the goals is to understand where bumble bee species live in remote parts of the region. The information will help researchers track these species and understand what types of habitat they need, Phillips said.

For more information, or to join the study visit https://www.pnwbumblebeeatlas.org/ or call Ross Winton at 208-324-4359.