Lindsay Chichester began keeping bees six years ago in northern Nevada. She started the Douglas County Bee and Pollinator Club that has about 30 families join annually. Lindsay has navigated bear and cow damage to hives, excessive wildfire smoke, bee evacuation due to flooding, and drought. Despite the challenges, nothing tastes better than honey from your own bees and seeing the excitement on kids’ faces when they are able to get into the hives with you.
Kellie Chichester is a Community Vitality and Health Extension Educator with the University of Wyoming, based in Lusk, Wyoming. Kellie started beekeeping with 4-H members eight years ago. Overwintering hives in Wyoming has been the biggest challenge for the Niobrara County bees. Marketing honey and beeswax products has been the most rewarding part of being a beekeeper.
Walker Bensch is a master’s student at the University of Wyoming working under Lusha Tronstad, the invertebrate zoologist for the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database. Walker’s master’s project examines the role of native and non-native ungulates, such as elk and cattle respectively, in shaping habitat critical to pollinators. Walker conducts his field research at Fossil Butte National Monument, near Kemmerer, WY. His project focuses on ground nesting bees and the effect of grazing and trampling activity by ungulates on their nesting.
