The Environmental Institute and NEMNBA are pleased to announce our in person 2023 Bee Symposium. From our vendors and information tables to our esteemed guest speakers, attendees will learn everything from beginning beekeeping to overwintering techniques, including a Fire Cider making demonstration! Anyone that becomes a member of NEMNBA will receive $5 off admission.

Lunch will be provided. Registration is available in advance through Tempo Tickets or at the door on February 11.

• KEYNOTE: Dr. Becky Masterman will speak on Habitat, Honey Production and History. Becky’s enthusiasm for honey bees began during an undergraduate entomology class visit to Dr. Basil Furgala’s University of Minnesota Bee Lab apiary. In 1992, shortly after her first hive visit, she was lucky to be hired as an undergraduate technician by the new UMN Bee Lab leader, Dr. Marla Spivak. Becky went on to study the neuroethology of honey bee hygienic behavior under Dr. Spivak’s direction and obtained a PhD in 2000. After a career in real estate, Becky returned to the Bee Lab in 2012 and led the Bee Squad program from 2013-2019.Becky joined the MHPA Board as a Director in 2016 and served for 6 years. Now Becky manages her own apiaries and co-writes the Minding Your Bees and Cues with the current Bee Squad Program Director, Bridget Mendel, for Bee Culture Magazine.
• Jessica Helgen will speak on Honey Bee Nutrition. Ms. Helgen is a staff member on the University of Minnesota Bee Squad. She manages honey bee hives, collects data, and is the coordinator and primary instructor for the Mentoring Apiary program and Beekeeping for Veterans program. Jessica enjoys teaching new beekeepers how to keep their hives healthy and try gloveless beekeeping.
• Jenny Warner will speak about the trials and tribulations of Varroa Mite Management. Ms. Warner has been a valued member of the UMN Bee Lab since 1997 and is a founding member of the UMN Bee Squad. She graduated with a B.S. in Horticultural Food Production and a minor in Soil Science from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
• Elise Bernstein will highlight the importance of Bumblebees and Native bees in Minnesota. In their current role as a member of the UMN Bee Squad, they explore the importance of pollinating insects in our world. Pollinators are an important piece of the conservation puzzle that require protection under the climate crisis. I believe that an equitable approach to environmental education can transform the way we approach solving the climate crisis.
• KEYNOTE: Dr. Barry Brown has extensive research and education on overwintering techniques for northern climates such as Minnesota. Based out of Saskatchewan, Dr. Brown has been building cold climate boxes and studied many different techniques to ensure the health and virility of hives. 
• Dr. Meghan Milbrath will speak to Beekeeping 101 in Northern Climates with her lecture titled: “This will be the year”. Dr. Milbrath worked as a postdoctoral research associate under Zachary Huang at Michigan State University, studying nosema disease, and is currently an academic specialist at MSU, where she does honey bee and pollinator research and extension and is the coordinator of the Michigan Pollinator Initiative.
• Cristina Weske will be hosting a hands-on demonstration in which participants will make Fire Cider (an herbal tonic said to increase immunity, help with digestion, and warm you up on a cold day.) Cristina Weske is the supervisor at Na’enimonigamig, the Fond du Lac Kitchen and Cannery located on Fond du Lac Reservation. 

Join us for the 2023 Bee Symposium on February 11.

Cost: $30

Register online in advance or at the door on February 11.

Early registration is available online through Tempo Tickets.

Register Online for the 2023 Bee Symposium

Sign up to become a NEMNBA member and receive $5 off your registration.

Become a Member of NEMNBA

Registration will be available at the door on February 11. Payments can be made with cash or check.

8:30 – Doors open and check-in, Pipe Ceremony

9:15 – First Sessions: Jessica Helgen & Jenny Warner and Elise Bernstein

• Honey Bee Nutrition and Varroa Mite Management
• Bumblebees and Native Bees

10:30 – Second sessions: Dr. Meghan Milbrath and Cristina Weske

• Beginning Beekeeping
• Fire Cider Demonstration

11:45 – Lunch with door prizes

1:00 – Keynote: Dr. Becky Masterman

• Habitat, Honey Production, and History,

2:00 – Keynote: Dr. Barry Brown

• Overwintering Techniques for Northern Climates

3:00 – Closing Remarks

Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College created the Environmental Institute concept on campus to actively promote the educational and cultural growth of the community in studies covering natural resources and the environment. Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College uses the Environmental Institute in environmental resource areas to follow all points of the College’s mission and coordinate ongoing education, research, outreach, and other activities. This emphasis allows Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College to fulfill its status as a United States Land Grant Institution by “being a people’s college and solving problems which benefit people.”

The Environmental Institute is determined to be a catalyst for positive change in our community. Visit the Environmental Institute’s YouTube channel and Facebook page for current happenings.

Discover the Environmental Institute at FDLTCC

Getting to Campus:

Take the Highway 33/Cloquet exit from Interstate 35, go north approximately one mile to Washington Avenue and turn right. Go to the first stop sign at 14th Street. Turn right onto 14th Street and follow for about one mile. The campus is on the right hand side of 14th Street. Parking is available in any of the lots that surround the main building. On-campus parking is free.

Virtual Tour

Campus Roadmap

Parking Lot Map

Campus Floorplan

Please contact Courtney Kowalczak at courtneyk@fdltcc.edu with any questions about the 2023 Bee Symposium.