August Jackson creates a bee guide for the Willamette-Valley

August Jackson, an interpretation coordinator with Mount Pisgah Arboretum, passes out bee specimens on tiny pins to students. He then challenges them to identify the bee with a microscope using his field guide- “The Bees of the Willamette Valley- A Comprehensive Guide to Genera.” Whether it is leading a guided walk at Mount Pisgah Arboretum, giving a presentation at a local senior home, or running “Bee School,” Jackson shares his love of bees and makes bee identification accessible for non-professionals.

As a boy, Jackson was inspired by his parents to explore the natural world. At six, he was reading field guides and looking at the night sky through his father’s telescope. Jackson was not sure what path to pursue in college. At the University of Oregon, he considered journalism, as he enjoys writing. After he joined the Forest Service in the summer after his freshman year, he decided to pursue biology. After college, he landed a job at Mount Pisgah Arboretum. At the Arboretum, he discovered his current passion– bees:

“I saw a bunch of interesting-looking bees and I couldn’t figure out what they were,” Jackson said. “I didn’t know that it would become what it became, in terms of the level of interest and the focus.”

As a self-taught entomologist, Jackson realized bee guides were not user-friendly. In 2019, he decided to create his bee identification guide, specifically focusing on the Willamette Valley.

“I enjoy writing. I enjoy education. So, I was like, you know, I could put something together that I think would make identification easier in a part of Oregon that has the most people in it and still has some cool bees in it, and you know, maybe this could help inspire other projects like that around the country,” Jackson said.

According to Jackson, identifying the locations of the bee species is essential to knowing which species need the most help. Jackson is looking forward to working on keys for new bee guides– “Bee Genera of the Pacific Northwest” and “Bumblebee Species of the Pacific Northwest.” These guides will help amateurs identify new species and contribute to conservation.

| Made in Dr. Beck Bank’s and Dr. Dan Morrison’s Gateway to Media course at The University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication |