The Michigan Bumble Bee Atlas Program is asking for the public’s help to track bumble bees as part of a statewide community science project.

To get involved in the bumble bee conservation effort and become a volunteer, attend a free training session from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, June 16, at the University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS), located at 9133 Biological Rd. in Pellston, Michigan. No experience required.

Dr. Mary A. Jamieson, associate professor of biological sciences at Oakland University, and Danielle Dorsen, a Ph.D. candidate at Oakland University, will lead the Michigan Bumble Bee Atlas Program training at UMBS, which is about 20 miles south of the Mackinac Bridge in northern Michigan.

The event starts indoors with a one-hour presentation at Gates Lecture Hall. Participants will then be split into groups and head outside to survey bumble bees throughout the field station campus.

Bring a smartphone or camera and wear clothes and shoes that will be comfortable walking through the woods.

The in-person workshop is provided to help train community scientists on survey protocols. Surveys are carried out during Michigan’s peak bumble bee season, June through September.