CMI leads pollinator survey to inform military land management
The study will document pollinator species, habitat quality, and monarch activity across base lands.
Virginia Tech researchers will study pollinators and habitat conditions at Joint Base Langley–Eustis this summer. Photo by Chris Moody for Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech’s Conservation Management Institute has received a $37,333 cooperative agreement from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct a pollinator survey and habitat assessment at Joint Base Langley–Eustis in coastal Virginia.
The Institute is housed in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation in the College of Natural Resources and Environment.
The project supports federal requirements that military installations manage natural resources while maintaining mission readiness. Under laws such as the Endangered Species Act and the Sikes Act, installations must use the best available science to understand species presence and habitat conditions. This project will provide baseline ecological data to help installation managers balance conservation goals with operational needs.
Led by research scientist Verl Emrick, the study will focus on documenting insect pollinators and evaluating the quality of habitats that support them. Field teams will use a combination of observation, netting, and passive trapping of birds and bees to survey pollinators across multiple sites. Researchers will also assess floral resources and search for milkweed and all life stages of monarch butterflies, a species of growing conservation concern.
The project began in March 2026, with a kickoff meeting scheduled within the first month to finalize study design and logistics. Field surveys are expected to last through September.
