<div dir="ltr"><div><img src="cid:ii_knkiia6f1" alt="EHPI Logo.png" width="293" height="263" class="gmail-CToWUd gmail-a6T" tabindex="0" style="cursor: pointer; outline: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"><br></div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr"><span id="gmail-m_-861128456423626218gmail-m_5179023919616937337m_-867102266448517867m_-8168724901896643868gmail-m_-1910713866752801098gmail-m_-2448287787685832280gmail-m_9116923894048422633gmail-m_8658963039995665625gmail-m_5029930943686816474gmail-m_1622732149723334092gmail-m_3412887078662142326m_2425684638389135331m_-4692885686647208544gmail-m_1791134479974704530m_-6213659885060758375m_1531781120091927047m_-2484031313373345169gmail-docs-internal-guid-0d9cb8c0-7fff-7069-691a-7a91e62c4c2e"><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><font color="#000000" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:14.6667px;white-space:pre-wrap">Hello,</span></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="color:rgb(80,0,80);line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:14.6667px;white-space:pre-wrap;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial"><br></span></p><p style="color:rgb(80,0,80);line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">I'm excited to share the new <a href="http://evanstonhostplants.org/" target="_blank"><b>Evanston Host Plant Initiative</b></a></span><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:700;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">and</span><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(180,95,6);font-weight:700;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">invite you to help conserve the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee.</span><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:14.6667px;white-space:pre-wrap">This native bee's population has declined over 87% in the last twenty years, and we want to make sure that it continues to exist here. Bumble bees are important pollinators for native flowers and the crops that we eat, and they provide many benefits for people and the ecosystem. </span></p><p style="color:rgb(80,0,80);line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:14.6667px;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial;font-size:14.6667px;white-space:pre-wrap">The Rusty Patched Bumble Bee relies on <a href="https://www.fws.gov/midwest/Chicago/endangered/rpbb/pdf/RPBBMidwestPlantGuide.pdf" target="_blank"><b>at least 38 host plants native to Illinois</b></a>, which are also beneficial for other pollinators. </span><font color="#000000"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:14.6667px;white-space:pre-wrap">I</span><font style="background-color:transparent;font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;white-space:pre-wrap">n partnership</font></font><font style="color:rgb(80,0,80);background-color:transparent;font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;white-space:pre-wrap"> </font><font style="background-color:transparent;font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;white-space:pre-wrap"><b style="color:rgb(80,0,80)"><a href="http://naturalhabitatevanston.org/" target="_blank">Natural Habitat Evanston</a>, </b><font color="#000000">we are looking for people to grow host plants and upload photos of host plants and bees to iNaturalist. </font></font></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><font style="background-color:transparent;font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;white-space:pre-wrap"><font color="#000000"><br></font></font></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><font color="#b45f06" style="background-color:transparent;font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;white-space:pre-wrap"><b>Two steps you can take to join our efforts:</b></font></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><font color="#000000">1.</font><font style="color:rgb(80,0,80)"> <a href="https://evanstonhostplants.org/" target="_blank"><b>Sign up on our website</b></a></font></span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><font style="color:rgb(80,0,80)">2. <b><a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/host-plants-for-the-rusty-patched-bumble-bee" target="_blank">Join our iNaturalist project</a>:</b> </font><font color="#000000">"Host Plants for the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee"</font></span></p><div><span style="color:rgb(80,0,80)"><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Thank you for your support. Please feel free to share this e-mail with anyone who might be interested, and contact me with any questions. I look forward to this growing season with you!</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">All my best,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Libby Shafer</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Evanston Host Plant Initiative</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><font color="#000000">DePaul Environmental Sciences Master's Student</font></span></p></span></div></span></div></div>