March 7, 2026
Quonset O Club, North Kingstown, RI
Most of the biodiversity in Rhode Island is contained in a network of plants, insects, and small vertebrates such as birds and small mammals. Successful conservation of native plants, pollinators, and birds ultimately comes back to understanding the networks that exist among them.
This conference is sponsored by the Plant Insect Community Network, a program of the Natural History Survey that connects the efforts of organizations, programs, and projects that work on pollinators or “pollinator adjacent” topics in Rhode Island to leverage strengths, identify gaps, and raise the profile of the whole community.
Papers on any topic are welcome that address natural history, ecology, biology, or other aspects of plants, insects, and vertebrates in a community, network, or ecological perspective. Papers should focus on Rhode Island and its environs including nearby states and waters.
The deadline for abstracts is 5:00 p.m., January 12. Abstracts for oral and poster presentations may be submitted via this Google Form— https://…. For any questions about submissions, please contact us at abstracts@rinhs.org. Further information on the conference, including the schedule and registration information, will be posted on the website as it becomes available.
In Rhode Island, there’s a whole community of programs working on the plant-insect network: studying pollinators, promoting native plants, building sustainable agriculture, and educating people. The Plant Insect Community Network is a program that connects these efforts together to leverage strengths, identify gaps, and raise the profile of the whole community. The Network is made up of organizations, programs, and projects that work on pollinators or “pollinator adjacent” topics in Rhode Island. It helps existing initiatives rather than competing with them. The Plant Insect Community Network is a program of the Rhode Island Natural History Survey created in 2024 with a generous grant from the One Hive Foundation.
Natural History Survey conferences are widely regarded for assembling a broad spectrum of people and as an excellent venue for researchers and organizations to showcase what they do in a collegial atmosphere. The conference has also been a good career-building opportunity for students from high school to graduate levels.