2013 Western Apicultural Society NM Conference!!!

That's right....The Land of Enchantment will be hosting the Western Apicultural Society (WAS) this coming September in Santa Fe.

WAS is a non-profit, non-political organization dedicated to educating and supporting small scale beekeepers. Established in 1978, the society puts on yearly conferences in different western region cities to better support and network area beekeepers.

Being that I opened my big mouth a couple of years ago to the WAS board about "why hasn't NM hosted the conference yet?", they made me the conference planner and President for this 2013 year. And....I sure don't want to let anyone down! Especially the bees...

As such, there will be a very rich and diverse agenda including researchers from the various national bee labs, beekeepers with extensive experience from around the nation and even some international presenters!

I will be attending the NMBKA meeting later this month and will be holding a WAS planning session on Saturday for those interested in presenting or helping with the conference (time to be determined by NMBKA agenda). 

As such, I am open to suggestions, and recommendations for speaker, topic and tour ideas. Right now, there will be a tour up the High Road to both ZQB and Les' bee farms and we would like to also put together at least two additional tours, one in Santa Fe and one in ABQ for those wanting to tour urban beekeeping sites and programs.  

Email with your thoughts- everyone is welcome and all constructive input appreciated! For more info on WAS and the conference, visit http://ucanr.edu/sites/was2/

Thanks-

Melanie Kirby

ziaqueenbees@hotmail.com