Open House Interagency Bee Lab - Monday Nov. 6

[Droege, Sam]

All

 

The Entomological Society of America has their big meeting outside DC not that far from the Bee Lab.  People have been asking about coming out to visit and so, at the rather last minute, we decided to throw the gates open for all visitors (local ones too) and have an open house

 

So, on Monday, Nov 6 from 1-5 p.m. there will be an open house at the Interagency Bee Lab (Sydney Shumar (lab manager) and Clare Maffei and Sally Lent the FWS part of the Bee Lab as well as Izzy Hill (USDA) will be there) as will Hollis Woodard (who started all this) and Jonathan Mawdsley.  Jenan El Hifnawi (Ask a Bumble Bee Program) will be at the party.

 

From 530 p.m to …??? Will be a bonfire pizza and beer party at my house (hey, it is on your way back to the conference).

 

What will you see?

 

Bee Lab.

• Located on 12,000 acre refuge, we have a 30 acre fenced (no deer) compound and couple hundred other acres to play with. 
• Bee Lab specimen processing.  Sydney will show folks our system of tracking, processing, washing, drying, pinning, labelling, identifying, databasing, checking, and redistributing large volumes of specimens
• We can show you our plant nursery operation, hoop houses, seed to plant processing, research gardens
• We can talk about flipping lawn and brush landscapes to native plantings using wood chips.
• We can talk about our integration with the surrounding community making our facilities available for growing pollinator plants
• We can show you our new collections building where we can house real collections of specimens!
• You can pillage through our surplus bees and take home a set of identified bees for your collection or to practice ID with
• Great place to go for a walk and see 1 billion birds

 

Sam’s House

 

• Two buildings made of strawbales, earth plasters, timber frame, cob, solar panels, and generally earth friendly nature centric buildings.  Including a wall of Anthophora nests excavated by our resident Hairy Woodpecker.
• Rocket Mass Heaters
• Crazy complex gardens filled with native plants
• 3 new acre just purchased from the neighbor that are now in Daikon radish (free for the taking) and will be made into something native planty, but not sure yet, new bulldozed wetland gradient experiment already in place

 

What can you Bring? 

 

Nothing if you are coming just to the bee lab…we have plenty of tea can instant coffee.

 

If you coming to the bonfire you can let Sam know so he can roughly get the pizza order right.

You can buy something for yourself to drink.  There is a liquor store nearby as well as grocery stores.

 

 

Directions

 

First Directions to the Bee Lab

Then Directions to Sam’s house

 

Directions to the FWS/USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab

 

Pay Attention:  You CANNOT use the Patuxent address to get to our lab, our lab has NO street address, use the gps coordinants and old fashioned directions below.  Your GPS unit DOES NOT know our location.

 

Did we say that you CANNOT go into the normal front gate to the Research Center?

yes we did...so follow the directions below don't try and hot dog it

 

Sam Droege's Work Number:  301 497 5840, Cell Number:  301 433 5390

    

Our MAILING  address is at the bottom of the page, but  DO NOT PUT THAT IN YOUR GPS UNIT as going to the main campus will just delay and confuse your arrival to our lab follow the directions below.

 

Note:  If we get a call from the main campus saying that you are lost then your credibility and ability to follow directions will be put into question, though, of course, we will not tell that to your face because we were raised to be polite.        

Driving Directions        

 

You access the Bee Lab Building via GATE 7 of Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge off of Route 197 (Laurel-Bowie Road) 

 

DO NOT USE THE REFUGE'S ADDRESS...IT DOES NOT TAKE YOU TO THE BEE LAB!!!

(you would not believe how often people believe that their cell phone knows more than we do)

 

Here is the latitude longitude coordinates for that gate:

 

  39.034979°  -76.790578°

  Look it up on google maps if you like

 

Finding our Entrance  - Watch for RED telephone poles with 2 REFLECTORS

 

Our entrance gate is recessed and difficult to see until you have passed. So, in addition to these directions just note that there are 2 telephone poles painted with a big red patch facing you as you approach the lab entrance from either direction on 197 (Note: the poles are on the passenger's side of the road) if you see one, then immediately slow down, you are that close.  On each of those telephone poles are 2 reflectors at the top of the red marks, a blue one and immediately below a red one.  There is also a yellow painted bee lab sign on the fence of the pullout to the lab.

 

 

Directions from the intersection of the Washington Beltway (495) and BW Parkway (295)

 

Travel NORTH outside of the Beltway towards Baltimore on route 295.

In approximately 5 miles and about 3 exits you will come to an exit for Powdermill Road (there will be signs for Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge)

Take the single exit ramp to Powdermill Road and turn RIGHT

In a couple of miles you will see a sign for Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge on the Right

DO NOT GO THERE

Stay on Powdermill Road until it dead ends at Route 197 (Laurel-Bowie Road)

Straight across the road will be and entrance gate and signs for Patuxent Widlife Research CENTER (note, the USGS research CENTER is located on the USFWS research REFUGE, confusing we know)

BUT DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT GO INTO THAT GATE

Instead TURN RIGHT

Travel 1.79 miles and Turn LEFT into the gate enclosure 

You will pass several gates..some of which are numbered and some are not...the last numbered one is Gate 5 ...Gate 6 appears to be missing

There is quite a large turn off for Gate 7, but it comes up very quickly.

There are 4 good markers to watch for 

     1.  A speed limit sign for 45 mph

     2.  There is a streetlight on the left at the entrance

     3.  There is a YELLOW bee lab sign marking on the fence

     4.   Two telephone poles with large red marks and 2 reflectors

 

If you miss it there are plenty of places to turn around and come back, don't do anything crazy because traffic is heavy and there are LOTS OF ACCIDENTS

If you are coming from the other direction (from Bowie) you will pass a public road going to the left called Old Laurel-Bowie Road

Gate 7 is the next right after you go down a hill and then back up

 

From Bowie

 

Take Route 197 through Bowie

Pass Bowie University

Pass over the Rail Road Tracks

Pass OLD Laurel Bowie Road turnoff on your left

Gate 7 will be your next RIGHT

Travel down a hill and back up a hill on 197...the gate will appear suddenly on your right so pay attention

---------------------------

    

Pull up to keypad to the left of the gate and type 3759* (note it is the "*" not the "#")

The gate will open

 

drive in and go UP the short hill 

 

We are the FIRST building on the left (note that our building is tan and industrial looking... and about 100 yards off the road...but still very visible, the second building is someone's house)

Park outside the gate that surrounds the building and old whooping crane pens

Open the gate as normal but do not touch the 2 electric wires on the gate or you will be very sorry you did

Door to building is always open, just come in.

 

Building Latitude Longitude for looking on Google maps is:

 

  39.036979°  -76.789470°

 

When leaving pull your car very close to the gate to 197 and it will automatically open.

 

Our mailing address is:  

USGS EESC Bee Lab

12100 Beech Forest Rd

Laurel, MD 20708

    

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Directions to Sam's House. You can google the address, but read below, house is not on the road.

 

PAY ATTENTION TO DIRECTIONS....if you are NOT at a stop sign ...you are NOT at my driveway

 

Sam's Cell Phone:  301 433 5390

Home Phone:  301 390 7759

Work Phone:  301 497 5840

Address: 102 Queen Anne Bridge Road

Upper Marlboro, MD  20774

 

Latitude/Longitude:   38.899601, -76.677947

 

Note that there are several Queen Anne Bridge Road's and Queen Anne Roads in the area....don't turn on any of them... follow the directions below EXACTLY or you will get lost!!!!

 

Getting There from Route 50 and 301...

 

Take Route 301 south

About...hmmm...4 miles or so

Until you come to Route 214 (Central Ave.)

 

DO NOT TURN ON QUEEN ANNE BRIDGE ROAD WHEN YOU

SEE A SIGN FOR IT ON ROUTE 301!!!!!

 

Take the second exit off of 301 onto 214 East

Go about 2 miles

Until you reach

Queen Anne Bridge Road

Take a right.

Go about 1/2 mile

To Stop Sign

AT THE STOP SIGN

Turn left DIRECTLY down a dirt driveway it slopes downward and is in not in great shape so don't speed down it.

House is tucked back BEHIND the house on the road about 100 yards away

 

PAY ATTENTION...IF YOU ARE NOT AT A STOP SIGN...YOU ARE NOT AT MY DRIVEWAY!!!!

 

Little blue house with a red roof

 

If you are coming down 214 (west) from Edgewater or Annapolis

DO NOT TURN ON QUEEN ANNE BRIDGE ROAD IN DAVIDSONVILLE

THE BRIDGE IS OUT AND YOU WILL NEVER MAKE IT!!!!Be sure you CROSS

the Patuxent River into Prince George's County and turn left at Queen

Anne Bridge Road at Hoyle Stone and follow the directions from there.

 

 

 

Be Kinder than Necessary

Interagency Wild Bee Lab