Biologist to talk about bees' bounty

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - April 9, 2012) A free public presentation on the need to save bees will be part of California Lutheran University's Yam Yad 2012 celebration.

Reese Halter, an adjunct member of the CLU biology faculty, will present "Save the Bees, Savor Their Honey" at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 28, in Kingsmen Park. Visitors of all ages can sample honey from Camarillo's Jubilee Honeybee Co. and find out why it's important to protect urban bees and what people can do to help.

Halter has written many books and in October released an updated version of "The Incomparable Honeybee and the Economics of Pollination." His other titles include "The Insatiable Bark Beetle," "Wild Weather: The Truth Behind Global Warming" and "Mysteries of the Redwood Forest with Bruni the Bear." Halter will be available to sign books during the event. Featured regularly as an environmental expert on MSNBC and as a contributor for The Huffington Post, Halter founded the Global Forest Science conservation institute.

Yam Yad is a day of service, education and recreation. Students, alumni, staff and family members will spend the morning participating in service projects around campus. They will plant trees and shrubs outside academic buildings, remove weeds and build raised beds in the CLU Community Garden, create a path outside Samuelson Chapel and begin work on a meditation garden there. A trip to Zuma Beach is planned for the afternoon.

The first Yam Yad, which is May Day spelled backward, was held on May 1, 1967, when the student government planned a day off from classes. Students trekked to the "Gunsmoke" movie set, where they held mock gunfights with water guns and water balloons and ate barbecue served by the cafeteria staff.

As the tradition continued, it expanded to include a service project that students and staff worked on together. Projects included creating Buth Park on campus and laying a cement walkway through Kingsmen Park. Water fights and food remained a part of the festivities through the years. The date of the event, which wasn't always on May 1, was kept a surprise for most students, who would wake to yells of "Yam Yad" and gather to find out what was planned. The Yam Yad tradition lapsed from the early 1980s until 2010, when it was revived in honor of CLU's 50th anniversary.

Kingsmen Park is located on the north side of Memorial Parkway near Mountclef Boulevard.

For more information on the public talk, contact Halter at EarthDrReese@gmail.com or 805-493-3342.