The USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was initiated in 1985 as an incentive to preserve environmentally sensitive lands in regions of intensive agriculture for the benefit of soil, water, or wildlife. Each CRP type (“practice”), based on a specific conservation target, prescribes habitat management guidelines and can dictate factors such as the use of specific seed mixes to ensure proper plant community establishment, how seeds are planted, and the manner and frequency of vegetation management (mowing, burning, etc.). In 2008, the CRP was expanded to include guidelines for insect pollinator conservation. Across two seasons (May – October 2020, 2021), we observed native pollinator and plant communities at pollinator-specific CRP plantings (CP42), warm season prairies managed for game birds (CP23A), and unmanaged fields. In general, pollinators were more diverse and abundant in CP42 plantings compared to other habitat types, and the diversity of pollinators correlated to flowering plant abundance. Landscape management was especially significant for small bee diversity (e.g., Halictidae, Megachilidae, Andrena spp.), likely resulting from grassland structure and floral resource diversity. Conversely, Bombus spp. and Syrphidae did not display differences in diversity or abundance between conservation sites, but were more abundant in both than unmanaged sites. We also discovered little correlation between forb species diversity in planting records with what we observed established in the field. This highlights an area for further review to optimize future management plans and conservation success.
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