Small Creatures With Big Impact
Every great breakthrough begins with a single, personal “why.” For National Geographic Explorers, that moment of wonder at the flight of a bee can ignite a lifelong mission to safeguard our world. This spirit of inquiry is the spark behind a global movement of discovery, proving that even the smallest creatures can reveal the most fundamental truths about our existence. Our work is fueled by the belief that when curiosity meets passion, we can change the story of our planet.
Join Us to Protect Pollinators
Earth Month is in full swing and now is the time to act! 100% of all donations go directly to support our Explorer-led programs and mission work. Together, we can power real change — for wildlife, for our planet, and for future generations.
And for a limited time, make a gift of $50 or more and you’ll receive a bee plush as a token of our appreciation for your support!
Meet The National Geographic Explorers Working to Protect Pollinators and Our Planet
Felicity Muth
Researcher and National Geographic Explorer
Felicity Muth is a researcher interested in animal behavior and cognition, focusing on aspects of learning and memory that have a clear function in the natural world. Working primarily with bumblebees, she is an assistant professor at the University of California Davis. Muth’s team aims to study cognition in bumblebees and other bee species, using ecologically realistic learning paradigms, as well as studying cognition in wild-foraging bees. As a National Geographic Explorer, Muth will study how environments can shape cognition. Working with wild bees on public land in Nevada and California, she will study comparative cognition in queen and forager bumblebees.
Samuel Ramsey
Entomologist and National Geographic Explorer
Samuel Ramsey is an entomologist whose enduring interest began 25 years ago. As a child, Ramsey suffered from a debilitating fear of insects – a fear he conquered in second grade by educating himself at his local library. He now hopes to apply his fascination with invertebrates to increase the public’s understanding of these creatures, and ultimately preserve the ecosystems that they make possible. Ramsey’s research on the decline of honey bees has taken him around the globe to better understand how pollinator pandemics start – and how they can be stopped.
Bertie Gregory
Wildlife Filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer
“Wildlife will come back on an unbelievable scale if you give it the chance, and that’s great news for wildlife and great news for us as well.”
Bertie dives into the “Secrets of the Bees,” a new National Geographic series streaming now on Disney+ and Hulu.
What's the Buzz?
Read our most recent stories and findings about the importance of pollinators and how National Geographic Explorers are working to protect them.
Directly support the Explorers protecting pollinators.
Your donation this Earth Month will directly support the National Geographic Society’s Explorer-led programs and mission work – from storytelling initiatives to scientific discoveries that reveal fundamental truths about our world.
Together, we can protect our ecosystems and our planet. Make your impact with a donation today.
Photo Credits from top of page: Mark Thiessen (3), National Geographic for Disney+/Rakel Hansen, Mark Thiessen, Jer Thorpe, Ana Elisa Sotelo, Diane Cheklich