The President signed a Memorandum Creating a Federal
Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/20/presidential-memorandum-creating-federal-strategy-promote-health-honey-b.
The memorandum directs several departments of the federal government to immediately
address issues leading to the loss of honey bees and native pollinators. The
memorandum speaks clearly of the need for action: “Pollinators contribute
substantially to the economy of the United States and are vital to keeping fruits,
nuts, and vegetables in our diets. Honey bee pollination alone adds more than
$15 billion in value to agricultural crops each year in the United States. Over
the past few decades, there has been a significant loss of pollinators,
including honey bees, native bees, birds, bats, and butterflies, from the
environment. The problem is serious and requires immediate attention to ensure
the sustainability of our food production systems, avoid additional economic
impact on the agricultural sector, and protect the health of the environment.”
Honey bee losses have been clearly recorded, but the losses of other
pollinators are more difficult to assess. Bumble bees live underground, and
many native bees nest in foliage, often unseen. Monarch butterflies, often
viewed as indicators of the health of the environment, reached their lowest
recorded population level this year, and their migration is considered to be in
danger of failing.
Among
the action plans presented in the memorandum are the development of affordable
seed mixes of native pollinator-friendly plants for honey bees and other
pollinators, finding best management practices for reducing pollinator exposure
to pesticides, restoring and enhancing pollinator habitat along road, power
line, pipeline, and utility rights-of-way and federal lands. In one example of
the efforts described in the memorandum the Departments of Agriculture and
Interior will establish a reserve of native seed mixes for habitat
rehabilitation after fires. The memorandum moves us closer to seeing our cities
connected by flowering pollinator corridors along the interstate highways.
Today’s photo: native Blue Orchard Bees find a nest in a package of staples in
Peace Bee Farm’s woodshop.
--Richard
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