[Pollinator] The American Bumble Bee Takes an Important Step Toward Federal Protection

[Matthew Shepherd]

Hi everyone,



Good news from the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Today it announced that it
will start a status review to decide whether the American bumble bee (*Bombus
pensylvanicus*) should be added to the ESA list.



Thanks!

Matthew



*****************











*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*



Media Contacts:



*Rich Hatfield*, Senior Conservation Biologist, The Xerces Society

(503) 468-8405  |  rich.hatfield at xerces.org



*Katie Lamke*, Conservation Biologist, The Xerces Society

(707) 477-2224  |  katie.lamke at xerces.org





*The American Bumble Bee Takes an Important Step Toward Federal Protection*



PORTLAND, Ore.; Wednesday, September 29, 2021---Responding to a petition to
list the American bumble bee (*Bombus pensylvanicus*) as an endangered
species, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued a positive 90-day
finding
<https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/09/29/2021-20963/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-90-day-findings-for-five-species>,
indicating that the bumble bee may warrant federal protection under the
Endangered Species Act (ESA). The 90-day finding initiates a formal review
by the FWS including a Species Status Assessment (SSA). The Center for
Biological Diversity and the Bombus Pollinator Association of Law Students
of Albany Law School submitted the petition earlier this year.



The American bumble bee, as its name implies, was once broadly distributed
across much of the U.S. and has one of the widest ranges of all North
American bumble bees, from southern California and the Desert West
(including parts of Mexico) through the Great Plains and out to the east
coast, from Florida to Canada. However, many studies suggest that the
American bumble bee is declining, especially in the northern part of its
range. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List
<https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/21215172/21215281>.



Throughout its range the American bumble bee faces many threats, all of
which are likely contributing to its decline. The main threats identified
for this species are climate change, pesticide use, habitat loss, the
spread of pathogens and parasites and low genetic diversity.



“The decline of the American bumble bee is indicative of the significant
threats that bumble bees face throughout the continent,” said Leif
Richardson, conservation biologist for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate
Conservation and lead of the California Bumble Bee Atlas
<https://www.cabumblebeeatlas.org/>. “It is encouraging to see the Service
take this positive step toward conservation. If this species receives
federal protection, an untold number of other pollinators stand to benefit,
ultimately improving food security and ecosystem health for our nation.”



To help assess the status of the American bumble bee, and other imperiled
bumble bees, the Xerces Society, and federal and state partners, have
launched several state bumble bee atlas projects across the country. These
efforts, largely conducted using the volunteer efforts of community
scientists, have been successful in documenting populations of the American
bumble bee, which will help the FWS conduct its assessment to determine if
this bee should be added to the Endangered Species list. Despite the
overall status of this species, there are hopes that recovery may be
possible.



“From our bumble bee atlas projects, and other ongoing survey efforts, it
appears that while the American bumble bee is declining in some parts of
its range, it is still abundant in others,” said Rich Hatfield, senior
Conservation Biologist and bumble bee program lead for the Xerces Society.
“Since the goal of the Endangered Species Act is to prevent species from
going extinct, having areas with healthy populations makes this species a
prime candidate for protection; conservation efforts enacted now will have
real and lasting effects on the survival of this species.”



If protection is warranted, the American bumble bee would join Franklin’s
bumble bee (*Bombus franklini*) and the rusty patched bumble bee (*Bombus
affinis*) on the ESA list. Once added to the ESA list, opportunities for
proactive and collaborative conservation efforts increase across much of
the United States, and populations of this bumble bee would receive
protection from direct harm.



“We’re excited about this announcement and the opportunities it will
create,” said Katie Lamke, conservation biologist for the Xerces Society
and the lead of the Nebraska <https://www.nebraskabumblebeeatlas.org/>
and Missouri
bumble bee atlas <https://www.mobumblebeeatlas.org/> projects. “Many other
imperiled bumble bee species stand to benefit from collaborative efforts to
conserve the American bumble bee, including the southern plains (*Bombus
fraternus*) and variable cuckoo (*Bombus variabilis*) bumble bees. We look
forward to working with the Fish and Wildlife Service and other partners to
help initiate conservation actions to make a difference for bumble bee
conservation at a continental scale.”



###



Read the Federal Register announcement at
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/09/29/2021-20963/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-90-day-findings-for-five-species



Profile of the American bumble bee on the IUCN Red List
<https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/21215172/21215281>.



Information about bumble bee conservation <https://xerces.org/bumblebees>
on the Xerces website.





*ABOUT THE XERCES SOCIETY FOR INVERTEBRATE CONSERVATION*

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation protects the natural world
by conserving invertebrates and their habitat. Established in 1971, the
Society is a trusted source for science-based information and advice and
plays a leading role in protecting pollinators and many other
invertebrates. Our team draws together experts from the fields of habitat
restoration, entomology, plant ecology, education, community engagement,
pesticides, farming and conservation biology with a single passion:
Protecting the life that sustains us. To learn more, visit xerces.org or
follow us @xercessociety on Twitter <https://twitter.com/xercessociety>,
Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/xercessociety/> or Instagram
<https://www.instagram.com/xercessociety/>.
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