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<DIV>Great summary, Matthew. Thank you so much the great update. Also wanted to mention that NAPPC partners from Mexico and Canada contributed letters against the release of <EM>Bombus impatiens</EM> in California. This has been a solid team effort, and it looks as if we will need to be ready to revisit this issue in the future.</DIV>
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<DIV>Laurie</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 4/4/2007 10:31:29 AM Pacific Daylight Time, mdshepherd@xerces.org writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid">
<DIV><FONT size=2><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>I think it is worth pointing out that the paper on <EM>Bombus impatiens</EM> that David highlighted was one part of a proposal by Koppert Biological Systems, Inc. to allow release of <EM>B. impatiens</EM> into California for open field pollination. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) published a Notice of Intent to adopt a Negative Declaration -- i.e., that the release of the non-native bumble bee will have no impact on the environment -- and the associated initial study under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The initial study included Joseph Sullivan's paper as an appendix. This proposal was released for public comment in December of last year, and many organizations and individuals from across North America submitted comments by the late-January deadline. The comments from CoEvolution Institute were especially strong and a good model for others.</FONT> </FONT>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV><FONT size=2>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial>In brief, the Xerces Society opposed importation of <I>Bombus impatiens</I>, due to the many ecological risks and unknown outcomes of importing this bee. We strongly disagreed with the finding that the prescribed risk mitigation measures adequately addressed the significant ecological risks associated with importation, and believe that the proposed mitigation measures were fraught with vulnerabilities and should not be relied upon as a basis for allowing the importation of <EM>B</EM>.<EM> impatiens</EM>. The Society urged the CDFA Division of Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services not to approve the requested permit for importing <I>Bombus impatiens</I>. We believe that there should instead be a focus on the ongoing effort to identify and commercialize bee species that are native to California.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial>Robbin Thorp contributed greatly to our comments and we received good information from several other researchers, including Sarah Greenleaf and Cory Sheffield. We thank them and everyone else who assisted.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial>Our complete comments can be download as a PDF file from our web site, </FONT><A title=http://www.xerces.org/ href="http://www.xerces.org/"><FONT face=Arial>http://www.xerces.org/</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial>.</FONT></DIV></FONT>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>Numerous people and organizations signed on to the Society's comments. In addition to Scott and myself, the signatories included:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Robbin Thorp, Ph.D., Professor </FONT><FONT size=2>Emeritus, University of California, Davis</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Claire Kremen, Ph.D, Asst. Prof of </FONT><FONT size=2>Arthropod Biodiversity, University of California, Berkeley</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Sarah S. Greenleaf, Ph.D., </FONT><FONT size=2>postdoctoral scientist, Department of Plant Pathology, </FONT><FONT size=2>University of California-Davis</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Jim Lyon, Senior Vice-President, National Wildlife </FONT><FONT size=2>Federation, Washington D.C.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Gabriela Chavarria, Ph.D., Director, Science Center, </FONT><FONT size=2>Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, D.C.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Kim Delfino, California Program </FONT><FONT size=2>Director, Defenders of Wildlife, Sacramento, CA</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Cory S. Sheffield, Ph.D, Department </FONT><FONT size=2>of Biology, York University, Toronto, CN</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Gordon Frankie, Ph.D, University of </FONT><FONT size=2>California, Berkeley</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Peter F. Brussard, Ph.D., Department of Biology, University of </FONT><FONT size=2>Nevada Reno</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>John Losey, Ph.D., Professor of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, </FONT><FONT size=2>NY</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Boris C. Kondratieff, Ph.D., Professor of Entomology, Colorado State University, </FONT><FONT size=2>Fort Collins, CO</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Vance Russell, Landowner Stewardship Program, Audubon California, </FONT><FONT size=2>Winters, CA</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Amanda Jorgenson, Executive Director, California Native Plant Society, </FONT><FONT size=2>Sacramento</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Kieran Suckling, Executive Director, Center For Biological Diversity, </FONT><FONT size=2>Tucson</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dan Silver, Executive Director, Endangered Habitats League, Los Angeles, CA</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Emily B. Roberson</FONT><FONT size=2>, Native Plant Conservation Campaign, San Francisco, CA</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Michael </FONT><FONT size=2>Klein</FONT><FONT size=2>, Entomologist, Klein-Edwards Professional Services</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Scott Thomas, Conservation </FONT><FONT size=2>Director, Sea and Sage Audubon, Irvine, CA</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Jess Morton, Treasurer, Palos </FONT><FONT size=2>Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society, Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Daniel R. Patterson, </FONT><FONT size=2>ecologist, Tucson AZ</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Dave Werntz, Science and Conservation Director, Conservation </FONT><FONT size=2>Northwest, Bellingham, WA</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Robert S. Jacobson, M.S., Entomologist, Lenoir, NC, San </FONT><FONT size=2>Diego, CA</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>Erin Robertson, Senior Staff Biologist, Center for Native Ecosystems, </FONT><FONT size=2>Denver, CO.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>As a foot note, thanks to the efforts of everyone who submitted comments, it looks like the release of <EM>impatiens</EM> will not be allowed at this stage. CDFA has yet to officially respond to the submitted comments but the feeling is that the Negative Declaration will not be issued. The large number of submissions against the release and the significance of the issues raised in these submissions will likely mean a more detailed and extensive Environmental Impact Report will be required under CEQA.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=2><FONT face=Arial>Matthew </FONT>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial>PS. My apologies to those people who are getting this email twice. I posted to both the Pollinator and Bombus lists.</FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV><BR>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=1>Matthew Shepherd</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT size=2><FONT face=Arial size=1>______________________________________________________</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV></FONT><BR><BR><FONT face=Arial>_______________________________________________<BR>Pollinator mailing list<BR>Pollinator@lists.sonic.net<BR>http://lists.sonic.net/mailman/listinfo/pollinator</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#004000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="12">Laurie Davies Adams<BR>Executive Director<BR>Coevolution Institute<BR>423 Washington St. 5th<BR>San Francisco, CA 94111<BR>415 362 1137<BR>LDA@coevolution.org<BR><A title=http://www.coevolution.org/ href="http://www.coevolution.org/">http://www.coevolution.org/</A></FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#004000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="12"><BR><A title=http://www.pollinator.org/ href="http://www.pollinator.org/">http://www.pollinator.org/</A></FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#004000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="12"><BR><A title=http://www.nappc.org/ href="http://www.nappc.org/">http://www.nappc.org/</A></FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#004000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="12"><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10">Bee Ready for National Pollinator Week: June 24-30, 2007. Contact us <BR>for more information at www.pollinator.org </FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#004000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="12"><BR><BR><B><I>Our future flies on the wings of pollinators.</B></I></FONT></DIV><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">See what's free at <A title="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503" href="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503" target="_blank">AOL.com</A>. </FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>