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Posted on Thu, Jun. 05, 2008 <br><br>
<h1><b>We need to be busy like bees to help save
them</b></h1>
<a href="http://www.modbee.com/opinion/national/story/319604.html" eudora="autourl">
http://www.modbee.com/opinion/national/story/319604.html<br><br>
</a><h2><b>By BARBARA BOXER</b></h2>last updated: June 05, 2008 09:27:38
AM<br><br>
Most people don't spend much time thinking about bees.<br><br>
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, however, between 15
percent and 30 percent of the food we eat in the United States depends on
honeybees for pollination.<br><br>
Without bees, avocados, strawberries and almonds are just a few of the
California crops that would suffer. Not only would yields be reduced, but
so would the jobs that go with them.<br><br>
The idea of a world without bees sounds farfetched, but the truth is that
honeybees and other native pollinators -- like bumblebees, butterflies,
even bats -- are in danger.<br><br>
Last August, I visited an almond orchard in Merced County to meet with
local farmers and beekeepers and learn more about the sudden decline in
the honeybee population and its impact on our agricultural communities.
Since 2006, an estimated 25 percent of the nation's honeybees have
mysteriously disappeared as a result of what the USDA calls "colony
collapse disorder."<br><br>
The sudden loss of entire hives is only the latest sign of trouble in a
decades-long decline. In fact, the nationwide honeybee population is
estimated to have dropped from 4.5 million managed colonies in 1980 to
2.4 million in 2005.<br><br>
California is uniquely threatened by this decline because healthy
honeybees play a critical role in our state's $42 billion a year
agricultural economy.<br><br>
For example, in 2007 California produced an estimated 1.31 billion pounds
of almonds -- a yield that would not have been possible without
honeybees. And while sufficient bees were available to ensure a
successful almond crop this year, we need urgent action to prevent
further declines. It is estimated that it will take every existing colony
in the United States to pollinate the projected almond crop in
2012.<br><br>
But scientists still don't conclusively know what causes colony collapse
disorder. Some scientists think it might be a combination of
environmental stresses on the honeybee population that causes colony
collapse.<br><br>
The first step to reversing the trend is adequately funding the
scientific research necessary to better understand these complex natural
systems.<br><br>
During my visit to Merced, I announced the introduction of the Pollinator
Protection Act -- legislation designed to make funding available for just
this kind of research. Later, I succeeded in getting this proposal
included in the farm bill. And when Congress voted overwhelmingly to
override the president's veto of the farm bill, that measure became
law.<br><br>
The measure authorizes $100 million over five years for high-priority
research dedicated to maintaining and protecting honeybees and native
pollinators, effectively doubling the administration's budget for bee
research.<br><br>
Addressing colony collapse disorder and the decline of pollinators will
require the combined effort of the scientific, environmental and business
communities. I intend to make sure the federal government does its part;
establishing funding for this research is a good start.<br><br>
<b>Boxer represents California in the U.S. Senate.<br><br>
</b><hr>
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Phone: (209) 578-2000.<br><br>
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*************************<br>
Scott Hoffman Black<br>
Ecologist/Entomologist<br>
Executive Director<br>
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation<br>
4828 SE Hawthorne <br>
Portland, OR 97215 <br>
Direct line (503) 449-3792<br>
sblack@xerces.org<br><br>
<i>The Xerces Society is an international, nonprofit organization that
protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their
habitat. <br>
</i> <br>
To join the Society, make a contribution, or read about our work, <br>
please visit
<a href="http://www.xerces.org/">www.xerces.org</a>.<br><br>
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