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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b
style="">Broad support for <strong><span style="">regulations
to protect wild bumble bees <o:p></o:p></span></strong></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center">Scientists,
native
plant organizations, sustainable agriculture groups and conservation
organizations sign letters of support</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="">On February
10, 2010, a broad coalition of scientists submitted a letter to the <strong><span
style="font-weight: normal;">USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service
(APHIS) requesting that they create new regulations to protect wild
bumble bees
from threats posed by commercial bumble bees. The letter was signed by
over 60
scientists with research on bumble bees and other bees, including: </span></strong><span
style="">Charles D. Michener, Ph.D., a</span>uthor of <i>The
Bees of the World</i><span style="">;<i> </i></span><span style="">Bernd
Heinrich, Ph.D., </span>author of <i>Bumblebee
Economics</i><span style="">;<i> </i></span><span style="">David
Goulson, Ph.D., a</span>uthor of <i>Bumblebees:
Their</i> <i>Behaviour, Ecology and Conservation, </i><span style="">James
Thomson, Ph.D., co-author of <i>The Natural History of Bumble
Bees</i>; and<i> </i></span><span style="">May
Berenbaum, Ph.D., </span>Chair of<span style=""> </span>the
National Research Council Committee on the Status of Pollinators in
North<span style=""> </span>America. <span style=""> </span><span
style=""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Letters of support were also submitted by a
coalition of native
plant societies, sustainable agriculture organizations, and
conservation
organizations<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">. <a
href="http://www.xerces.org/bumblebees/">View all letters of support</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">Background<o:p></o:p></span></u><br>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">These letters
provide support for a petition submitted on January 12, 2010 by </span></strong>The
Xerces Society<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">, Defenders of
Wildlife,
Natural Resources Defense Council and Dr. Robbin Thorp. This petition
requested
that APHIS use </span></strong>its authority to regulate the movement
and
health of commercial bumble bees<strong><span
style="font-weight: normal;"> i</span></strong>n
order to prevent the spread of disease to wild populations of
agriculturally
significant bee pollinators. Specifically, the petitioners requested
that APHIS
create rules prohibiting the movement of bumble bees outside of their
native
ranges and regulate interstate movement of bumble bee pollinators
within their
native ranges by requiring permits that show that bumble bees are
certified as
disease-free prior to movement. <a
href="http://www.xerces.org/press-releases/aphis-petition.html"
target="_blank">Read
more</a> about this action. <a
href="http://www.xerces.org/petition/xerces-bumblebee-petition-to-aphis.pdf"
target="_blank">Read the petition</a>.</p>
<div class="moz-signature">___________________________________________
<br>
<b>The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation</b>
<br>
<br>
The Xerces Society is an international, nonprofit
<br>
organization that protects wildlife through the
<br>
conservation of invertebrates and their habitat.
<br>
To join the Society, make a contribution, or read
<br>
about our work, please visit <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.xerces.org">www.xerces.org</a>
<br>
<br>
Sarina Jepsen
<br>
Endangered Species Program Director
<br>
4828 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland, OR 97215
<br>
tel: 503-232-6639 fax: 503-233-6794
<br>
email: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:sarina@xerces.org">sarina@xerces.org</a>
<br>
___________________________________________</div>
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