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<DIV><FONT size=2>Heifer International has just published an article about bee
declines and efforts to increase on-farm habitat in their magazine, <EM>World
Ark</EM>. The first few paragraphs are below. </FONT><FONT size=2>Read the full
article at <A
href="http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.6079379/">http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.6079379/</A>
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Matthew</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>***********************************************</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<H2>Beauty and the Bees</H2>
<P>By Sarah Schmidt | <EM>World Ark</EM> contributor </P>
<P><IMG
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; FLOAT: right; PADDING-TOP: 5px"
border=0 alt="The effect of planting flowers on the bee population"
src="http://www.heifer.org/atf/cf/%7BE384D2DB-8638-47F3-A6DB-68BE45A16EDC%7D/WA_Beauty_and_the_Bees2.jpg">On
the Omeg family’s Oregon cherry orchard, a 10-foot perimeter of goldenrod,
catmint and blanket flower surrounds the 350 acres of trees. The flowers run
between the rows, too, and in one section of the orchard, four 30-foot diameter
circular patches sport a host of native prairie grasses that produce flowers of
their own. It’s a lovely display, but Mike Omeg, the fifth-generation family
member who now runs the orchard, didn’t work untold hours over the past three
years just to make his farm prettier. The flowers host several species of
bumblebee, orchard mason bees, and sweat bees, as well as monarch and
swallowtail butterflies, all of which are, well, busy as bees, as they fly from
blossom to blossom doing what they’re uniquely qualified for—pollinating food
crops. </P>
<P>Four years after scientists first noticed that a mysterious insect plague
known as colony collapse disorder was wiping out honeybees around the globe, the
exact cause has yet to be determined. In the meantime, many small and midsize
farms aren’t waiting to hear the solution to the whodunit. Instead they’re
enlisting more bees to pollinate their crops by luring them in with food, water
and custom-made habitat, thanks in part to incentives in the latest U.S. farm
bill. Though just a handful of farms have begun to put such methods to the test,
their success could be an important component to averting a pollination
crisis—and increasing food security worldwide. </P>
<P>The dramatic drop in the world bee population isn’t just about honey. In
fact, about one-third of all food crops worldwide depend on insect pollination.
Everything from almonds to apples to cucumbers to soybeans—$15 billion worth in
the United States alone, according to the latest Department of Agriculture
estimates—are at risk. And while scientists are still working intently to
pinpoint the causes of the mysterious syndrome, annual honeybee losses continue
to hover around an alarming 30 percent. “We have just enough bees right now, but
we’re near the tipping point,” said Marla Spivak, entomologist and professor of
apiculture at the University of Minnesota. “We rely on pollination for so many
crops—the impact could be severe.” </P>
<P><STRONG>VANISHING HABITAT</STRONG> </P>
<P>Ever since people first began to cultivate food crops, bees and butterflies
have been pollinating many of them. And until very recently, the job was done
efficiently and free of charge by whatever pollinating insects were native to
the area.</P>
<P>“When our landscape was more diverse, pollinators had plenty of varied
habitat,” explained Eric Mader, national pollination coordinator of the Xerces
Society, a nonprofit devoted to invertebrate conservation. In the past, a wider
variety of wildflowers, trees, and grasses bloomed at different times of year
and provided a steady stream of pollen and nectar for wild bees. Farms also
provided food and shelter, since most rotated food and cover crops like clover.
But the landscape of most industrialized countries—and, increasingly, developing
ones—has changed drastically over the past 50 years. </P></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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<DIV><FONT size=1><FONT size=1></FONT> </DIV></FONT>
<DIV><FONT
size=1>______________________________________________________</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><STRONG>The Xerces Society for Invertebrate
Conservation</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=1>The Xerces Society is an international
nonprofit organization that </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=1>protects wildlife through the conservation of
invertebrates and their </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=1>habitat. </FONT></FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT
size=1>To </FONT></FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=1>join the Society, make a
</FONT></FONT><FONT size=1>contribution</FONT><FONT size=1>, </FONT><FONT
size=1>or read about our </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>work, </FONT><FONT size=1>please visit </FONT><FONT size=1><A
href="http://www.xerces.org">www.xerces.org</A>.</FONT></FONT><FONT
size=1></DIV></DIV></FONT>
<DIV><FONT size=1></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>Matthew Shepherd</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>Senior Conservation Associate</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>4828 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland, OR 97215,
USA</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>Tel: 503-232 6639 Cell: 503-807 1577 Fax: 503-233
6794</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>Email: </FONT><A href="mailto:mdshepherd@xerces.org"><FONT
size=1>mdshepherd@xerces.org</FONT></A><FONT size=1> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><FONT
size=1>______________________________________________________</FONT></FONT></DIV>
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