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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Peter,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I totally agree with you about the lack of
pollinator-need for wind-pollinated nuts, and there is certainly some question
about the need to bees in orange groves (and, as readers of this list will know,
there has been efforts by some citrus growers to exclude honey bees from wide
areas around seedless varieties).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Unfortunately, as anyone who works with the media
can attest, there are times when we suffer from inaccuracies or sweeping
comments written by members of the media. The program description I pasted into
my email to the list was posted by VoiceAmerica onto their web
site some days ahead of the broadcast. It does not reflect what was
said by the guests during the subsequent broadcast.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Ensuring that journalists and others have
accurate information is a never-ending task. Even when they have got the correct
information, there is no guarantee that it will be published accurately! On
this occasion, it my be best to take it up directly with
VoiceAmerica.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Matthew</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********<BR><BR>On
7/22/2010 at 9:30 AM Peter Bernhardt wrote:</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px">Dear
Matthew:
<DIV><BR class=webkit-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>You know, I'd feel a lot better about radio chat shows if we'd all modify
our statements (just a little bit). The program description below makes
a sweeping claim. It's just a matter of adding two words to the first
sentence so it reads "Much of our fruit, nut and vegetable supply
depends..." </DIV>
<DIV><BR class=webkit-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>Really, you can't make a case for the importance of insect-pollinated
crops to people in the walnut, pecan, pine nut and hazel nut (filbert)
industries. I don't have a copy of Free's "Insect Pollination of Crops"
(1970) with me but I suspect that spinach flowers, and the flowers of those
leafy amaranths found in supermarket salad bags, depend on pollen drifting in
air currents as well...right?</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=webkit-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>I'm very pleased when colleagues inform the public about pollination and
press the concept that pollination is an "essential service." However,
we must give credit where credit is due and reflect on the fact that most (not
all) gymnosperms and quite a few flowering plants have "opted out" of the
birds and the bees and the bats nectar race and settled for essential
services performed by wind or water. </DIV>
<DIV><BR class=webkit-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>Perhaps a member of this list would comment on the huge citrus industry.
Most modern breeds are polyploids and agamospermic and/or
parthenocarpic. It's nice to see honeybees in the groves and
orange-blossom honey is my favorite. The question is whether they are
needed at all? Do most (any) citrus cultivars need pollen deposited on
stigmas to trigger fruit set? Certainly, some agamospermic pathways in
other species (Potentilla and other members of the Rosaceae) require a sort of
"pseudo" or "Half-fertilization." The egg refuses sperm but the polar
cells must have it to make the typical triploid endosperm. </DIV>
<DIV><BR class=webkit-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV>Sincerely, Peter<BR><BR>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On Wed, Jul 21, 2010 at 12:11 PM, Matthew Shepherd
(Xerces Society) <SPAN dir=ltr><<A
href="mailto:mdshepherd@xerces.org">mdshepherd@xerces.org</A>></SPAN>
wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; PADDING-LEFT: 1ex"
class=gmail_quote>
<DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial" text="#000000" bgcolor="#ffffff">
<DIV><FONT size=2>"Sustainable Agriculture Spotlight" with Jeff Birkby
(outreach director for NCAT’s National Sustainable Agriculture Information
Service) is broadcast on VoiceAmerica Talk Radio Network. Yesterday's
(Tuesday, 7/20) program focused on pollinators and featured interviews
with Rex Dufour of NCAT and Eric Mader of the Xerces
Society.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>You can listen to it or download a podcast at <A
href="http://www.voiceamerica.com/voiceamerica/vepisode.aspx?aid=47437"
target=_blank>http://www.voiceamerica.com/voiceamerica/vepisode.aspx?aid=47437</A>.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>The program description from the website:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">"Our nation’s fruit, nut, and vegetable
supply depends on insect pollinators. But our conventional agricultural
systems aren’t friendly to pollinating insects. Conventional agriculture
also relies heavily on only one insect, the European honeybee, to pollinate
most of our crops. In this episode, host Jeff Birkby interviews Eric Mader,
National Pollinator Outreach Coordinator for the nonprofit Xerces Society.
Also joining the program will be Rex Dufour of the National Center for
Appropriate Technology. Eric and Rex will discuss the importance of
pollinators in sustainable agriculture, and ways farmers and gardeners can
attract beneficial insects to pollinate crops." </FONT></DIV></DIV><BR>
<DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial" text="#000000" bgcolor="#ffffff">
<DIV><FONT size=1><FONT size=1></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<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"
target=_blank>www.xerces.org</A>.</FONT></DIV></FONT><FONT
size=1></FONT></DIV></DIV>
<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"
target=_blank><FONT size=1>mdshepherd@xerces.org</FONT></A><FONT size=1>
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><FONT
size=1>______________________________________________________</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT
size=2></FONT> </DIV><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>Pollinator
mailing list<BR><A
href="mailto:Pollinator@lists.sonic.net">Pollinator@lists.sonic.net</A><BR><A
href="http://lists.sonic.net/mailman/listinfo/pollinator"
target=_blank>http://lists.sonic.net/mailman/listinfo/pollinator</A><BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></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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