<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#954F72;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style></head><body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class="WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal">Good morning:</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Today the Xerces Society, working with Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Food Safety, has submitted a petition to the California Fish and Game Commission for the listing of four species of native bumble bees under the California Endangered Species Act. The four species are the western bumble bee, Franklin’s bumble bee, Crotch’s bumble bee, and the Suckley cuckoo bumble bee. </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">You can read more about these bees and see photos—Crotch’s bumble bee is such a beautiful insect!—on our blog or in the press release, at the following links:</p><p class="MsoNormal">Blog <a href="https://xerces.org/2018/10/16/blog-california-endangered-bumble-bees/">https://xerces.org/2018/10/16/blog-california-endangered-bumble-bees/</a></p><p class="MsoNormal">Press release <a href="https://xerces.org/2018/10/16/california-endangered-bumble-bees/">https://xerces.org/2018/10/16/california-endangered-bumble-bees/</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">All four of these bumble bees are facing an uncertain future. Crotch’s bumble has been lost from 80% of its historic range—it is now is found primarily in southern coastal habitats and areas near Sacramento—and has declined by 98 percent in relative abundance. The western bumble bee is now restricted in California to a few sites in the Sierra Nevada and the northern coast. The Suckley cuckoo bumble bee is probably faring even worse because it relies on species such as the western as a host, so you can imagine what the loss of the western bumble bee means for it. And sadly, it may already be too late for Franklin’s bumble bee; it hasn’t been seen in more than a decade.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">If this petition is successful, it would be the first time any bumble bees have gained either state or federal protection in the West Coast states.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Matthew</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">----------</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Matthew Shepherd</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Director of Communications & Outreach</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><img border="0" width="160" height="60" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image003.jpg@01D46524.7F08FAF0" alt="Email-Outlook_Xerces-logo-CMYK"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Protecting the Life That Sustains Us</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Connect: <a href="http://www.xerces.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">www.xerces.org</span></a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/xerces.society/" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">Facebook</span></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/xercessociety" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">Twitter</span></a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/xercessociety/?hl=en" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">Instagram</span></a> <a href="http://www.xerces.org/blog/" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">Blog</span></a> <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001HTk7N6nZumLPinBr8VACbNdTXCe732bGu6KpqC13JAKPti_HBe5xyr7t0p4mDfKe2dOsd-TB1qvv772s6GQfVa_SbKKfwBiwl4blH4KvCjq4dpmA2M9UNZ2axlQwu_1Gvjrl2Rb53WUZwsddwCzyorgxedLAaMy3" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">E-newsletter</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">628 NE Broadway, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97232, USA</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Office: (503) 232-6639 x110</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Cell: (503) 807-1577</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><a href="mailto:matthew.shepherd@xerces.org" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">matthew.shepherd@xerces.org</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p></div></body></html>