[Pollinator] The Xerces Society - Report Highlights the Decline of Pollinators in Minnesota and Wisconsin

[Matthew Shepherd]

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           *Report Highlights the Decline of Pollinators in Minnesota and
Wisconsin*



*Regional farm and conservation groups make recommendations to save the
states' bees and butterflies.*



* *

*For Immediate Release, January 18, 2011*

* *

*Contact:  *

*Eric Mader, Assistant Pollinator Program Director, The Xerces Society for
Invertebrate Conservation, (503) 232- 6639 or eric at xerces.org *



ST. PAUL, Minn. - A new report released this week calls attention to the
ongoing plight of bees, butterflies and other pollinators in Minnesota and
Wisconsin, and recommends conservation strategies for their protection.



*Pollinator Conservation in Minnesota and Wisconsin: A Regional Stakeholders
Report* highlights threats from habitat loss, pesticide use, and a lack of
public awareness that have combined to reduce numbers of honey bees, native
bumble bees, butterflies, and other pollinators across the region.



The report is an outgrowth of a meeting held last August at the University
of Wisconsin in Eau Claire by regional bee and butterfly researchers,
government agencies, local farm organizations, and conservation groups like
the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, which sponsored the event.



Among the specific issues highlighted in the report are the large-scale
declines of critical native plants-such as milkweeds, the caterpillar host
plants for monarch butterflies-the increased use of new types of
insecticides and the disappearance of once very common species like the
yellow-banded bumble bee, which as recently as the mid-1990s was considered
the most common bumble bee in northern Wisconsin.



Along with the problems identified by the report, the authors make specific
recommendations to help reverse additional declines and restore pollinator
numbers. These include greater monitoring of at-risk species by state
agencies, better training of licensed pesticide users and increased use of
native wildflowers by transportation agencies for restoring ditches after
road construction. These recommendations offer state and federal
policymakers a comprehensive blueprint to help shape conservation
priorities.



Pollinators contribute an estimated $20 billion a year to U.S. agriculture
through the production of numerous fruit, vegetable, livestock forage, and
biofuel crops. In Minnesota and Wisconsin these include cranberries, apples,
blueberries, pumpkins, canola and alfalfa.



Contributors to the report include faculty researchers from the Universities
of Wisconsin and Minnesota and staff from the USDA Natural Resources
Conservation Service and state departments of natural resources and
agriculture, as well as representatives of organizations like the Minnesota
Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, the Midwest Organic and Sustainable
Education Service, and the National Honey Bee Advisory Board.



Read the full report: *Pollinator Conservation in Minnesota and Wisconsin: A
Regional Stakeholders
Report*<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=tnjebhdab&et=1104241687544&s=4347&e=001urobCO6Scit941HGi55N9ptJ1EXslxpmZpIW3i4wkfh_AFaWrw4Vn1uRBbsMOEivQgQasUJOdxDwbcuSpj6wd93Nu81JSKDm9Gy1IfW3QAnaEAJquNO8nqp-z0SWiuZyNxu7qTBMG5dhUE-GPRPdlc_9hWkrN3nBd38eKiV1qHRsspG8DOdH4lZ6Rm7KHtzFCwkpl8nMgXLWkeS2yVThIiWaN9Pd-qwsgagoq-tlmVU=>




*ABOUT THE XERCES SOCIETY*

The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife
through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. Established in
1971, the Society is at the forefront of invertebrate protection worldwide,
harnessing the knowledge of scientists and the enthusiasm of citizens to
implement conservation programs. To learn more about our work or to donate
to the Society, please visit
www.xerces.org<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=tnjebhdab&et=1104241687544&s=4347&e=001urobCO6ScisQkUMqKrYChpR4-YFcThlL2Nlj422c36pjcXS861czAWZkt9vWHv8wzN0D93zRu59brtrDguWZH_s3fHeepXWMc1W1QWuzrcs=>
.



*PHOTO CREDIT*

Rusty-patched bumble bee *(Bombus affinis)* by Johanna James-Heinz

The Xerces Society • 4828 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland, Oregon 97215 USA •
tel 503.232.6639
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