[Pollinator] ZOO-SUPPORTED SURVEY REVEALS RARE BUMBLEBEE ON MT. HOOD

Wed Sep 18 15:11:01 PDT 2013

OREGON ZOO NEWS 

For immediate release | September 18, 2013

Media contact: 

Hova Najarian | 503-220-5714 |  <mailto:hova.najarian at oregonzoo.org>
hova.najarian at oregonzoo.org

Zoo-supported survey reveals rare bumblebee on Mt. Hood

Xerces Society research to aid in western bumblebee conservation

PORTLAND, Ore. - If you ate a Willamette Valley-grown tomato or pepper
before the mid-'90s, there's a good chance it was pollinated by the western
bumblebee. The inch-long, white-bottomed bee - which you'd also have to
thank for countless wildflowers - was one of the most common pollinators in
the west. But around 15 years ago, they mysteriously disappeared west of the
Cascades. 

Now, a recent survey by the Xerces Society has uncovered what appears to be
Oregon's westernmost stronghold of this increasingly rare bumblebee.

With funding from the Oregon Zoo Foundation's Future for Wildlife program,
Xerces Society biologist Rich Hatfield spent six weeks this summer
identifying bumblebee species in the Mount Hood National Forest. It wasn't
until week four that he discovered a dozen of the rare western bumblebees
near Timberline Lodge.

"In the last 15 years there have only been about 15 sightings of this
bumblebee west of the Cascades," Hatfield said. "This discovery suggests
that this species might have a chance to repopulate its range."

To see Hatfield's discovery on video - including high-speed images of the
rare western bumblebee - go to  <http://bit.ly/chasingbees>
bit.ly/chasingbees.

The western is one of five once-common native bumblebees whose populations
have plummeted in recent years. Franklin's bumblebee - a close relative of
the western, native to a small area in southern Oregon and northern
California - may already be extinct. The declines are part of a global bee
crisis that threatens food production. 

"One out of every three bites of food that we eat comes from a plant that
was pollinated by an animal, and usually those animals are bees," Hatfield
said. "The fact that any bee could disappear is a scary proposition. We're
approaching a tipping point where our food security will be at stake."

Scientists attribute bumblebee declines to a variety of factors. Introduced
pathogens are the leading hypothesis for western bumblebee decline.
Pesticides were to blame for killing 50,000 bumblebees in Wilsonville last
June. Rounding out the threats are habitat loss and climate change, and when
all of these factors are combined, the implications reach far beyond food
production.

"Pollinators are critically important to the function of many ecosystems,"
said David Shepherdson, Oregon Zoo deputy conservation manager. "They
provide the seeds and berries that feed our songbirds and mammals.
Protecting pollinators helps to protect all wildlife."  

The Xerces Society survey produced the first official list of bumblebees
present in the Mount Hood National Forest, and the resulting data will
assist the Forest Service in better safeguarding the area for wildlife.

"The western bumblebee is a red flag," Hatfield said. "Their disappearance
is not a natural process. But the thing that gives me hope is that if their
disappearance is caused by people, maybe we can do something to reduce or
reverse it."

The survey also provided a unique glimpse into a miniature world that few
ever get to see. With the help of a laser-triggered shutter and a flash that
fires at 1/50,000th of a second, and a bee caught during Hatfield's survey,
zoo photographer Michael Durham captured what is believed to be the first
high-speed photo of a western bumblebee in flight. 

To find out how to provide backyard bumblebee habitat, stop by the zoo's
Backyard Makeover exhibit or visit the  <http://www.xerces.org/bumblebees>
Xerces website. 

The zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission of inspiring
the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to
conservation, the zoo is currently working to save endangered California
condors, Oregon silverspot and Taylor's checkerspot butterflies, western
pond turtles and Oregon spotted frogs. Other projects include studies on
Asian elephants, polar bears, orangutans and giant pandas. Celebrating 125
years of community support, the zoo relies in part on donations through the
<http://oregonzoo.org/ozf> Oregon Zoo Foundation to undertake these and many
other animal welfare, education and sustainability programs.

The zoo opens at 9 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown
Portland, just off Highway 26. The zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail
line. Visitors who travel to the zoo via MAX receive $1.50 off zoo
admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238-RIDE (7433), or visit
<http://www.trimet.org> www.trimet.org for fare and route information.

General zoo admission is $11.50 (ages 12-64), $10 for seniors (65 and up),
$8.50 for children (ages 3-11) and free for those 2 and younger; 25 cents of
the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the
zoo's Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $4 per car is also
required. Additional information is available at  <http://www.oregonzoo.org>
www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.

_______

Scott Hoffman Black

Executive Director

     The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

Chair

     IUCN Butterfly Specialist Group

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

628 NE Broadway, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97232, USA

 <https://webmail.integra.net/src/compose.php?send_to=sblack%40xerces.org>
sblack at xerces.org

Tel: (503) 232-6639 ext. 101

Toll free: 1-855-232-6639 ext. 101

Cell: (503) 449-3792

Connect with Xerces:
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The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is an international
nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of
invertebrates and their habitat.

To join the Society, make a contribution, or read about our work, please
visit  <http://www.xerces.org/> www.xerces.org.

Buy our best-selling book:

<http://www.xerces.org/announcing-the-publication-of-attracting-native-polli
nators/> Attracting Native Pollinators. Protecting North America's Bees and
Butterflies

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