permaculture

[Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>]

This bumble bee was everywhere. Now it’s on the endangered species list. -
The Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/01/10/this-bumble-bee-was-everywhere-now-its-on-the-endangered-species-list/?utm_term=.63e1ba9fabf8

For the first time in American history, a bumble bee species has been
placed on the endangered species list. It probably won’t be the last.

The rusty patched bumble bee was so prevalent 20 years ago that pedestrians
in Midwest cities fought to shoo them away. Now, even trained scientists
and experienced bee watchers find it difficult to lay eyes on them. “I’ve
never seen one, and I live here pretty close to where there have been
populations documented,” said Tamara Smith, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service biologist stationed in Minneapolis.

Fearing that the striped black and yellow pollinator with a long black tail
could be lost forever, Fish and Wildlife designated the animal as
endangered Tuesday. The designation triggers protections such as
regulations against knowingly destroying the bumble bee’s habitat and
habitat creation. It also raises awareness about the plight of the bumble
bee and requires a detailed, long term recovery plan to restore its
population.