News — Pollinator Conservation

Each month our Bee Informed Blog highlights current news, science, and research related to solitary bee conservation, food insecurity, and sustainability. 1. Celebrate Earth Day with a bee walk (Environment America, By Steven Blackledge) Earth Day—April 22nd—is a day to not only celebrate our planet but also to take part in environmental education and activism to build a greener, healthier world. And what better way to help the planet than by helping the fuzzy little critters whose hard work holds up entire ecosystems? I’m talking about bees. These humble heroes pollinate 80% of the world’s flowering plants, and there are more than...

Imagine a scenario in which a terrible avian virus sweeps through North America, decimating the poultry industry. Ranchers lose tens of thousands of chickens, and many leading poultry operations go out of business. Chicken and egg prices skyrocket, causing many restaurants and bakeries to close down. Even in this scenario, however, I would not expect to see “save the birds” bumper stickers, articles in leading magazines discussing “a world without birds”, or environmental preservation agencies campaigning for bird conservation on account of this event. This is because we understand that a chicken crisis, albeit a consequential one for many industries...