Dear Larry,
It’s been a long and disappointing week. Donald Trump was elected to be our next President. Our planet is in real trouble.
But even as we face the prospect of a Trump White House, there are still many ways you can help protect the planet. Right now, one of our crucial wild bees -- the rusty-patched bumblebee -- is on the brink of extinction. And you can help save it!
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is could list the rusty-patched bumblebee under the Endangered Species Act. The agency wants to hear from you before it decides. This is an action you can take RIGHT NOW for our food system and our planet. But you only have until November 21st to act!
This bee pollinates everything from cranberries and plums to alfalfa and onions, but it’s disappearing fast. In fact, it has declined by as much as 95 percent in recent decades.
The Fish and Wildlife Service has no excuse for dragging its feet. Five years ago Canada listed the rusty-patched bumblebee as endangered. And just this year, Vermont added it to its endangered species list.
But this piecemeal protection isn’t enough. It’s time for the Fish and Wildlife Service to give the rusty-patched bumble bee endangered species status nationwide. We need your help to protect this essential pollinator for future generations.
The decline of the rusty-patched bumblebee is just one more example of our broken food system. Our overuse of bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides is wiping out pollinators essential for our food and broader ecosystems.
We must take swift action to shift our food system to one that not only protects these iconic creatures, but also people and the environment.
Standing with you,Tiffany Finck-Haynes
Food futures campaigner,
Friends of the Earth
Larry Powell Powell is a veteran, award-winning journalist based in Shoal Lake, Manitoba, Canada. He specialize in stories about agriculture...
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