Tom's Corner

Here is a good article by Jill Richardson, Without honeybees, we may cease to be.

I feel like the bugle is blowing and the cavalry is coming over the hill … finally.

Grashopper Sparrow photographed by Luke Seitz

There was a congressional briefing by the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) yesterday that included several speakers focusing on bees. The report from the ABC is very condeming and confirms much of what beekeepers have been saying for several years. Read Birds, Bees, And Aquatic Life Threatened … for a summary. Here is the agenda from the congressional briefing on the impacts of pesticides on birds, bees and broader ecosystems. Here is the ABC’s 100-page report, The Impact of the Nation’s Most Widely Used Insecticides on Birds.

Here is a reprinting of an article by Jay Feldman, Executive Director of Beyond Pesticides, sharing his observations on the recent EPA Pollinator Summit and commenting on the EPA’s handling of pesticides. EPA Hands the Reins to Industry on Honey Bee Decline, Beyond Pesticides Calls for Action.

The article also notes Beyond Pesticides’ 31st National Pesticide Forum, April 5th and 6th in Albuquerque. Some of you might want to attend. The featured speaker will be Les Crowder who is having a book signing Thursday, March 21st at the Boulder Bookstore.

Listen to Alyn Smith, a member of the European Parliament, talk with June Stoyer, Graham White and Tom Theobald on the Neonicotinoid View.