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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 2019)
8 Wednesday, September 11, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Tales from a Sisters Naturalist by Jim Anderson Rachel Carson, a wonder of nature Again and again, friends and colleagues email, text, or stop me at the post office, asking, <What9s going on in the insect (or packrat, or English sparrow, or desert snake9s or lizard or butterfly or&) world?= I can9t answer any of those many, many ques- tions. And to make it even more interesting, Sue and I have even had phone calls from a dear friend in France who also wonders why the German government is so worried over the sig- nificant drop in their insect populations. What is going on? The physical proof of the change in insect populations is all too visible just from driving down the road. One very obvious thing is notice- able: there are not as many bugs splattered on my wind- shield at the end of the trip. Where are they? What is happening? Why is this happening? Maybe we should be pay- ing more attention to what Germany is trying to do to put nature back in balance. <We human beings need insects,= said Environment Minister Svenja Schulze. <They deserve to be pro- tected with their own law.= Her <action plan for pro- tecting insects,= announced by news agency DPA, would provide annual funding of ¬100 million for the cause, including ¬25 million for research. Germany would also stop covering new land with concrete for roads or home construction until 2050, and limit light emissions at night to avoid disorienting the six- legged creatures. (Author9s note: Getting back to darker nights will not only make the natural world happier, but save a heck of a lot of money and hold down air pollution.) Their government would set rules for <environmen- tally and naturally bearable application of pesticides and significant reduction of their input and that of other harm- ful substances into insect habitats,= according to the documents. The plan comes at the heels of a historic victory in Bavaria. Last month, a record 1.75 million people in the prosperous south German state of Bavaria signed a petition for a referendum to <save the bees,= calling for more organic farming and green spaces and increased protection from agricultural chemicals. See anything wrong with those plans? I don9t. All these events take me back to 1962, while I was working with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry as staff naturalist. I was headed for a high school at Park Rose when I heard the news on my Hillman Husky radio that Rachel Carson, the wonderful sci- entist who wrote <Silent Spring= and many other nat- ural history books, had gone out among the stars. It was such a shock I had to pull over to the side of the road; I couldn9t see for the tears of sadness that came to my eyes. I sat there blubber- ing and telling my compan- ion, Mr. Owl, what a tragedy this was. I9d say he didn9t give a hoot, but I did. Carson was one of my greatest heroines 4 even greater than Amelia Earhart. In her books, Carson tried to teach us human beings how to live with the nature of our world, and what the con- sequences would be if we didn9t. That day, I gave the most difficult talk I ever had to give to a high school audi- ence. Mr. Owl, my feathered friend for over 12 years and teaching companion, even sensed my dilemma and the difficult time I had sharing the news with those students that the Earth9s great cham- pion of justice and glory was no longer with us. At the time I had only a little idea of how much we needed her then, and how much we need her today. Our present administration wants to do away with elements of our Endangered Species Act (ESA) that impact some areas of our economy. How inconvenient! That means that estab- lishing protection for Franklin9s bumblebee under the ESA is nigh onto impos- sible. This bee has the small- est geographic range of any bumblebee species in North America. The hills of south- west Oregon and northern California are where this elusive bee calls home. Although it has always been hard to spot, it has not been observed in its native habi- tat since 2006. Therefore, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a pro- posal to list Franklin9s bum- blebee as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Historically, Franklin9s bumblebees have been found at elevations between 540 feet to more than 7,800 feet, in a roughly 13,000-square-mile area in southwest Oregon and north- ern California. Their ability to survive in cold climates makes them the primary pol- linators of alpine flowering plants. The bee needs abundant flowers throughout their May-September flight sea- son and cavities 4 or holes 4 for breeding and shelter- ing. Because they are habitat generalists and there appears to be plenty of intact habitat available to them, the Forest Service determined that des- ignating critical habitat for the Franklin9s bumblebee is not prudent. In the discussions regard- ing the disappearance of Franklin9s bumblebees it is thought they are/have been likely impacted by a combi- nation of factors including: disease, small population size, and neonicotinoid pes- ticides, which indicates the decline of this species since the late 1990s. And persis- tent threats mean this bee is at high risk of becoming extinct. I use this example of the Franklin bumblebee as proof that something even more threatening is taking place all around us. I suggest we sit down and charge our bat- teries by taking the time to again consult with Rachel Carson by re-reading her book <Silent Spring.= I was talking over the apparent dilemma of miss- ing insects with a pal, and got around to the role of insects as irreplaceable pol- linators and mentioned the importance of bumblebees, and my pal said, <Yeah! But bumblebees can sting you!= Yes, bumblebees can and do sting, but only in an attempt to save their home or themselves. Might I suggest that we humans also defend our homes, etc, etc. Anyway, for most people stung by a bumblebee it was the result of trying to swat it away from the face or one of the kids. If a bumblebee invades your personal space, stand still and do nothing and it will be gone in sec- onds. Honest! If you are intent on get- ting a bumblebee all riled up the result could be you9ll be stung. But, hey, Good People, I9ve been working with and around bumble- bees most of my adult life and I have yet to be stung. I removed a nest of bumble- bees from a love seat on a friend9s front porch with- out the aid of a bee suit and placed them in a new con- struction block home with- out getting stung. Oh, sure, I talked to them all during the operation and did everything slowly and as gently as possible saying, <Now, don9t get all excited ladies,= over and over, as I moved the nest from the love seat and took it to their new site several hundred yards from the house. 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