Federal Protection Sought for Iconic Pollinators 'In Deadly Free Fall'

Ladyhawke1

Deeply Rooted
Joined
Aug 27, 2009
Messages
580
Reaction score
1
Points
103
A gift for Seedcorn:
http://www.commondreams.org/news/20...on-sought-iconic-pollinators-deadly-free-fall
Federal Protection Sought for Iconic Pollinators 'In Deadly Free Fall'
Published on
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
by
Common Dreams

Groups urge Endangered Species Act protection for monarchs suffering from assualt as a result of genetically engineered crops dominating Corn Belt
by
Andrea Germanos, staff writer

monarchesa-a.jpg

The alarming decline of the monarch butterfly population necessitates federal action to save the iconic orange and black pollinators.
Such is the urging of the Center for Biological Diversity and Center for Food Safety, joined by the Xerces Society and monarch expert Dr. Lincoln Brower, who sent a petition (pdf) Tuesday to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeking Endangered Species Act protection for the butterflies.
Over the last two decades, the groups say, population has plummeted by more than 90 percent. To put that "staggering" figure in perspective, Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, said that "in human-population terms it would be like losing every living person in the United States except those in Florida and Ohio.”
The request for federal protection follows stacking evidence against corporate agriculture for its role in these declining numbers. A primary threat to the pollinators, the petition states, is widespread plantings in the Midwest of genetically modified crops and the herbicides used on them, which are wiping out the monarch's larval food, milkweed.
"In the Midwest, nearly ubiquitous adoption of, glyphosate-resistant 'Roundup Ready' corn and soybeans has caused a precipitous decline of common milkweed, and thus of monarchs, which lay their eggs only on milkweeds. The majority of the world’s monarchs originate in the Corn Belt region of the United States where milkweed loss has been severe, and the threat that this habitat loss poses to the resiliency, redundancy, and representation of the monarch cannot be overstated," the petition reads.
Brower, who has been studying monarchs for six decades, said we need to take action before it is too late.
“Monarchs are in a deadly free fall and the threats they face are now so large in scale that Endangered Species Act protection is needed sooner rather than later, while there is still time to reverse the severe decline in the heart of their range.”
“The monarch is the canary in the cornfield, a harbinger of environmental change that we’ve brought about on such a broad scale that many species of pollinators are now at risk if we don’t take action to protect them,” Brower warned.
 

bobm

Garden Master
Joined
Aug 22, 2012
Messages
3,736
Reaction score
2,506
Points
307
Location
SW Washington
Well hawke, I hear your pain , but where are your screams of outrage against the Solar Farms killing "streamer" birds by falling out of the sky in flames due to mirror arrays sending concentrated sun rays to collector towers such as endangered hawks, peregrine falkons, bald eagles as well as other eagle species, migratory and song birds (lots of these type of species that are threatened and/ or protected as endangered with extinction) every 2 minutes ? Or threatening the endangered desert tortas ? Not to mention the Wind Farms slicing and dicing endangered hawks, eagles and other raptors while the Federal Government ( since they know what is best for us, then lets us pay for it ) is increasing the number of permits to build more ? Since these are GREEN and SOLAR I guess that it is OK . Hmmm ? :caf
 

Smart Red

Garden Master
Joined
Jan 10, 2012
Messages
11,303
Reaction score
7,395
Points
417
Location
South-est, central-est Wisconsin
You are both right on. Anything that effects pollination affects us as gardeners. We want a safe and healthy Earth. We want healthy, economical, and abundant food supplies. We want to end starvation and warfare if our 'wants' are extended out that far.

We are only humans. We can only do what we can and trust HIM that it is enough. I start where I am and do my best. That's all I can do.
 

baymule

Garden Master
Joined
Mar 20, 2011
Messages
18,327
Reaction score
34,456
Points
457
Location
Trinity County Texas
Plant flowers. Plant things for pollinators. All we can do is make our yards and properties an oasis for these creatures. Texas has a wild flower program where seeds are sowed on the highways, lots of green space there and it is not mowed until the spring flowers go to seed and die back.
 

bobm

Garden Master
Joined
Aug 22, 2012
Messages
3,736
Reaction score
2,506
Points
307
Location
SW Washington
Well Bay, I have seen this type of planting wildflower program in Cal. ... Very Pretty !!! Great for butterflies and other bugs !!! Or so we think. The butterflies lay their eggs on the wildflowers, soon caterpillars emerge, many travel onto the slick concrete or blacktop and go S Q U I S H :hu. Those that stay home on the flowers, pupate, emerge and take their first flight and S P L A T :idunno onto all of our windshields or car fronts ! :barnie All this for a 2 week pretty floral display? :th
 

secuono

Garden Master
Joined
Jun 1, 2011
Messages
2,039
Reaction score
1,605
Points
317
Location
VA
Aren't they supposed to like Milkweed? I don't think I've ever seen a wild Monarch butterfly. I've seen a few in huge greenhouses, but that's it. Nothing but bees come to the Milkweed I have by the driveway. =/
 

secuono

Garden Master
Joined
Jun 1, 2011
Messages
2,039
Reaction score
1,605
Points
317
Location
VA
Well Bay, I have seen this type of planting wildflower program in Cal. ... Very Pretty !!! Great for butterflies and other bugs !!! Or so we think. The butterflies lay their eggs on the wildflowers, soon caterpillars emerge, many travel onto the slick concrete or blacktop and go S Q U I S H :hu. Those that stay home on the flowers, pupate, emerge and take their first flight and S P L A T :idunno onto all of our windshields or car fronts ! :barnie All this for a 2 week pretty floral display? :th


At least they are trying. Most places could care less.
There's a town up the road, speed limit is 25, every year, you see tons of all sorts of butterflies all beat up and torn to heck and dead all over the road. Weird because there aren't really many flowers there...It's a sad stretch of road.
 

bobm

Garden Master
Joined
Aug 22, 2012
Messages
3,736
Reaction score
2,506
Points
307
Location
SW Washington
At least they are trying. Most places could care less.
There's a town up the road, speed limit is 25, every year, you see tons of all sorts of butterflies all beat up and torn to heck and dead all over the road. Weird because there aren't really many flowers there...It's a sad stretch of road.
Try this on for size ... In N. Cal. where the rice patty is the dominant feature of the farm landscape and towns are small and far between, after the butterfly pupate, then hatch, traveling on any highway, country road or gravel byway and your windshield will be covered with dead yellow and white butterflies that one has to stop periodically to clean the windshield. Too , one's radiator gets so clogged with butterflies that your car overheats. Still, the skys are full of these butterflies as far as one can see. :eek:
 

seedcorn

Garden Master
Joined
Jun 21, 2008
Messages
9,627
Reaction score
9,882
Points
397
Location
NE IN
Plant flowers. Plant things for pollinators. All we can do is make our yards and properties an oasis for these creatures. Texas has a wild flower program where seeds are sowed on the highways, lots of green space there and it is not mowed until the spring flowers go to seed and die back.
Agree. Why is it farmers responsibility to grow milkweeds for them? I wwould be curious how many milkweeds Hawke is growing? Lets see pix of her lawns? Lets see ground she bought to allow to sit idle growing mmilkweeds! talk is CHEAP! Put your $$$$$ where your opinion is!
 

seedcorn

Garden Master
Joined
Jun 21, 2008
Messages
9,627
Reaction score
9,882
Points
397
Location
NE IN
IF they are threatened, something needs to be done, agree. Just think those worried should do something besides pointing fingers at others saying THEY should. Word for that type of behavior-hypocritical.
 

Latest posts

Top