Bees in Peril

Bees are in peril, bats are in peril, predators are in... well you get the picture. The question at the end of the article asks what is causing this. For bees there are multiple factors, as the article synthesizes. When you look at one problem, plummeting bee or bat or bird populations for instance, it seems like a problem that can be fixed. All problems viewed in symphony however seems a much more daunting task to surmount. Are we in peril as well? I don't normally give in to fears of doom but, DOOM!!! Just a little humor, if you don't laugh about it you can only cry.

"Interestingly, some beekeepers who normally avoid problems by protecting their bees during the hardest part of the winter in huge potato warehouses are having problems. The weather, too, was against the bees this year. Deadly cold temperatures were harder than normal on the bees that had been loaded on trucks moving west, causing significant losses for some. Down south, where bees are normally soaking up the sun and honey from Florida's balmy days, winter seeped south and kept those bees from doing much of anything except staying home and keeping warm. So instead of building nicely, they stubbornly, simply stayed warm. They didn't grow, expand into colonies the size almond groves need. So they're out of the equation.

So prices are officially crazy. Three weeks ago if you asked $150 rent for colony you'd be laughed right out of the almond orchard. Today, $200 isn't an uncommon offer, and the line goes out to the parking lot for growers wanting to pay that amount. What's causing this?"

Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/blogs/bees/almond-prices-47020601?src=rss#ixzz0emmvlz6w

Turbidity Standards Revision

Oregon DEQ has initiated a revision of its water quality standard to address turbidity. Additional information about this process is available at: http://www.deq.state.or.us/wq/standards/turbidity.htm. Oregon DEQ will hold a meeting to discuss the process for revising the turbidity standard on February 17 from 9-11am at the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs Building in Salem. We will post an agenda and conference call information to the website prior to the meeting if you can’t make it in person. For additional information, please contact Aron Borok at Oregon DEQ at 503-229-5050

Oregon Bats in Peril

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife News Release

February 4, 2010

Contacts:

Andrea Hanson, ODFW Strategy Species coordinator, (503) 947-6320

Meg Kenagy, ODFW Conservation Strategy Communications coordinator, (503) 947-6021

Wildlife Managers Say New Disease Could Affect NW Bat Populations

Salem, Ore.—The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife asks Oregonians, especially those who work in or enjoy exploring caves or mines, to take action to limit the spread of white-nose syndrome, a new disease that has killed over one million bats in the northeast.

White-nose syndrome is caused by a cold-environment fungus that thrives in the same temperature range as hibernating bats do. Once infected, bats demonstrate a tell-tale white fuzzy growth on their noses. The direct cause of death is still unclear, although it is believed the fungus interrupts sleep patterns and causes the hibernating bats to awaken during winter and burn calories they can’t afford to use, depleting their fat reserves and causing starvation.

Although white-nose syndrome has not yet arrived in Oregon, precautions need to be taken now to ensure the health of our native bats, which play important roles in the environment. For example, one bat can eat up to 600 insects in an hour, benefiting farmers, foresters and homeowners.

First, never disturb a bat colony. Bats are highly sensitive to disturbance when they gather together in summer to give birth and in winter to hibernate. Second, avoid going into mines or caves unless necessary. If you do enter a cave, decontaminate your clothing and equipment to avoid transmitting any potential disease. Decontamination is particularly critical if you have been in caves in the eastern United States. Third, notify your local ODFW office if you observe several dead bats in the same location. Do not pick up or handle bats, alive or dead.

“We need to monitor the health of our bat populations. A number of our native species are already vulnerable,” said Andrea Hanson, ODFW Strategy Species coordinator. “In the past, reports of unusual bat deaths have come from the public, which is why we are asking for help from Oregonians.”

There are 15 species of bats in Oregon. Many of them are identified in the Oregon Conservation Strategy as species in need of help. Learn more about them in the Conservation Summaries of Strategy Species section of the Strategy.

More information

If you have been in a cave, follow the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s recommended decontamination procedure which is detailed on their Northeast Region Web site, http://www.fws.gov/northeast/wnscavers.html

Report unusual bat death situations to Andrea Hanson, ODFW Strategy Species coordinator, (503) 947-6320, or Colin Gillin, State Wildlife veterinarian, (541) 757-4186.

Living with Bats, a flyer about bats in Oregon, is available on the ODFW Web site (pdf).

The Bat Conservation International Web site, has additional information on white-nose syndrome.

Photo

Fringed bat flying in the high desert of Central Oregon. Photo Michael Durham.

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Books

This one is not an environmental post, but I thought it was interesting. Read the entire article on Fast Company, "Hmmm. A 'monopoly over their own titles' is the absolute key phrase here, because it's plain dumb. It's like complaining that Van Gogh has a monopoly over paintings painted by Van Gogh." Interesting point but completely incorrect. It is more like an art gallery where Van Gogh sells all his paintings through a contract (a gallery that doesn't allow him to sell them any where else and pays him $.10 on the dollar IF he's lucky). I would argue that publishing companies do often have a monopoly on titles. Most authors have no leverage and cannot gain support because they can't get exposure.