2 MILLION BLOSSOMS
pendence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. They view mega-farms as an unwholesome way to grow food, threat- ening both our personal human health and that of the envi- ronment.
A second group represented in the expanding pollinator protection movement has been the urban public, many of whom were previously uninvolved with honey bees and oth- er pollinators but are motivated by a fondness for nature in the city. It may simply be nostalgia; bring up bees, and con- versation will veer to someone’s uncle back on the family farm who kept honey bees, or to a childhood memory of - numerable and diverse bees. The public bent towards bees could also be an expression
of the current urban back-to-the-land phenomenon that has popped up in most cities, favoring chicken coops, backyard food gardens instead of lawns, permaculture, compost bins, and mason bee nests. Or, the urban public might simply be motivated by a generalized fear of agricultural or environ- mental collapse.
A third segment that has been vital in connecting dispa- rate concerns about pollinators into a movement has been the small but dedicated group of scien- tists who study wild pollinators. They toiled for decades, underfunded and un- celebrated, until honey bee colony col- lapse shifted the research landscape to recognize the potential and importance of diverse pollination options. Today, wild pollinator research has become a high-impact node of contemporary biol- ogy, establishing a knowledge base and expertise critical in supporting a broad pollinator protection movement. Wild pollinator research has expanded concurrently with public interest, and examples abound of healthy cooper- ation and collaboration between the traditional honey bee lobby and the newly effective wild pollinator supporters. Bee Audacious con- ference, a meeting in Marin County, California designed to bring thought leaders, experts, and practitioners together to develop audacious ideas for the future of bees and beekeep- ing. Represented were hobby and commercial beekeepers, organizations, community organizers, gardeners, students, mead makers, state extension agents, USDA and academic scientists, and others. One core group of outcomes from Bee Audacious in- cluded many ideas to protect the integrity, diversity and over- all health of the agricultural, natural, urban and in-between ecosystems upon which all bees – and other pollinating an- imals – depend. Pollinator corridors in cities, conservation easements on farms, shifts in agricultural subsidies to en-
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courage pollinator-friendly farms, and collaboration with hy- dro companies, railroads and municipal/state/federal trans- portation authorities to establish pollinator habitat along to all pollinators, including managed honey bees, wild native bees and non-bee species.
A second, more local meeting was held in the Califor-
There have been cracks in this unity
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nia Bay Area in 2019, Habitat Audacious, further demon- strating the power of diverse elements working together to generate solutions around pollinator issues. The discussions between habitat management mandated by municipalities to to maintain and expand nectar and pollen-producing plants for bees and other pollinators. One outcome was a network of beekeeping and wild pollinator supporters who are work- ing with local municipalities to establish plant species and management paradigms that can meet the dual objectives of The Bee City movement (now an initiative of the Xerc- es Society for Invertebrate Conservation) is another prime example of a successful, high-impact program that has unit- ed beekeepers and others to pursue the common goal of creating urban areas that are healthy for pollinators. A grass- roots movement originating in Ashe- ville, North Carolina, Bee City’s stated goal is to make a difference in reversing the threat currently facing pollinators around the world. There are current- ly over 100 Bee Cities in the USA and Canada, united by an interest in creat- ing sustainable habitats for pollinators through conscientious landscape man- agement. No distinction is made be-
tween honey bees and others; rather, the focus is on creating coalitions of citizens, city staff and experts to enhance habi- tat for all pollinators, wild or managed. Two underlying and compelling ideas have united native
- cide use and enhanced forage, the most important elements in the pollinator conservation movement. And second, we are a considerably stronger lobby for pollinator issues when we are united rather than divided. But, there have been cracks in this unity, challenges where economic interests or strongly held beliefs separate propo- nents into contentious camps rather than fostering collabo- that the need for managed honey bee colonies to pollinate crops would be reduced if habitats in and around farms fos- tered stronger wild pollinator populations. It’s likely that there will always be a role for managed hon- ey bees in agriculture, but fewer honey bee colonies would be required if our farms had heightened populations of resident
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