WINGS ESSAYS ON INVERTEBRATE CONSERVATION

THE XERCES SOCIETY FALL 2016 CONTENTS

This issue of Wings presents a series of articles by Xerces staff members describing some of the work we do, from local efforts to ones that are international in scope. Dispatches from the Field Scott Hoffman Black Page 3. Conserving Pollinators on Farmland Scott Hoffman Black Page 4. On Being an Invertebrate Conservation Detective Candace Fallon Page 8. Ecosystems at Our Doorsteps: Protecting Urban Pollinators Aimee Code Page 12. Protecting Bumble Bees Across the Americas Rich Hatfield Page 15. Monarchs in Nevada? Emma Pelton Page 18. Conservation Spotlight Dr. Cheryl Schultz works to increase our understanding of rare butterflies.Page 22. Invertebrate Notes A roundup of new books and recent research. Page 24. Staff Profile Meet Suzanne Granahan, our membership director. Page 26. Xerces News Updates on Xerces Society projects and successes. Page 27.

2 WINGS Dispatches from the Field

Scott Hoffman Black

During our annual retreat early this —working with multiple city, county, fall, the Xerces Society staff spent sev­ state, province, and national agencies, eral days talking about what we have as well as with nonprofits and individ­ accomplished over the last year, which uals, to push for monarch conservation projects have worked well and why, at all levels. where we can make improvements, and Theoretically, conserving inver­ what direction we should take in 2017 tebrates should be simple: provide the and beyond. Planning ahead has always habitat that they need and in most cases been an essential part of ensuring that they will thrive. But, in practice, our Xerces’ work remains effective, but it has work has shown us that conservation is become more important as the organi­ hugely complex. We are grappling with zation continues to grow. some of the biggest problems of our Growth is important, but it is not time, including habitat loss and deg­ the most important measure of success. radation, invasive species, pesticides, The metric that counts is what we have wildlife diseases, and climate change. achieved—and by this measure, Xerces The invertebrates of streams, meadows, has had its best year yet, including: and forests don’t need just habitat, but they need habitat that is connected ◆ Seven species of Hawaiian yellow- across the landscape to allow for adap­ faced bees were protected under the En­ tation to climate change, and that is dangered Species Act. sufficiently resilient to provide sanctu­ ◆ One species of bumble bee, the ary from pesticides and disease. Our rusty patched, was proposed for ESA efforts necessarily include science, poli­ protection. tics, outreach, and education, and our organization must have the ability to ◆ Thirteen communities across the understand, and adapt to, a constantly country adopted policies to protect pol­ shifting conservation landscape. linators from pesticides. This issue of Wings offers a series ◆ More than 150,000 acres of habitat of short articles— dispatches from the were created, enhanced, or restored for field—illustrating the ways in which pollinators. Xerces staff are addressing some of these important issues: protecting habi­ ◆ More than nineteen thousand peo­ tat from pesticides, surveying for rare ple were reached through workshops invertebrates, fostering pollinator con­ and other events. servation in urban areas, assessing the In addition, we are playing a leading role health of bumble bee populations across in protecting the monarch butterfly in the Americas, and researching monarch the United States, Mexico, and Canada migration in the western United States.

FALL 2016 3 Conserving Pollinators on Farmland

Scott Hoffman Black

There is a growing conversation in con­ case that large, homogeneous agricul­ servation circles about the role that agri­ tural landscapes are often devoid of hab­ culture plays in the health of pollinator itat for pollinators, and the large-scale populations, and for good reason. About use of pesticides has been implicated in half of the U.S. land base is in agricul­ both honey bee kills and the decline of ture, and if we truly want to ensure a our native bees and butterflies. long-term future for pollinators, then A recent study—titled “A horizon conservationists and farmers must find scan of future threats and opportuni­ ways to work together. ties for pollinators and pollination,” and Farms come in a wide range of published in the journal PeerJ —identi­ shapes and sizes, from small, family-run fied “corporate control of agriculture enterprises to huge operations managed at the global scale” as a top risk to pol­ by equally huge corporations. They also linators. On the more positive side, the have widely varying impacts on polli­ authors also found significant opportu­ nators. While many farmers are leading nities within large-scale agriculture for voices for environmentally responsible protecting pollinators in the future. management, it is unfortunately the Anyone who works on these issues will easily recognize the truth of both conclusions. In the conservation world, most of us realize that success in protect­ ing and restoring pollinator populations can be achieved only if farmers are part of the solution—although it is still not clear how we can best work with the largest farms to accomplish this. Two things, however, are certain. The first is that large farms have a negative impact on the environment and are a major driver of pollinator decline. The second is that they do not have to be. Two of the crops with the largest acreages in the United States are corn and soy, and the way that these crops are currently managed is enormously de­ structive of pollinator habitat. There are Providing habitat for bees and other pol- linators is increasingly challenging due to more than ninety million acres of corn the presence of pesticides in many land- in the United States, mostly grown in scapes. Photograph by Bryan E. Reynolds. vast monocultures of genetically modi­

4 WINGS This Pennsylvania apple orchard has installed the habitat in the foreground to support bees that will pollinate the springtime bloom. Careful planning is required to minimize risk from pesticides applied to the trees. Photograph by the Xerces Society / Kelly Gill. fied plants that are treated with systemic The harm to pollinators is not com­ insecticides and repeatedly sprayed with ing just from corn and soy, of course. herbicides that kill all non-crop plants, Many other crops are similarly grown including those that would otherwise in large monoculture stands and with sustain pollinators. the heavy use of pesticides, including In one particularly notable exam­ 1.1 million acres of almonds in Cali­ ple, the impact on monarch butterfly fornia alone. Although they provide a populations has been devastating. It massive burst of bloom in late winter, is estimated that since the early 1990s most almond farms are devoid of natu­ more than 1.3 billion milkweed stems ral habitat, and more than 80 percent have disappeared in the Midwest, pri­ of the commercially managed honey marily from agricultural and grassland bees in the entire country are brought habitat. Approximately 75 percent of to California each year just to pollinate this loss is attributed to use of the herbi­ this crop. This is simply not sustainable cide glyphosate on corn and soy. The re­ in the long term. moval of milkweed plants on this scale Obviously each farmer and farm is has contributed to a greater than 80 per­ unique, and promoting conservation re­ cent decline in monarch butterflies and quires a variety of approaches. In many a greatly increased risk that their mi­ cases, individual farmers are embrac­ gration will disappear in our lifetimes. ing conservation practices even though

FALL 2016 5 they may not have been adopted by the Insecticides, herbicides, and other industry as a whole. Some large, inno­ pesticides don’t stay put. Through drift vative almond growers, for example, are and runoff they can be transported into working with Xerces to add habitat that areas far from where they are applied. is safe for honey bees and native polli­ This critical issue has to be addressed nators. We helped one almond farm put with all habitat restoration projects in in more than five miles of pollinator- agricultural landscapes. A variety of attractive hedgerows and plant acres of studies from the United States and Eu­ flowering meadows, and worked with rope show that habitat adjacent to fields the farm manager to develop overall where insecticides are applied may be strategies to protect these habitat areas toxic to pollinators and other benefi­ from pesticides. cial insects that rely on that habitat for And this brings us to a point that food and shelter. Projects that place cannot be stressed strongly enough: to habitat within areas where insecticides truly protect bees and butterflies, agri­ are used can have an effect opposite to cultural producers need to be willing to what is intended, drawing pollinators make real, substantive changes to the and other wildlife to what seems to be way they operate. Incorporating ele­ a place they can thrive, only to poison ments of pollinator habitat, while im­ them. On top of the devastating effects portant, is not enough in and of itself. on pollinators, installing habitat that is Farmers also must commit to protecting exposed to pesticides is a waste of lim­ these areas from toxic pesticides. ited resources. Restoration is expensive,

Flower-rich, native plant habitat is best for native insects, and should be pro- tected from pesticides to ensure their survival. This Montana farm is organic, reducing the risk. Photograph by the Xerces Society / Jennifer Hopwood.

6 WINGS and we should prioritize areas where we Unfortunately, some members of know that the habitat will be protected the agricultural community, including, from pesticides, thus offering the most not surprisingly, the chemical compa­ benefit to pollinators for the long term. nies that produce the pesticides, have To achieve a secure future for pol­ been resistant to eliminating prophylac­ linators, though, it won’t be enough to tic use. For large chemical companies, have isolated patches of habitat, even their profits are dependent upon how if they remain pesticide-free. To do the much pesticide they sell, and an ap­ job right, we must change the way we proach that is beneficial for pollinators approach food production altogether. will inherently entail the use of lower We need to move away from the “silver amounts of pesticides, applied in a far bullet” mentality—the belief that we more targeted manner. With the pesti­ can solve any agricultural problem by cide industry responding primarily to resorting to some chemical or another. shareholders —who tend to care most As things stand now, chemicals are ap­ about increasing financial returns—pol­ plied in many cases even when there is linators will continue to lose out. no actual problem to be addressed. It has If we cannot get pesticide manufac­ been estimated that up to 44 percent of turers to agree to eliminate pesticides soybean seeds and nearly 100 percent of when they are not needed, I do not see corn seeds are coated with insecticides how we bring these same people to the prophylactically, that is, treated regard­ table to help solve the large problem of less of whether or not pests are present. pollinator declines. Even the prospect Researchers at multiple universities that the monarch butterfly might be and the U.S. Environmental Protection listed as a threatened species has not Agency have concluded that there are substantively altered the dynamic at very few pest problems solved by the ap­ these large chemical companies. Their plication of systemic insecticides to the public relations staffs have been chang­ seeds of soybeans. The data also show, ing their messaging, but we are not see­ moreover, that the insecticides used as ing any changes in the way their prod­ seed treatments are likely harming bees, ucts are marketed and used. birds, and aquatic organisms. Yet, in the face of this challenge, The common sense approach would many farmers are stepping up to make be to stop using pesticides that do not significant changes. The farmers we solve a problem and that do, in fact, cre­ work with have a strong environmental ate harm in the environment. Protect­ ethic: they love their land and their way ing and restoring our bee and butterfly of life, and they have no desire to harm populations will require us to move to the environment. Hundreds of farmers, a more sustainable farming approach, with acreages of all sizes, are working employing Integrated Pest Management with us to implement pollinator habitat and using insecticides only when other projects. From farms in the Northeast methods are not feasible or effective— with crops such as blueberries and cran­ and, even under those circumstances, berries, to farms in California growing adopting appropriate, pollinator-safe methods for their application. continued on page 11

FALL 2016 7 On Being an Invertebrate Conservation Detective

Candace Fallon

“So, what exactly is it that you do?” I public—to advocate for and protect im­ get this question pretty frequently from periled species and their habitats. friends and family members who are Every spring and summer, I head perplexed by my career or envious of my out to the field to monitor and collect time spent outdoors. In that moment, baseline data on a number of these ani­ it is very easy to romanticize my work mals, including snails, butterflies, cadd­ life. The vision of the conservation bi­ isflies, and beetles. Much of this baseline ologist in pursuit of a butterfly through data collection takes the form of simple a flower-­filled meadow or snorkeling presence/absence surveys. The Xerces through crystalline mountain streams Society has an ongoing contract with searching for rare aquatic snails is not the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau that far from the truth— and I admit of Land Management in Oregon and that I’ve had the pleasure of doing both. Washington to survey for invertebrate But there is, of course, so much more. species that they have designated either This, also, is the biologist’s realm: en­ “sensitive” or “strategic.” These agencies tering data and maintaining databases, want to know whether or not a species working on large research and writing occurs on lands they manage, and, if so, projects, collaborating with coworkers what its distribution is, what habitats it and researchers from around the coun­ needs, and whether there are any related try, connecting with volunteers and citi­ management concerns. zen scientists, and providing advice on In doing this type of work, I feel like conservation or research needs to deci­ I’m taking on the role of an invertebrate sion makers and land managers. detective. Take, for example, the north­ At its core, conservation biology is ern forestfly (Lednia borealis), a species the study and protection of biodiver­ of stonefly known only from snow- and sity. I work in our Endangered Species glacier-fed streams, seeps, and inlets to Program, which means that I focus alpine lakes in Washington. At the mo­ on invertebrate species that are rare or ment, we have verified records of this declining, or that are not understood species only from Mt. Rainier National well enough to determine their status. Park and several locations in the North Most of the work I do at Xerces revolves Cascades. We do not know very much around mapping the distributions of about what this stonefly eats, how abun­ such species, understanding their habi­ dant it is in the landscape, or even where tat and life history needs, determining else it may occur. threats to their wellbeing, and work­ Does the northern forestfly live in ing with a wide group of people—from other regions of the state? Given its as­ public agencies to private land owners, sociation with cold, glacier-fed waters from research specialists to the general and the fact that Washington, with 173

8 WINGS square miles (449 square kilometers) survey your sites? What equipment will of permanent ice or snow, is the most you need for the trip? glaciated state in the lower forty-eight, This question-and-answer process it certainly seems possible that the spe­ can take a while. It involves search­ cies might be more widespread than we ing the literature, scouring museum know. Pretend for a moment that you records, and talking to experts with are a conservation biologist working to knowledge of the group to which your understand this species’ distribution. target species belongs. Once you have What if you had just four days of fund­ done your homework and set a general ing to search for this animal? Where plan in place, it’s showtime. Just keep in would you go? Would you visit a lot of mind that the plan may very well end up easily accessible sites to maximize your having to be drastically modified on the geographic coverage? Or would you fly. Over the years, I have found that two focus on just a few high-promise but critical components of a successful field less-accessible areas? How would you survey are flexibility and a good sense of time your surveys? Are you searching for humor. Lose the sole of your shoe eight a particular life stage? What about site miles in? Not in the plan. Discover that access? Who manages the land you wish your field site is on fire? Also not in the to survey? Do you need permits? What plan. Wake before dawn to drive seven are the road conditions? Are there wild­ hours to a site for stream surveys, only fires in the area? Do you need to back­ to find yourself in the middle of a light­ pack in and camp overnight in order to ning storm? Definitely not in the plan.

Many of the rare species that Xerces staff search for and survey live in re- mote locations such as the Goat Rocks Wilderness in southern Washington. Even the “morning commute” requires careful planning. Photograph by the Xerces Society / Candace Fallon.

FALL 2016 9 Time spent undertaking surveys in the field is just one small part of most projects involving rare species, although probably the most idyllic. It is fol- lowed by long hours at the desk and computer, identifying specimens and compiling data. Photograph by the Xerces Society / Candace Fallon.

To deal with some obstacles, you can get nymphs scurrying in the creek? Because creative. With others, you just have to stoneflies can be extremely difficult to laugh and move on to Plan B (or C, or D). identify in the field, you will need to col­ But back to the task at hand: trying lect a small representative sample of the to find an obscure stonefly. Assuming population to check under a microscope that all goes well and you find yourself later on. standing at your field site, take a few After all of your surveys are com­ minutes to observe the location and plete and you are back in the office, take write down notes about the habitat, some time to review your notes. Fill in weather conditions, and any other per­ any missing details while the experi­ tinent details. Look at the landscape as ence is still fresh in your memory. Then a whole and then home in on features enter all the data into the appropriate specific to your area. Based on what you database, download and organize your know about this species, what micro­ photographs, and check on your speci­ habitats look especially promising? men vials. If you have a contract in place What other species and resources are with a taxonomic expert, send out your present? Are there any unique features collections with your tentative IDs and that seem to be closely associated with prepare to wait a few weeks. Getting the the target species? Start turning over results back always feels like opening a rocks and sweep-netting the vegetation. present. What did you discover? Did you Do you see any adults flying around or find the target species? What other spe­

10 WINGS cies were there? Are any of them new to under logs is actually just one small part science? How do these new records add of the much bigger effort to understand to the overall picture we have of this spe­ and protect the incredible biodiversity cies? If the species was not found, why all around us. It’s not always possible to do you think this was the case? What take the time to spell all this out, so if implications do your findings have for you ask me whether I actually get paid land managers? What additional re­ to swing butterfly nets and climb moun­ search and monitoring are needed to tains, I may just flash you a huge grin characterize the biology of this species, and say, “Why, yes. Yes I do.” But now and, ultimately, to protect it? you’ll know more of the story. These are just some of the things I want to tell someone when I’m asked what I do. I want to explain that crawl­ Candace Fallon is a conservation biologist ing around the forest looking for snails with Xerces’ Endangered Species Program.

continued from page 7 Given that more than 40 percent of the land area of our planet is in some tomatoes and almonds, farmers are tak­ kind of agricultural production, the ing action. We are also working with way in which that land is managed has large commodity growers of wheat, oats, to be part of the solution. Can we ­really and corn. Since 2008, the Xerces Soci­ expect to persuade the majority of agri­ ety has been partnering with the USDA cultural producers to do what is needed Natural Resources Conservation Service to protect pollinators, water quality, and and farmers on a joint effort that so far the other ecosystem resources that are has resulted in the implementation of important to life on Earth? pollinator habitat improvements on Although that jury is still out, I do almost four hundred thousand acres of have hope, because the farmers and the American farmlands. Even some cattle companies we partner with are demon­ ranchers are acting to help pollinators strating that the necessary steps can be by changing rangeland management to taken. I believe that we should let these allow wildflowers to flourish. innovative farmers, together with the Some food companies are stepping companies that buy their products, up as well. Xerces is working with cor­ help to show others the way to produce porations such as General Mills and the food we need while at the same time Whole Foods Market to encourage their providing a nurturing environment for supplier farms to incorporate pesticide- all of the animals that share this planet. free habitat. Through these changes, our partners are on track to fully integrate healthy habitat and reduced-risk pes­ Scott Hoffman Black is the executive direc- ticide practices into hundreds of thou­ tor of the Xerces Society. He has more than sands of acres of agricultural land over three decades of experience with protecting the next decade. insects from pesticides.

FALL 2016 11 Ecosystems at Our Doorsteps: Protecting Urban Pollinators

Aimee Code

Growing up as a city kid in Pittsburgh, wildlife. A main thrust of these efforts I was fortunate that my parents made is to halt the use of neonicotinoid insec­ sure I had a healthy dose of outdoor fun. ticides, which are both highly toxic and I spent my summers roaming the neigh­ long-lived. Beyond removing these bad borhood, climbing trees, creating worm actors, we work more deeply to provide farms, and exploring Frick Park, where native pollinators the three things they I could follow butterflies through dap­ need to survive: a diversity of flowers to pled sunlight (only occasionally landing supply nectar and pollen throughout myself in stinging nettles). the growing season; places to nest, such My urban adventuring taught me as undisturbed bare ground; and areas the importance of experiencing nature safe from pesticide exposure. close to home. As an adult I chose a ca­ On the surface these urban cam­ reer in conservation to protect the eco­ paigns are relatively simple. Habitat is systems that feed our souls and provide enhanced and pesticide use is reduced. for our survival. Researchers recently But, in practice, these efforts require a announced that more than half of the thoughtful approach to pest manage­ land on Earth has crossed the “safe” ment that recognizes the value of in­ limit of biodiversity loss, compromising sects and seeks long-term sustainable the planet’s resiliency and putting it at solutions to pest problems. In many risk of ecosystem collapse. The founda­ ways, we’re asking for a paradigm shift tional species that serve vital ecological that breaks the reliance on pesticides. functions such as pollination, pest con­ First, reconsider what constitutes trol, and regulation of the global carbon pest damage. Holes in the leaves of a cycle are dwindling. In North America, plant aren’t necessarily signs of a prob­ more than 17 percent of the butterfly lem but possibly an indicator that your species and 28 percent of native bumble garden is a haven for a multitude of in­ bee species are at risk of extinction. sects. Caterpillars generally feed on the The Xerces Society works to reverse host plant where they were born, and the troubling trend of species loss. One many native bees cut pieces from leaves component of this work is focused on and petals with which to line the cells of protecting pollinators in urban areas. their nests. Even if the holes were made Since 2014, Xerces has helped eighteen by a pest, it can actually be helpful to communities and thousands of indi­ have a few in the garden to provide food viduals from across the United States to for beneficial insects and songbirds, create gardens, parks, and open spaces which in turn help keep the overall pest that are safe for pollinators and other populations in check. Furthermore,

12 WINGS low-level pest populations are unlike­ could have unintended consequences. ly to cause irreparable damage, since A growing body of research has shown plants can survive a modest amount of that, despite most fungicides being clas­ insect feeding without adverse effects. sified as practically non-toxic, their use If we think about the value of insects in can harm pollinators. our world, a garden without any indica­ Third, support a variety of benefi­ tion of their presence is cause for alarm. cial insects in your garden. Xerces pro­ Second, when an insect or other motes conservation biological control, pest problem does warrant interven­ a strategy that seeks to integrate native tion, don’t immediately reach for a insects back into systems to provide pesticide. Rather, consider what factors natural pest reduction. In their juve­ are allowing the pest to thrive. Pests are nile form, insects such as lacewings and most often just the symptom of a prob­ hoverflies are voracious eaters of pests. lem, and using a pesticide won’t fix the Unfortunately, like pollinators, many underlying issue. For example, when predatory insects are also in decline, garden plants suffer from the fungal and pesticides are likely a contributing disease powdery mildew it might be due factor. Many commonly used insecti­ to insufficient airflow, inadequate sun­ cides are broad-spectrum, as harmful to light, or too much fertilizer. Providing beneficial insects as they are to the tar­ air circulation and sunshine and being get pests. Fortunately, conservation bio­ careful not to over-fertilize will help logical control can be incorporated into avoid or eliminate the disease, while efforts to bring back pollinators, since applying a fungicide would alleviate healthy pollinator habitat is also hospi­ the symptoms only temporarily and table to numerous beneficial insects.

A green oasis amidst Pittsburgh’s urban bustle, Frick Park offers the chance to observe and interact with wildlife. Photograph by Tianming Chen / Flickr.

FALL 2016 13 By providing the food and places they, too, could protect pollinators. to live that insects need, and by tolerat­ It is infinitely rewarding to be a ing some blemishes on your plants, you part of the movement to transform pest can help create intact ecosystems right management from reactive methods at your doorstep. These flowering land­ that rely on pesticides to thoughtful scapes will not only provide a hospita­ techniques that create thriving gardens ble environment for wildlife, they will buzzing with life. With each new pol­ also bring beauty and wonder into your linator garden we are breaking away neighborhood. from the unthinking acceptance that The neat thing is that as you make insects are the problem and pesticides these changes your neighbors might no­ the solution. And with that change our tice what you are doing and be inspired children’s children will be given the op­ to take action as well. This is also true portunity to enjoy the magic of whiling at a larger scale. Many communities away an afternoon chasing butterflies. are looking over at what a neighbor­ ing community is doing and seeking to follow suit. One example comes from As director of the Xerces Society’s Pesticide Ore­gon, where the City of Milwaukie Program, Aimee Code works with commu- recently enacted a resolution to both nities nationwide to reduce dependence on expand habitat and protect pollinators pesticides. from harmful pesticides. Within weeks For more information on this topic see of that decision, two neighboring cities the “Bring Back the Pollinators” pages on contacted Xerces wanting to know how the Xerces Society website.

Although urban and suburban environments are generally greatly disturbed, they offer many opportunities for invertebrate habitat. Photograph by Matthew Shepherd.

14 WINGS Protecting Bumble Bees Across the Americas

Rich Hatfield

As a scientist deeply involved in the searchers from three continents, along conservation of bumble bees, I’m often with scores of individuals who have asked how they are doing and wheth­ donated their time or allowed access to er things are getting better for them. their research collections. Thanks to the hard work of the Xerces To undertake this major effort we Society and our many scientific partners divided the fauna into three geographic in the international research communi­ regions: North America, Central Amer­ ty, it is getting easier to respond to these ica (including Mexico and extending questions. south to Panama), and South America. For years we have known that many For North American bumble bees we of our bumble bees were declining and had the advantage of a very large data­ some were at risk of extinction. A decade base, compiled by Leif Richardson of the ago, we launched an effort to gather re­ University of Vermont, of nearly three cords of and survey for three species of hundred thousand records dating to the particular concern. Using this informa­ early 1800s. This allowed us to compare tion, in 2013 Xerces submitted a petition historical data with more contemporary to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to data and to develop an analytic process have the rusty patched bumble bee consistent with IUCN methodology. (Bombus affinis) listed as an endangered Recent work by a team led by Remy species. That effort paid off, and the bee Vandame of Mexico’s ECOSUR (El Co­ is now proposed for listing. legio de la Frontera Sur) built a signifi­ We’ve also been active participants cant database for this project in Central in the International Union for Conser­ America, but in South America many vation of Nature’s effort to assess the areas lack historical or current data on status of the world’s roughly 250 bumble the distribution of bumble bee species. bee species in order to determine which To address the challenges with some of ones should be placed on the IUCN’s Red these data, and to combine local knowl­ List of Threatened Species. This task has edge with the analytic methods we had been undertaken by the IUCN’s Bumble­ developed for North American bumble bee Specialist Group, for which I serve as bees so that the information could be the Red List Authority. vetted by the Bumblebee Specialist The global review is still a work in Group experts, we gathered in Chiapas, progress, but an important milestone Mexico, during the 2015 Mesoamerican was reached this past June, when Red Congress on Native Bees. Participants List assessments of all eighty species included research scientists and gradu­ of bumble bees in the Americas were ate students from Mexico, Brazil, Argen­ completed. This was achieved with the tina, Guatemala, and the United States, participation of leading bumble bee re­ along with Dr. Paul Williams from the

FALL 2016 15 Living at the southern tip of South America, Bombus dahlbomii is the world’s largest bumble bee, with queens up to an inch and a half (four centimeters) long. Photograph by Victor Raimilla.

Natural History Museum in London America in Chile and Argentina. It has and Jennifer Luedtke of the IUCN. Over several common names. One, abejorro a three-day period we reviewed the colorado (ginger bumble bee), references tools and methods for determining the the bee’s distinctive color; another, la extinction risk for bumble bees, and the hada del bosque (fairy of the forest), refers group began its Red List assessments. to the habitat where the bee is usually One meaningful outcome of the found and hints at a folk tale in which it workshop was the discussion of bumble plays a feature role. The myth tells of la bee conservation across political bor­ hada del bosque banishing an evil spirit ders. Unsurprisingly, the issues that from the forest, a spirit that would re­ these bees face are shared throughout turn if the bee were to depart. the Americas. They are threatened, Sadly, there is a chance that local sometimes to the brink of extinction, communities may lose the protection by diseases from commercially man­ of their fairy. In the 1980s and ’90s two aged bumble bees, by pesticide use, and European species of bumble bees, B. ter- by human development, which is frag­ restris and B. ruderatus, were introduced menting and destroying habitat. There to South America for crop pollination. are also large swaths of land, particu­ These two alien species have become larly in South America, that are under­ established and are expanding south­ studied, making evidence-based assess­ ward. They are rapidly displacing la ments difficult. hada del bosque, likely by introducing or There are some species whose con­ spreading pathogens to which the na­ servation status is notable. The world’s tive bees have little immunity and by largest bumble bee, Bombus dahlbomii, out-competing them for floral and nest­ inhabits the southern tip of South ing resources. Outside its stronghold

16 WINGS near Tierra del Fuego, where the inva­ by two U.S. Forest Service regions and sive bumble bees have not yet arrived, the inclusion of bumble bees in at least B. dahlbomii is now restricted to isolated twenty-six state wildlife action plans. populations. Is it a matter of time before Information from the IUCN Red List has this species goes extinct, or will scien­ also had an effect in Canada, where two tists and policy makers find a way to bumble bees have been added to provin­ work together to ensure that la hada del cial lists of at-risk species; these policy bosque lives on beyond fairy tales? changes have led to new conservation There are signs that the Chilean ­opportunities. government may take protective action. We’ve made great strides in bumble La hada del bosque has been included on bee conservation, but much work lies the Chilean Red List, and is being con­ ahead. Making the case for bees has sidered for classification by the Ministe­ never been hard. Thanks to their pol­ rio del Medio Ambiente (the ministry of lination activity, bees are essential to a environment). The extent of the conser­ nutritious diet, they nourish our wild­ vation benefits these classifications can life, and they help maintain healthy provide is unclear, but acknowledgment plant populations. And we know what of the bee’s decline and recognition of to do: years of research show that in­ the threats are important first steps. creasing habitat, reducing the use of In response to this and other simi­ toxic insecticides, and protecting wild lar situations related to the commercial bees from pathogens spread by com­ bumble bee industry in Japan, Mexico, mercial pollinators all support healthier and North America, the IUCN Bumble­ bee populations. bee Specialist Group has developed a What remains to be accomplished, policy statement to help protect these both here and abroad, is the implemen­ important animals. The most substan­ tation of large-scale programs to protect tive part of the statement urges adher­ these vulnerable wild species in a truly ing to the precautionary principle to meaningful way by creating habitat prevent undue harm to wild bumble that supports their entire life cycle and bees by, among other things, using only protects them from pesticides, while local native species as commercial pol­ reducing the risk of large-scale disease linators, and screening those bees for transmission from managed bumble pathogens. Although so far no govern­ bee colonies. Although by no means ments have adopted this policy, there complete, this process has begun in are efforts underway to develop local North America. Our hope is that the sources of commercial pollinators in a advances achieved here are observed— growing number of countries. and improved upon—in the rest of the Red List assessments are already hemisphere. influencing policy in North America. Xerces has used them in reaching out to U.S. federal agencies and to wild­ Rich Hatfield is a senior conservation bi- life agencies in more than forty states. ologist at the Xerces Society who works This effort has contributed to the list­ primarily on issues related to bumble bee ing of bumble bees as sensitive species conservation.

FALL 2016 17 Monarchs in Nevada?

Emma Pelton

Nevada may best be described as a Nevada has a human population “black hole” when it comes to our un­ density hovering around one person per derstanding of monarch butterflies. square mile outside of its major cities, so The most mountainous state in the it is likely that there are not many people contiguous United States, Nevada is an exploring the state’s canyons and rivers insular pocket where rains, rivers, and with monarchs in mind. And milkweed, lakes drain internally or evaporate be­ the only host plant that monarch cat­ fore ever reaching an ocean. Geological erpillars eat, has long been associated forces have folded the earth’s crust into with productive agricultural areas and more than a hundred mountain ranges, prairies rather than arid basins, mean­ which run north–south and are charac­ ing that we often heard variations of terized by steep canyons connecting the “We don’t have milkweed; we don’t see sagebrush lowlands to higher elevations monarchs,” when we sent inquiries ask­ where junipers and pinyon pines flour­ ing where in the state monarchs might ish. While the natural history of the be found. Nonetheless, from our scant larger animals that call the area home— understanding of monarch migration including mule deer, mountain lions, routes in the West, Nevada seems as sage grouse, and pygmy rabbits— is though it would be a crucial stepping- generally well known, where and when stone for the butterflies to reach other monarchs find their way through the interior western states. state has remained a mystery. Each spring, usually around Val­ Over the past five years, the Xer­ entine’s Day, overwintering monarchs ces Society has been gathering records begin to stir from their winter torpor. of monarchs and milkweeds in order The warming temperatures and length­ to understand where the butterflies ening days bring a flurry of activity as breed and how they move through the they mate and start dispersing in search western states. Relying on herbarium of nectar for energy and milkweed for records, museum specimens, and the egg-laying. Monarchs in North Amer­ knowledge of biologists and citizen sci­ ica overwinter in large numbers in the entists, Xerces has amassed more than oyamel fir forests of central Mexico twenty-five thousand records. These and in groves of eucalyptus, pine, and documents show that monarchs breed cypress along the California coast. Re­ extensively along the Snake River in gardless of their origin, monarchs are Idaho, around Salt Lake City in Utah, found throughout the West by May or and throughout Arizona—and yet there early June, with many presumably hav­ are only a handful of recorded instances ing flown across Nevada to reach their of monarchs breeding in Nevada. Are ­destination. these butterflies really skirting the state? To fill in the blank patch of Nevada

18 WINGS on our monarch maps, two Xerces staff showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) pre­ members took to the unpaved roads, riv­ fers moist soils near rivers and irrigation ers, and mountain canyons this summer ditches, while pallid milkweed (A. cryp- in search of butterflies. With one full- tosarus) is found on exposed outcrop­ time staff person based in Reno and a pings of chalky grey soil that are reached second joining in for periodic weeklong by scrambling up steep hillsides. But stints, it was a daunting amount of area even if we found milkweed, its presence to cover in a single summer. Nevada has was no guarantee that monarchs would fourteen species of milkweed, found in have also managed to find it, and then a wide range of habitats. For example, to succeed in laying their eggs.

Challenging though it is to find milkweed plants in the vastness of Nevada’s landscapes, Xerces researchers crisscrossed the state on gravel roads and scrambled up hillsides to search for milkweeds and the monarchs that breed on them. Photograph by the Xerces Society / Emma Pelton.

FALL 2016 19 So we started small. We began by We backtracked until we came across monitoring milkweed patches on hik­ another canyon with a passable road ing and biking trails near Reno to get and encountered a helpful U.S. Forest an idea of when monarchs arrive. By Service employee who suggested we try the last week of May, we had found both the east side of the range instead. After adults and eggs on showy milkweed and looping back on Highway 50 through narrow leaf milkweed (A. fascicularis). Austin, it was late afternoon by the Eager to discover whether monarchs time we found another publicly acces­ would show up elsewhere, we took off in sible road leading up into the moun­ the first week of June, heading southeast tains. We drove until a flash of bright on Highway 50, “the loneliest highway orange crossed before our windshield. in America,” toward the small, unincor­ We stopped quickly and scrambled porated town of Austin and the looming out of the rental car, and there was our mountains of the Toiyabe Range. first monarch—quietly sunning him­ After winding through salt flats self on a pine. Searching up and down and passing Sand Mountain— a six- the canyon on foot, we located at least hundred-foot-high sand dune used three more, all flitting between flow­ by recreationists and home to the rare ers. Later that evening, on our way back Sand Mountain blue butterfly (Euphi- to our campsite, we also found signs of lotes pallescens arenamontana) — we breeding—glistening eggs hidden under found a canyon to explore, which had a the scruffy leaves of desert milkweed small stream but turned out to have no (A. erosa) growing in a nearby ditch. sign of either milkweed or monarchs. Over the following weeks, we con­

The first monarch spotted during the surveys, this male was found late in the afternoon of a day spent traversing gravel roads in canyons of the Toiyabe Range. Photograph by the Xerces Society / Emma Pelton.

20 WINGS tinued to find surprising numbers of monarchs in the mountains and basins — eggs and caterpillars on seven species of milkweed, as well as many adults. We now have ten times the number of breeding records that we started with, from areas all over Nevada. We also re­ visited historical records of milkweed and found it persisting along roadsides and in ditches, often with signs of mon­ arch activity. At other times during our surveys, however, we were thwarted. After climbing a steep, rocky road up a canyon that looked promising—water, blooming nectar plants, shade, every­ thing that would attract monarchs—we found the vegetation heavily grazed, the stream banks trampled, and neither milkweed nor monarchs in sight. While milkweed is generally avoid­ ed by livestock due to its toxicity, sheep Milkweeds are enormously important for the health of monarch populations. In ad- and cattle may eat it when other forage is dition to being the main caterpillar host unavailable. Overgrazing, together with plant, milkweed is an excellent source of drought, development, changes in fire nectar. Photograph courtesy of the U.S. regimes, and the overuse of herbicides Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Region. and insecticides, may be reducing avail­ able monarch breeding habitat through­ co, or west to California, or both. If we out the West, and, indeed, studies show are lucky, one or two of the monarchs that monarch numbers in both eastern we tagged during our fieldwork will be and western North America have sharp­ spotted at one of the overwintering sites ly declined in the past twenty years. A this winter, linking Nevada’s sagebrush new groundswell of support for recover­ country to the groves of California or ing the population is emerging among even to Mexico. When the butterflies grassroots groups and citizen scientists, leave their overwintering sites and once as well as government agencies, tribes, again embark upon their spring migra­ and corporations. tion, we’ll resume our search for mon­ Understanding where monarchs archs in the Great Basin, seeking to un­ are breeding and migrating, particu­ ravel a little more of the mystery. larly in “black holes” such as Nevada, will help us better target conservation efforts for the butterfly and its amazing Emma Pelton is a conservation biologist journey. Peviously there had been little with the Xerces Society whose work is fo- tagging of monarchs in Nevada to tell us cused on the western population of mon- whether they are flying south to Mexi­ arch butterflies.­

FALL 2016 21 CONSERVATION SPOTLIGHT

Cheryl Schultz, Standard Bearer for Endangered Butterflies Dr. Cheryl Schultz studies some of the nity when she took a sabbatical from world’s rarest butterflies and the rem­ her position as an associate professor at nant habitat that they need for survival. Washington State University. She spent Her research focuses on the ways that several months working at our main of­ landscape-level processes affect both fice in Portland, Oregon, arriving as our individual butterflies and butterfly pop­ effort to conserve the western monarch ulations, and on understanding how population was really taking off. Com­ these interactions can be affected by pared with what is known about the conservation management. She is a sci­ eastern population of monarchs, little is entist who understands what questions known about the most important breed­ need to be asked and how best to design ing areas in the western United States. a study to answer those questions. And, This information is crucial for effective once the study is complete, she is able conservation and successful recovery, to translate the research into practical so being able to interact closely with steps that can be taken to manage habi­ Cheryl and have her help in informing tat on behalf of these insects. the science behind our work has been Dr. Schultz has contributed greatly extremely helpful. to our understanding of dispersal biolo­ There are three main projects in gy and the demography of at-risk butter­ which Cheryl has been involved at Xer­ flies, and the use of such data to design ces. She initially provided input to habi­ conservation strategies. She is a leading tat suitability models for monarchs and voice on the impacts that fire, mowing, key milkweed species, which are guid­ and herbicides have on butterfly popula­ ing decisions about where conservation, tions, as well as how these tools can be management, and restoration efforts are used effectively to the butterflies’ bene­ likely to be most effective. The creation fit. Her studies and those of her students of these models is a partnership be­ have informed prairie management for tween the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service many Pacific Northwest butterflies, ­in and the Xerces Society. cluding Fender’s blue (Plebejus [=Icaricia] Cheryl also assisted with the an­ icarioides fenderi), Taylor’s checkerspot alysis of data gathered through the (Euphydryas editha taylori), and the Ore­ Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count gon silverspot (Speyeria zerene hippolyta), since 1997, and she is a co-author of the but her research has implications for resulting report, State of the Monarch But- butterfly species across the United States terfly Overwintering Sites in California, re­ and around the world. leased this summer. This work showed Cheryl serves as a scientific advisor a 74 percent decline in the California to the Xerces Society, and that relation­ overwintering population in less than ship recently led to a unique opportu­ two decades, comparable to declines ob­

22 WINGS served in the monarch population that other federal and local agencies (the overwinters in Mexico. U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the Third, Cheryl is working with Xer­ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. ces staff on an analysis of threats to military’s Joint Base Lewis–McChord, monarchs in an effort to better under­ the Washington Department of Fish stand what is driving population de­ and Wildlife, and Benton County Parks clines in the western states. And she has and the City of Eugene in Oregon) and also, of course, provided feedback on a several nonprofit agencies (the Nature variety of our other projects. Conservancy, the Center for Natural Beyond her work with the Xer­ces Lands Management), in addition to pri­ Society, Cheryl’s expertise is recognized vate landowners. through her involvement in a broad With her commitment to applied range of conservation work. She was ap­ research, her ability to translate science pointed as the leader for the U.S. Fish into action, and her willingness to work and Wildlife Service Recovery Team for with land managers and nonprofits to Western Oregon and Southwest Wash­ facilitate effective action on behalf of ington Prairie Species. In that capacity rare species, Cheryl Schultz is the epito­ she oversees recovery of the endangered me of a conservation biologist. As Xerces Fender’s blue butterfly, five threatened moves forward with the conservation of and endangered plants species, and five monarchs and other butterflies, she will plant species of concern. She also works continue to play an essential role in en­ with biologists and land managers at suring our scientific integrity.

Dr. Cheryl Schultz, at the Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge in Polk County, Oregon. Photograph courtesy the Crone Lab, Tufts University.

FALL 2016 23 INVERTEBRATE NOTES

Future Threats and Opportunities for Pollinators An international team of scientists and issues facing pollinators, of which the conservationists from leading research highest-priority concerns include the institutions and NGOs has crafted a consolidation of agriculture under glob­ study to look into the future threats and al corporate control, systemic insecti­ opportunities facing pollinating spe­ cides, new viruses, and climate change. cies. The results appeared in “A horizon Prospects for improvement include the scan of future threats and opportunities reduction of chemical use in non-agri­ for pollinators and pollination,” pub­ cultural settings. lished in the journal PeerJ on August 9. One significant conclusion is that The horizon scan methodology “Big Ag” will play an outsized role in calls for determining what is constant, determining the fate of pollinators. As what changes, and what constantly agri-­food companies continue to grow changes, in order to generate a fuller and consolidate, their choices and picture of the issue under examination. practices will have far-reaching impli­ The authors (among them Xerces staff cations. The authors conclude that to member Sarina Jepsen) identified sixty address threats to pollinators globally,

In a recent study looking at the future health of pollinator populations, agricul- ture was identified as posing a major threat but also offering a significant oppor- tunity for conservation. Photograph by C. W. Wycoff Photography.

24 WINGS large agricultural producers will need to tor habitat into farmland and protect­ make major changes in how they oper­ ing habitat areas from pesticides. (See ate, including incorporating pollina­ https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2249.)

Dying to Be on the Endangered Species List Two decades after being identified as in sist until 1993, when the last one was need of federal protection, Stephan’s sighted. It is believed that drought in­ riffle beetle Heterelmis( stephani) and the duced by climate change may have been Tatum Cave beetle (Pseudanophthalmus the beetle’s final obstacle to survival. parvus) have been declared extinct by (See http://bit.ly/2dUVfHW.) the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Tatum Cave beetle, found in Stephan’s riffle beetle was known a single cave in Marion County, Ken­ to exist in two springs in Madera Can­ tucky, was abundant when first discov­ yon in southern Arizona’s Santa Rita ered in 1957. Species decline was noted Mountains. The streams were degraded in 1965, and eight surveys since then by livestock grazing in the 1800s and have failed to locate the beetle. The were further impacted when water was USFWS cites pollution from urbaniza­ pumped from the main spring in the tion and cave alterations as the causes of 1930s. Still, the beetle managed to per­ extinction. (See http://bit.ly/2f9enOu.)

Book Reviews A much-loved contributor to Wings D. Seeley gives us just that in his book, and other Xerces publications, Robert Honeybee Democracy (Princeton Univer­ Michael Pyle has written hundreds of sity Press, 2010), pulling together sixty essays, stories, papers, and poems, as years of research from disparate sources well as twenty books. His latest volume, to illuminate how honey bees reach one Through a Green Lens: Fifty Years of Writ- of the biggest decisions of their lives: ing for Nature (Oregon State University where to move to. When a hive splits, Press, 2016) draws upon the best of this two-thirds of the workers will depart body of work, starting with his first with the old queen to start a new colo­ heartfelt essay, written in 1965 (long­ ny. This though, is not a dictatorship; hand, on motel stationery). Whether scouts are sent to evaluate the real estate or not you’re familiar with Pyle’s writ­ options and share news of their find­ ing, you’ll find pleasure in Through a ings through dance. Honey­ bees “vote” Green Lens, in which he explores a range by synchronizing their dancing until of subjects and landscapes, each entry a consensus is reached. But that is only ringing with the clarity, conviction, and half of the plot in Honeybee Democracy. wit that characterize his unique voice. Equally compelling are the intricacies Given the rancor of the recent po­ of how this process was discovered, and litical season, it would seem a lesson in the stories of the many experimenters democratic debate and collective deci­ who’ve investigated a subject that has sion making might be in order. Thomas long been a great mystery to beekeepers.

FALL 2016 25 STAFF PROFILE

Suzanne Granahan, Membership Director What got you interested in invertebrates? As a child growing up in a small former farming town in New England I was routinely exposed to insects and other wildlife. Free to explore, I often ven­ tured off in search of butterflies, toads, chipmunks, turtles, dragonflies, fire­ flies, and other denizens of the woods and ponds near our home. Seeing these creatures in their natural environment would later help me understand the im­ portance of protecting their habitat. How did you hear of the Xerces Society? When Sarina Jepsen and I first became friends she told me about her work here. It sounded so interesting that I went to What music do you have on your iPod? the website to learn more. These days, a whole lot of “family indie- What made you want to work here? I’ve al­ rock,” because Oscar loves to boogie. ways worked in the nonprofit sector and We have been searching for new bands have always been interested in protect­ to listen to and going to a lot of family ing the environment, and my job here is concerts. Red Yarn and Lunch Money the perfect pairing of these two interests. are our two favorite bands. Who’s in your family? My husband, Steve, Who is (or was) your environmental hero? and my two-year-old son, Oscar. Steve My friend Amy Harwood, who dedicates teaches sixth-grade science and likes to just about every fiber of her life toward run long distances. Oscar is an adorable protecting the environment. Amy co- independent adventurer and is obsessed founded Signal Fire, a nonprofit that with trains, trucks, and big puzzles. The provides opportunities for artists and rest of my family all live back in Massa­ activists to engage in the natural world. chusetts, where I love to visit. Which college(s) did you attend? I complet­ What book are you currently reading? I ed my undergraduate degree at Lewis & have been reading Sex and the Sea, a Clark College with a major in interna­ nonfiction book that discusses the chal­ tional relations, and received a master’s lenges that creatures from copepods to degree in public administration with a blue whales face while searching for a focus in nonprofit management at Port­ mate in the vast three-dimensional sea. land State University.

26 WINGS XERCES NEWS

Freshwater Mussel Rescue in Portland This summer, the Xerces Society collab­ of data on the age, health, and mobility orated with a local watershed group and of mussels in the creek. city, state, and federal agencies to rescue Freshwater mussels are experienc­ more than two thousand freshwater ing a dramatic decline: 71 percent of mussels from a stretch of Crystal Springs North American species are considered Creek in Portland, Ore­gon. Two culverts endangered, threatened, or of special were being replaced with a bridge to im­ concern, making freshwater mussels prove fish passage, a project that would one of the most at-risk groups of animals have destroyed the mussel beds. in the United States. Xerces scientists worked with vol­ The relocation project was support­ unteers from the Crystal Springs Part­ ed by the Oregon Department of Fish nership to relocate mussels found in the and Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife creek, moving them upstream— out of Service, the Portland Bureau of Envi­ the project area, and out of harm’s way. ronmental Services, and Portland Parks Each mussel was also measured and & Recreation, with Xerces’ participation tagged, a nonintrusive way to monitor made possible by funding from the Ore­ the population and allow the gathering gon Watershed Enhancement Board.

Donning safety equipment, volunteers rescue freshwater mussels during a pause in construction work. Photograph by the Xerces Society / Justin Wheeler.

FALL 2016 27 The Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count Turns Twenty Thanks to the effort of a cadre of re­ clusters along the California coast, from markable volunteers, a count is made Marin County to the Mexican border. each year of the monarch butterflies The importance of the count can­ overwintering in California. This fall not be overstated. By standardizing the marks the twentieth year in which this period in which they are monitored, the count has been done! count provides a useful metric of the The Western Monarch Thanksgiv­ size of the monarch population in the ing Count—so named because it hap­ western states, which can be analyzed pens during a three-week span centered to detect trends. For example, seventy on the Thanksgiving weekend—was thousand monarchs were counted at initiated in 1997 by Mia Monroe, Den­ one overwintering site in Santa Cruz nis Frey, and David Marriott. Mia has in 1997. In 2015, numbers at that site continued her involvement and now co­ were down to just twelve thousand, ordinates the count in partnership with and indeed monarchs overwintering in the Xerces Society. During the three- California have undergone a 74 percent week period, volunteers and biologists decline since the late 1990s. This popu­ fan out to locate and count monarch lation loss mirrors that of monarchs overwintering in the oyamel fir forests of central Mexico, and underscores the need for conservation efforts to sustain the species’ migratory phenomenon. Such long-term datasets as the one produced by the Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count allow researchers and conservationists to better under­ stand what strategies to pursue in pre­ serving the species. For example, data from this count was used by the Xerces Society to identify the sites with the highest need for active management and protection, as listed in our report State of the Monarch Butterfly Overwinter- ing Sites in California. If it weren’t for the hundreds of biologists, researchers, and volunteers who have contributed to the count and kept it going over the years, we might have little understanding of the degree to which this once-common butterfly has declined in the West. Every year at Thanksgiving, hundreds of volunteers count monarch butterflies Thanksgiving is all about tradi­ in California. Photograph by the Xerces tions —your grandmother’s stuffing, Society / Carly Voight. Aunt Lilly’s cranberry sauce— and we

28 WINGS hope that, at least for those who live grained a tradition as eating too much in California, the Western Monarch and still finding room for pie. It’s a great Thanksgiving Count may become as in­ chance to walk off those extra calories!

Petitions to List Key Species as Endangered Finally Bear Fruit A series of decisions announced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service during a two-week period in September and Oc­ tober constitute major steps forward for the protection of insects in the United States. Seven species of Hawaiian yel­ low-faced bees (genus Hylaeus) were given protection under the Endangered Species Act, and two other species, the rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus af- finis) and the western glacier stonefly (Zapada glacier), were proposed for pro­ tection. All of these came as the result of work by the Xerces Society. Seven species of Hawaiian yellow-faced For the Hawaiian Hylaeus bees, the bees (Hylaeus) have been protected under final ruling to grant these species en­ the Endangered Species Act. Photograph dangered status was the culmination by John Kaia. of a multi-year effort by Xerces to gain recognition and protection. The Soci­ submitting a petition in 2013, which ety submitted petitions to the USFWS in reulted in the USFWS proposal. March 2009, but the bees were not pro­ The proposed listing of the western posed for listing until 2015. This ruling glacier stonefly came less than a week makes them the first bees in the United after the listing of the Hawaiian yellow- States to be federally protected. faced bees. In December 2010, the Xer­ At almost the same time, the USFWS ces Society and the Center for Biological proposed endangered status for the Diversity petitioned the USFWS for list­ rusty patched bumble bee. This bee has ing of the species as threatened under experienced a precipitous decline since the Endangered Species Act. The USFWS the mid-1990s: it has disappeared from subsequently funded a study of the 90 percent of its historical range, and its species by the U.S. Geological Survey, remaining populations are greatly re­ which found the stonefly in just one pre­ duced. Over the last decade the bee has viously occupied stream and in two new been the subject of much attention by locations at higher elevations. While Xerces and our conservation partners; certainly more obscure than the rusty it also captured the hearts of tens of patched or yellow-faced bees, the west­ thousands of people thanks to the film ern glacier stonefly inhabits a rare and A Ghost in the Making, produced by Clay fragile ecosystem that may be on the Bolt and Neil Losin. All of this led to our verge of collapse due to climate change.

FALL 2016 29 As you can see, these decisions came about only after years of devoted effort. Much must be done at the outset to make a strong, scientifically sound case, followed by additional work to assess and prove the claim; and sometimes fur­ ther legal action must be taken to force a ruling. Although this is a lengthy pro­ cess, protection under the Endangered Species Act is one of the strongest tools we have to conserve a species and the effort to achieve these rulings is well worth it. Listing under the ESA can help spur funding for further studies to bet­ ter understand the biology and needs of a species and support habitat protection, and can lead to the development of a re­ covery plan to guide conservation work. And it is meaningful simply for the fed­ The western glacier stonefly Zapada( gla- eral government to declare: “This spe­ cier) is losing its glacial habitat due to the cies matters, and we as a nation believe warming climate. Photograph courtesy in protecting this life.” U.S. Geological Survey / Joe Giersch.

The Perfect Gift: 100 Plants to Feed the Bees We’re very pleased to announce the ar­ rival of our newest book, 100 Plants to Feed the Bees. Creating a pollinator gar­ den should not be complicated, and this book introduces you to the most impor­ tant first step: just plant flowers. Beginning with an overview of the relationship between plants and bees and brief notes on selecting and grow­ ing pollinator plants— including the importance of keeping them free from pesticides—the book quickly moves on to profiles of one hundred plants that are great for bees (as well as for butter­ flies, moths, and hummingbirds). The focus is on native flowers, shrubs, and trees to enhance your gar­ den, farm, or meadow, but we also in­ clude some nonnative plants suitable

30 WINGS for gardens. Each profile is accompanied Storey Publishing, it is available just by multiple photographs and provides in time for the holiday season! Inquire planting tips, ways to use the plant, its at your local bookstore or shop online range, and its bloom time, as well as (including on our own website, www. notes on which pollinators will visit it. xerces.org/store) for this and our other This book affirms Xerces’ position books, including Attracting Native Polli- as the go-to organization for informa­ nators, also from Storey Publishing, and tion on what people can do to help our Gardening for Butterflies, published by beleaguered pollinators. Released by Timber Press.

We’ve Grown, Again—Thanks to You! The introduction to this issue of Wings added seven new positions in 2016 (in­ mentions our recent staff retreat. Tak­ cluding two since the retreat), bringing ing time to step away from our typical our staff to forty-four full-time employ­ work schedule is important and, as the ees, and there are plans to add several organization grows, the value of taking more during the coming year. stock and looking ahead grows right We want to express our gratitude along with it. for your support, without which Xerces For us, this growth is never more would not enjoy this continued success. visible than at our retreat, because it is We are honored that you share our com­ the one time each year that our staff all mitment to invertebrates, and that you gather together in one place. We have have such confidence in our work.

WINGS, Fall 2016 Volume 39, Number 2 Wings is published twice a year by the Xerces Society, an international, non­ profit or­ganization dedicated to protecting the diversity of life through the ­conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. A Xerces Society membership costs $35 per year (tax-deductible) and in­cludes a subscription to Wings; the magazine can also be downloaded from our website as a PDF. Copyright © 2016 by the Xerces Society. All rights reserved. Xerces Society Executive­ Director: Scott Hoffman Black. Editors: Scott Hoffman Black, John Laur­sen, Matthew Shepherd, and Justin Wheeler. Design and Production­ : John Laursen. Printed on recycled paper. For information about membership and to learn about our conser­va­tion programs for native pollinators, endangered species, and aquatic inverte­ brates, as well as our efforts to reduce the impacts of pesticides,­ contact us: THE XERCES SOCIETY FOR INVERTEBRATE CONSERVATION 628 Northeast Broadway, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97232 toll-free 855-232-6639 fax 503-233-6794 [email protected] www.xerces.org

FALL 2016 31 Green lynx spiders (Peucetia viridans) rely on their keen eyesight to stalk and capture prey. These predators are good creatures to have in gardens or crop fields. Photograph by Bryan E. Reynolds.

THE XERCES SOCIETY FOR INVERTEBRATE CONSERVATION 628 Northeast Broadway, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97232

Board of Directors Scientific Advisors David Frazee Johnson May R. Berenbaum Karen Oberhauser President Paul R. Ehrlich Paul A. Opler Logan Lauvray Wendell Gilgert Dennis Paulson Vice President Boris Kondratieff Robert Michael Pyle Linda Craig Claire Kremen Michael Samways Treasurer John Losey Cheryl Schultz Sacha Spector Secretary Thomas Lovejoy Robbin Thorp Marla Spivak Scott E. Miller Paul Williams Rachael Winfree Gary Paul Nabhan E. O. Wilson Piotr Naskrecki

A $35 per year Xerces Society membership includes a subscription to Wings.

On the cover: The rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) was recently proposed for Endangered Species Act protection. Photograph by Clay Bolt.