[PCA] National Monitoring Plan for Native Bees - USDA NIFA has scheduled a listening session for June 28, 2017 in Washington, DC to discuss a strategy to monitor native bees in the US

[Riibe, Lindsey]

*National Monitoring Plan for Native Bees - *

*The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has scheduled a
public listening session for June 28, 2017 in Washington, DC to "...
discuss a strategy to monitor native bees in the United States ..." -
Specifically, the session is intended to address the following: "... Why is
a national monitoring plan for native bees important; What kind of
information/data is needed; and How would the information be used? ..."*

*Document Title: *The title of the June 5, 2017 USDA NIFA Federal Register
Notice is "National Monitoring Plan for Native Bees: Stakeholder and Public
Listening Session"

*Organization: *The June 5, 2017 Federal Register Notice was signed on May
30, 2017 by Sonny Ramaswamy who is the Director of the USDA National
Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)

*Source: *June 5, 2017 USDA NIFA Federal Register Notice

*Comments Due By: *July 6, 2017

*Applications Due By: *Registration is due by June 14, 2017. Registrants
wishing to provide an oral presentation must provide an overview by June
23, 2017

*Web site: *The June 5, 2017 USDA NIFA Federal Register Notice is posted at
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2017-06-05/html/2017-11554.htm

A few days before the event, additional details about the webinar will be
made available at
http://nifa.usda.gov/resources?f%5B0%5D=field_resource_type%3A18

*Contact: *Questions may be directed to Andrew Clark who is a Program
Specialist with USDA NIFA at 202 401 6550; e-mail:
Andrew.P.Clark at NIFA.USDA.gov


*Summary: *The following information is taken from the June 5, 2017 USDA
NIFA Federal Register Notice:

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background and Purpose: Several species of
animal pollinators in the United States have experienced significant
population declines. The most economically important pollinators include
managed bees (e.g., European honey bee, bumble bees, alfalfa leafcutter
bee, etc.) as well as wild native bees. Numerous biotic and abiotic causes
are responsible for these declines. Frequently reported factors include:

Invasive pests, parasites, and diseases; Increased exposure to pesticides,
pollutants or toxins; Nutritional deficits; Extreme weather events;
Agricultural intensification and habitat loss; Reduced genetic diversity;
and Changes in pollinator or crop management practices.

The loss of both managed and wild bees would have severe impacts on crops
that depend on pollinators, and would ultimately impact food security. This
loss would also negatively impact natural ecosystem services dependent on
pollinators.

In June 2014, a Presidential memorandum directed the formation of a
National Pollinator Task Force chaired by the U.S. Secretary of
Agriculture, and the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). The Task Force released a Pollinator Research Action Plan in
May 2015. The Plan included actions needed to assess native bee
populations, including developing baseline data, assessing trends in
pollinator populations, expanding bee identification capacities, and
expanding collaboration between government and university scientists.

During 2015, Senators Barbara Boxer, Kristen Gillibrand, and Diane
Feinstein asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review USDA
and EPA efforts to protect bee health.

In their 2016 report, a key GAO findings was,

``USDA has increased monitoring of honey bee colonies managed by beekeepers
to better estimate losses nationwide but does not have a mechanism in place
to coordinate the monitoring of wild, native bees.''

The GAO Report recommended that USDA coordinate with members of the
Pollinator Task Force to develop a monitoring plan that would:

* Establish roles and responsibilities of lead and support agencies;
* Establish shared outcomes and goals; and
* Obtain input from relevant stakeholders, such as states.

A first step towards developing a national monitoring plan, the listening
session will gather input from a diverse range of people who are interested
in native bee diversity, abundance, and large scale national monitoring
strategies.

#############

Go to the USDA NIFA Notice for additional information and details.





Andrew P. Clark

Program Specialist

Division of Plant Systems-Protection

Institute of Food Production and Sustainability

National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA



Express Mail:

800 9th Street, S.W., Cubicle 3472

Washington, DC  20024

Phone:  (202) 401-6550

Cell: (202) 573-6800

Email: *Andrew.p.clark at nifa.usda.gov <Andrew.p.clark at nifa.usda.gov>*
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