6/12/2024
Washington – Official Release: Bumblebees play an essential role in maintaining the stability and diversity of ecosystems through pollination; unfortunately, eight species in Washington are considered rare and at risk. To protect these vital insects, partners have formulated and adopted a new conservation strategy across Washington state to promote proactive conservation actions for rare or sensitive species.
“Bumble bees are extremely important species for the pollination of wild flowering plants as well as agricultural crops that humans rely on for food,” said Clint Emerson, Pacific Northwest Forest Service Botanist and Pollinator Coordinator. “This strategy recommends specific restoration actions in priority areas such as seeding and planting native plant species that have broader appeal to pollinating insects, not just the rare bumble bee species. Protecting priority areas will also result in collateral benefits to other pollinating species, native plant communities and wildlife that use these habitats.”
In response to increasing documentation of threats to bumble bees, the Washington Bumble Bee Conservation Strategy, adopted in February of 2023, was developed collectively through a partnership between the USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, and The Xerces Society. The strategy, which is available for use by anyone, focuses on eight rare species of bumble bees and identifies priority areas and includes key recommendations for managing land cover, protecting nesting habitat, and creating foraging areas.
The eight bees highlighted in the strategy are the frigid bumble bee, golden-belted bumble bee, Morrison bumble bee, western bumble bee, Suckley cuckoo bumble bee, half-black bumble bee, yellow bumble bee, and American bumble bee. Most of the species included in the strategy are considered Sensitive in Washington for both the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management including the frigid bumble bee, golden-belted bumble bee (also called high country bumble bee), western bumble bee, Suckley cuckoo bumble bee, and half-black bumble bee. The Morrison bumble bee is considered Sensitive by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management in Oregon. Morrison, Suckley cuckoo, and the western bumble bees are also currently under review for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act.
In the Pacific Northwest, the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management partnered to form the Interagency Special Status and Sensitive Species Program to conserve species at risk. Together, these agencies have taken initiative to implement this new bumblebee conservation strategy.
“In the Interagency Special Status and Sensitive Species program, we look for proactive opportunities to implement conservation actions and assist with information needs and data gaps so we can work to keep these species from being listed as threatened or endangered,” explained Lauri Turner, Pacific Northwest Forest Service Special Status and Sensitive Species Specialist.
Four years ago, the Washington rare wildlife coordinating group noticed concerns about rare bumble bees came up at every meeting and recognized the moment was ripe for collective action. At the same time, new data from the Pacific Northwest Bumble Bee Atlas, a major community science project led by The Xerces Society, provided new data that helped close information gaps to better identify bumble bee populations, their habitat needs, and key threats across all of Washington.
“Because our program has limited resources, and we have 900 species in Oregon and Washington that are considered sensitive, we have to prioritize the species we work on, and if possible, areas on the landscape to focus on, and what actions to undertake,” said Rob Huff, Interagency Special Status and Sensitive Species Program Conservation Planning Coordinator.
The strategy currently incorporates available data of the eight focal bumble bee species from a database of more than 700,000 records of 43 species of North American bumble bees. The strategy uses all this combined data to highlight geographic areas within the state of Washington that show the highest potential to support rare and declining bumble bee species. Using the strategy, land managers in Washington, public or private, are now able make critical decisions about where to invest resources most effectively.
Bumble bees face numerous threats including exposure to pathogens and competition from domesticated bee populations, reduced genetic diversity, habitat shifts, grazing, logging, exposure to pesticides, wildfire, agricultural intensification, urban development, and climate change. Understanding the relative impact of these factors across species’ ranges, while identifying priority areas for conservation, informs on-the-ground management appropriate to regional conditions and stressors.
The Forest Service is implementing the strategy by actively identifying key bumble bee habitat locations and threats within and near national forests while investing in seed collection and production to increase native plant seed availability. The Forest Service has also initially supplied an additional $105,000 for meadow restoration in high priority landscapes within the Colville, Gifford Pinchot, and Umatilla National Forests. Additional partners working with the agency to employ these preliminary steps include Cascade Forest Conservancy and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
To increase capacity and statewide participation with the strategy, the Forest Service has also partnered with The Xerces Society on a two-year Habitat Kit Program spanning 2024 and 2025. The Xerces Society will source, assemble, and disseminate pollinator friendly plant kits to various audiences across the state such as schools, universities, and residential areas. The program is targeted for private/non-government lands within priority areas adjacent to national forest lands. All kits include native plants that are known to be important food sources for bumble bees and other pollinators. The plants are also grown without the use of systemic pesticides that may be toxic to these insects.
Washington’s Bumble Bee Conservation Strategy is available online and anyone can use the data and resources, get ideas, and look for opportunities to partner with an agency or organization to implement habitat improvements to protect rare bees. The strategy is accompanied by an interactive online map that allows users to view information in unique combinations and at varying scales, customized to their needs. This map allows information to be displayed, including potential threats and land cover, at a finer scale than is included in the current strategy.
Although the statewide approach is focused on rare and at-risk species, actions outlined in the strategy will provide broader benefits to improving biodiversity in key areas which will positively impact other, common bees and other pollinators. Making targeted actions supporting species at risk while improving biodiversity for all species, including humans, is also the intent of the Pacific Northwest Interagency Special Status and Sensitive Species Program.
Additional information regarding the Washington State Bumble Bee Conservation Strategy is available at: https://xerces.org/publications/strategy-bumble-bee-species-conservation-concern
Additional information about the Interagency Special Status Sensitive Species Program is available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r6/issssp
Additional information about the Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region is available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r6
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