Could a disappearance of bees mean an eventual disappearance of hunting as we know it?

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INSTANT SURVEY VOTE ON – POLL s821
Do you think Gov. Walker’s Wisconsin Walleye Initiative will be a worthwhile venture?

The Question: “Do you think Gov. Walker’s Wisconsin Walleye Initiative will be a worthwhile venture?”WHAT do YOU think of this. VOTE YOUR OPINION photo c. Jim O’brien ©2013

Governor Scott Walker Announces Wisconsin Walleye Initiative

Governor Scott Walker announced the Wisconsin Walleye Initiative on May 22. The initiative, developed by the Department of Natural Resources, will dramatically increase the number of walleye in Wisconsin by expanding production at state, private, and tribal fish hatcheries.

“Fishing is such an important part of Wisconsin’s sporting heritage, and demand for walleye continues to increase,” Governor Walker said. “With this historic investment, we are making long-term improvements to Wisconsin’s lakes and our state’s fishing and tourism industries. I thank Senator Joe Leibham (R-Sheboygan) and Representative Dan LeMahieu (R-Cascade) for their work on this issue.”

The Wisconsin Walleye Initiative includes the following:

• $8.2 million in existing unencumbered bonding authority to expand hatchery capacities.
• $1.8 million for operating costs over the biennium.
• $2 million over the biennium for a competitive grant program for private organizations to expand walleye production and to cover operational costs.
• $160,000 in one-time funds for the UW Extension to continue their work with private aquaculture through the end of Fiscal Year 2014.
• $500,000 annually beginning in Fiscal Year 2015 to contract with organizations to acquire additional walleye fingerlings.
• $250,000 annually to expand the summer Tribal Youth Program. The program is a state-tribal partnership giving high school-aged tribal youth the opportunity to work on natural resource-related projects.

Under this initiative, production is estimated to increase from 60,000–120,000 large walleye fingerlings to well over 500,000 by 2016.

CONTACT:

• Mike Staggs, DNR fisheries management director – (608) 267-0796
• Bill Cosh, DNR spokesperson – 608) 267-2773

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INSTANT SURVEY VOTE ON – POLL s820

Could a disappearance of bees mean an eventual disappearance of hunting as we know it?

The Question: “Could a disappearance of bees mean an eventual disappearance of hunting as we know it?”WHAT do YOU think of this. VOTE YOUR OPINION photo c. Les Booth ©2013

Crops may have reached crisis point due to extensive bee deaths

NPR REPORT on the Crisis In Honeybee Deaths:

News from this year’s overwintering of bee colonies is not good. In fact it is startling. A new survey of American beekeepers reveals a continuance in the decline of bee populations.

For six years this has been a fact of constant aggravation. It’s a very disturbing and dangerous situation. One for which there are no definitive answers.

Honeybee colonies in the US have seen an average of 30 percent die off over the winter. Last year was the lowest in the six years, at just 22 percent. That low number of die offs gave a bit of hope to many of beekeepers. But this year saw that number jump back up to 31 percent.

All the talk, when the survey started, was about colony-collapse-disorder (CCD); a condition where seemingly healthy bee colonies suddenly just collapsed. Many of the bees just disappeared. Whole hives were abandoned.

But now, beekeepers are seeing colonies just dwindle, in place of sudden collapse. The result is disturbing: the population continues to get smaller and weaker. With fewer, weaker bees, unable to generate the heat needed to overwinter, the bees can’t fly away and they can’t survive.

The agriculture economy depends upon bees for pollination. Major commercial crops that are directly affected are almonds, blueberries and apples. With the dwindling numbers of bees available, farmers are becoming more and more concerned with how their crops are going to be pollinated.

Read more and listen to an NPR report on the bee crisis

The FOCUS of this weeks poll …

In all the conversation about crops, one area of interest, specifically to hunters, has not been mentioned: food plots. Since food plots are not large income generators they don’t show up on the typical radar for impending disasters. But, food plots; natural or man-made; are important to the health of the deer herd and many other life forms in nature. Food plots also provide food, by adjacent provision to: bacteria, insects, small animals, birds, etc.: all the way up the food chain.

All of the plants found in a food plot are pollinated by bees. Yes, there are other insect and atmospheric (wind) contributors; and animals walking though, do scatter pollen about. But bees are the primary pollinator. Remove the bee from the pollination equation and you have no food plot. Just that shockingly simple.

So what happens to the whole system, IF bees disappear? Scientists have been telling us that everything is connected, in a systemic way; everything connected to each other; nothing happens in any part of the system, without the rest of the system also being affected. Thus, any damage to the system is felt up the chain. The closer such a systemic interruption occurs, to the base of the system, the greater its effects are felt throughout the system.

If so, could a disappearance of bees, mean an eventual disappearance of hunting as we know it?

It is certainly worth thinking about.