Environment California: Rusty-patched Bumblebee Gains Protection

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service just designated 1.5 million acres of critical habitat for the rusty-patched bumblebee. This victory couldn't come soon enough. More than 90% of all rusty-patched bumblebees have vanished over the last two decades, and it was the first bumblebee species to be listed as officially endangered. Now, after advocacy from environmental groups like ours, the federal government will protect habitat for this hardworking native pollinator across six states. There's still a long road ahead if we're going to save the bees, but victories like this one remind us that when species teeter toward the brink of extinction, we have ways to bring them back -- but only if we take swift, collective action. More INFO.