ASHEVILLE-SEPT18-WEB

Point of View
Ban on Bee-Killing
Pesticides Overturned
in Wildlife Refuges
By Alicia Graef
In another disappointing step backwards for the
environment, the Trump administration has just overturned
a ban on the use of pesticides and genetically modified
crops on national wildlife refuges where farming is
allowed.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Deputy Director
Greg Sheehan, said in a memo this month that the
reversal is necessary to ensure that migratory water fowl,
such as ducks and geese, (who are coincidentally favored
by hunters) have adequate foraging opportunities in
wildlife refuges.
The move reverses an Obama-era ban on the use of
neonicotinoid pesticides (neonics), and the use of
genetically modified crops that require more pesticides
that was put in place in 2014 to protect wildlife and
eco-systems in the National Wildlife Refuge System
following lawsuits and heavy campaigning.
Neonics can be used in sprays, but are often applied
as a coating on agricultural seeds and when it is, it
spreads throughout the plant as it grows making the whole
thing poisonous to a variety of insects. Studies have
shown that they can be lethal to honey bees, bumble
bees and other species at high doses, but even a little bit
can cause problems by making them more vulnerable
to other stressors. They’ve also been linked to Colony
Collapse Disorder and have recently been found to be
harmful to aquatic invertebrates and birds.
That’s not just bad news for pollinators, it’s bad news
for us and the wild animals who depend on them to help
pollinate crops and other wild plants we all depend on for
food, and it’s especially offensive in refuges intended as
havens. Now, however, the use of both will be decided on
a case-by-case basis, and could be allowed on more than
50 refuges throughout the system.
It’s an unfortunate change, and it’s being widely
criticized by conservationists who have continued to
raise concerns about the impact on pollinators and other
wildlife.
“Agricultural pesticides, especially bee-killing neonics,
have no place on our national wildlife refuges,” said
Hannah Connor, a senior attorney at the Center for
Biological Diversity, who recently authored a report
documenting the annual use of nearly half a million
pounds of highly toxic pesticides on wildlife refuges. “This
huge backward step will harm bees and other pollinators
already in steep decline simply to appease pesticidemakers
and promote mono-culture farming techniques
that trigger increased pesticide use. It’s senseless and
shameful.”
While it’s a huge step in the wrong direction, hopefully
it won’t stand and other measures, such as passing the
Saving America’s Pollinators Act, will move forward to
protect wildlife, the environment, and us.
“We are outraged at the Trump administration’s
unlawful and irresponsible opening of National Wildlife
Refuge lands to GMOs and neonicotinoids,” said
George Kimbrell, Legal Director for the Center for Food
Safety. ”These are crucial wildlife sanctuaries, not to be
sold to pad the bottom lines of pesticide companies. We
are exploring all legal actions.”
ED NOTE: On August 15, Canada announced that
it will ban two major bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides
within 3-5 years. This means that the most commonly
used bee-killing neonics will be off Canada’s fields! Watch
for the lawsuits from Bayer and Syngenta.
PAGE 4 • CRITTER MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 2018