Daily Archives: November 18, 2014

Ban bee-killing pesticides

Due to the use of bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides, Bees and other pollinators are dying-off at an alarming rate with dire implications for our food supply and domestic agriculture industry.

The federal government’s response to this crisis has been totally inadequate – but that could soon change.

In June, President Obama created the Pollinator Health Task Force with the goal of focusing federal efforts to research, prevent, and recover from pollinator losses.¹

Now, for the first time, the Pollinator Health Task Force is accepting public comments on what it should do to protect bees and other pollinators.²We know a ban on bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides is what’s needed to save the bees, but we only have a few days to pressure the task force to act before this crucial public comment period closes.

Tell the Pollinator Health Task Force: Ban bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides. Submit a public comment before the November 24 deadline.

Bees and other pollinators play a vital role in our food production system by enabling the production of many of the nuts, fruits and vegetables in our diets. In total, pollinators make possible an astounding 35% of global food production and contribute more than $24 billion annually to the U.S. economy. But the number of managed honeybee colonies in the United States has declined from 6 million in the 1940s to just 2.5 million today – jeopardizing our food supply and domestic agriculture industry.³

Having healthy, growing honey bee and native pollinator populations will help to produce abundant food resources for our wildlife during the winter. Just like increased pollination from honey bees creates more apples in an orchard, it will also create more of the seeds that wildlife will be foraging on this winter. Making the connection between supporting healthy pollinator populations and helping get more wildlife through the winter in better physical condition!

That’s why President Obama tasked the Secretary of Agriculture and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency with co-chairing the Pollinator Health Task Force and leading the federal response to the devastating decline in populations of bees and other vital pollinators.

So far, both the USDA and EPA have displayed a disturbing lack of urgency when it comes to saving bees from deadly pesticides. In fact, the EPA’s current plan is to continue studying neonicotinoid pesticides until 2018 before it takes action to save our pollinators.⁴

We can’t afford to wait four more years to do what’s necessary to save bees from deadly pesticides. With the White House paying attention to the issue and the Pollinator Health Task Force soliciting public input, now is the time to demand an immediate ban on bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides.

Tell the Pollinator Health Task Force: Save the bees by banning neonicotinoid pesticides. Submit a public comment before the November 24 deadline.

Go to the Credo Action page and fill out your public comments today. Thanks. http://act.credoaction.com/sign/ban_neonics?nosig=1&t=1&akid=12199.1767730.Afwozp

Duck Stamp Act of 2014 Passes House; Heads to Senate

In a major win for wetlands and waterfowl conservation, the House of Representatives passed the Duck Stamp Act of 2014 today. This critically important conservation legislation increases the cost of the federal duck stamp from $15 to $25.

“Ducks Unlimited strongly supports this effort to increase the conservation impact of the federal duck stamp,” said Ducks Unlimited (DU) CEO Dale Hall. “The additional duck stamp funding provided by waterfowl hunters and other conservationists will not only conserve critical waterfowl habitat, but will also help ensure the future of our waterfowling traditions.”

Since 1991 – the last time the price of the duck stamp was increased – its purchasing power has declined due to inflation and rising land costs. The Duck Stamp Act of 2014 would build on this program’s long tradition of helping to conserve vital waterfowl habitat across America, especially in the Prairie Pothole Region, one of the continent’s most important production areas.

“We would like to thank Members of the House for their strong showing of support in passing the Duck Stamp Act of 2014,” said Katie Murtha, DU’s chief policy officer. “Now on to the Senate, where we anticipate having the same showing of support for this much-needed legislation. DU’s goal is to have the Duck Stamp Act of 2014 signed into law by the end of the year. The time is now.”

Since the federal duck stamp’s introduction in 1934, it has raised more than $750 million and has conserved more than 6 million acres of waterfowl habitat.

The Senate is expected to take up the legislation sometime in the next few weeks. Interested individuals should contact Senator Jerry Moran and Senator Pat Roberts and let them know how you feel.

For more information, visit www.ducks.org.

Jordan Buck on Display at Springfield Bass Pro Shops

The whitetail buck of the century – the James Jordan buck taken in Wisconsin in 1914 – is now on display at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, Missouri. Visitors to the granddaddy of all outdoor stores in Springfield will see the original rack from the buck Jordan shot 100 years ago. Jordan buck on display at Bass Pro Shops Springfield, Missouri, store in honor of iconic whitetail’s 100th anniversary.

Not only is this giant the number two typical whitetail on Boone and Crockett’s all-time list with a score of 206 1/8, it still holds the honor of being the world record 10-pointer. And the story behind the rack is as extraordinary as the buck itself.

In the fall of 1914, a young James Jordan grabbed his Winchester Model 1892 and headed out on a snowy morning in Wisconsin’s BurnettCounty. At a time when white-tailed deer were scarce, Jordan took a doe early that morning before he connected with the behemoth buck. Feeling certain he had a solid hit, Jordan began tracking the trophy, downing him with a final shot along the bank of the Yellow River.

Jordan knew he had to commemorate this amazing hunt with a neck mount and delivered the monster antlers to a local taxidermist. What happened next was almost unthinkable – the taxidermist moved to another state without leaving word with Jordan or a forwarding address. Jordan’s huge deer had vanished and remained out of circulation for 50 years. In 1964, a man named Bob Ludwig bought the mega mount at a garage sale for $3. In what can only be considered a bizarre coincidence, Ludwig was Jordan’s nephew, but Ludwig had no idea who the deer belonged to. When Ludwig showed his Uncle James the buck he had bought, Jordan knew in an instant it was the trophy he had taken back in 1914.

Unfortunately, more years passed before the big buck was officially listed. When the announcement was finally made that the buck would be listed in the B&C’s all-time book as the James Jordan buck from Burnett County, Wisconsin, the hunter had already passed away.

To read the full account of this incredible story, check out the November 2014 issue of the Kansas Wildlife Federation’s newsletter. Then actually see this legendary whitetail at Bass Pro Shops flagship superstore at 1935 S. Campbell in Springfield, Missouri. For information about the Springfield Bass Pro Shops, visit http://www.basspro.com/springfield.

The original Jordan buck is part of Bass Pro Shops King of Bucks collection. This awe-inspiring collection includes more than 200 of the world’s greatest whitetails including three current world record trophies and 24 state and provincial records.