>But here is my point, many habitats if developed together can benefit both
game birds and insects, even specialized insects like honey bees... Would
it not be easier to work with already developed and highly respected groups
for game birds and other animals that have in roads to farmers already to
develop a joint program?


Spot on Doug!  Societal pressure and government action work most
effectively when a number of stakeholder groups are all on the same
bandwagon.  The most effective presenter along this line that I've seen is
Pete Berthelson of Pheasants Forever.  We shows win-win situations for
landowners, hunters, wildlife lovers, pollinators, and beekeepers.

This of course puts us together with some whose interests do not
necessarily exactly mesh with ours.  Some years ago the beekeepers got
stabbed in the back by  Xerces society when Xerces got the government
contract to set guidelines for pollinator habitat. This unfortunately led
to commercial beekeepers not being welcome on some government-managed
lands,; a number of us have consulted with government agencies since in
order to correct the problem.  However, for the species *Apis
mellifera,* pretty
much any program that benefits pollinators or wildlife in general, will
also benefit honey bees as a species.

One method of reversing habitat conversion to cropland is to purchase and
set aside biologically important habitat for wildlife conservation (I
personally helped to found our local land trust, and contribute heavily to
the Nature Conservancy to that end).  One problem is that much of the most
biologically productive land is agriculturally valuable, and quite
expensive (an acre of Calif almond land now goes for up to $20 grand).  I f
the taxpayer or conservation groups ramped up the rate of land purchases,
it would drive the price of ag land out of reason.

So besides the purchase of lands, one can encourage landowners to practice
voluntary conservation measures.  One sort of measure is taxpayer-funded
incentives, for which there are currently numerous programs.  As Pete
Berthelson points out, on many farms there are marginal areas that are
difficult to plow, or of low productivity.  Yet those same areas may well
be easily managed as excellent wildlife habitat.

Closer to my home, a number of California rice growers make special efforts
to avoid killing nesting  birds on their private property during harvest.
They do so for the simple reason that they love any wildlife that doesn't
eat their crop.

With even a minimal financial incentive, many landowners will willingly
manage, or even place permanent conservation easements upon their
property.  This is a key strategy for land trusts.  And especially
important in states in which the land is nearly completely privately owned
(such as the Dakotas).  Government subsidies, or even better, requirements
to link crop insurance to conservation practices could have great effect
upon preserving wildlife habitat.

As far as working with "sportsmen" who get a thrill out of shooting at
living targets, it may be hard to swallow ethically, but of huge benefit to
the species being shot, as well as to wildlife in general.  Groups such as
Ducks Unlimited and Trout Unlimited have been very effective at conserving
wetland, riparian, and riverine habitats.  The success stories of big game
hunters at increasing the population of bighorn sheep via their willingness
to pay for the thrill of shooting a large male that has passed his
biological prime are also something to keep in mind.

And as with the recent White House pollinator plan, beekeepers can greatly
benefit from programs that aim to specifically protect some other species,
such as monarch butterflies--another charismatic species that is getting
public support.

My point is that there are quite a number of groups with which beekeepers
can collaborate to preserve wildlife and pollinator habitat.  The trick is
to do it without getting "used"--as Center for Food Safety and some other
groups have done by hijacking the honey bee as a poster child for their own
fundraising efforts.

We have reached the apex of agricultural efficiency, which unfortunately
(since it is a zero sum game) is also the nadir of biodiversity.  Time to
back off a bit and allow some room in which species other than ourselves
may continue their existence on this planet.

The tide is turning.  Let's keep the pressure on, which means working
productively with all other stakeholders.
-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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