You probably know that all bee species are in serious decline, but did you know the rusty patched bumblebee is facing imminent extinction? Once abundant in the grasslands and prairies of the Upper Midwest and the Northeast, the rusty patched bumblebee population is estimated to have decreased by 90 percent in the last two decades alone.

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) is fighting to protect some of the last remaining habitat of the rusty patched bumblebee from the Atlantic Coast Pipeline — a monstrous pipeline proposed by a company bent on destroying its habitat. You can be part of this fight.

Donate $7, $17, or more today to help us save the rusty patched bumblebee before it’s too late.

Factors including habitat loss, environmental stress and climate change have decimated the rusty patched bumblebee to such an extent that, in 2017, it was the first bee species placed on the endangered species list by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. 

Now some of this bee's only remaining habitat is under threat. The Virginia-based fossil fuel company, Dominion Energy, is attempting to construct the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) through the Central Appalachian region. If built, the ACP will be 600 miles long, with a diameter larger even than the infamous Keystone XL Pipeline. It would endanger not only the rusty patch, but also the wildlife this pollinator supports.

Here at CCAN, we've been fighting this pipeline for years. We've helped build a massive movement to oppose it. We're still fighting it. But we need all the help we can get.

Donate now and help save the rusty patched bumblebee from the reckless destruction of the fossil fuel industry.

It’s impossible to overstate the importance of pollinators in our ecosystem. At least 75% of the world’s food crop depends on pollinators. About three quarters of the world’s 240,000 species of flowering plants rely on pollinators. Not too long ago, the rusty patched bumblebee was a pollinator that flourished in North America, and a healthy food supply and ecosystem flourished with it. 

Losing this once common bee will have a terrible effect on native plants and flowers. Whole ecosystems are affected when a species suddenly disappears. Wildlife as diverse as birds and grizzly bears rely on pollinated friuts and seeds for their survival.

At CCAN, we are working hard to fight the Atlantic Coast Pipeline with every tool we can, in order to protect some of the last remaining rusty patch habitat so that it can flourish once again.  You can join the fight by donating $7 or more to our campaign right now.

Thanks for all you do,

Mike Tidwell
Executive Director
Chesapeake Climate Action Network