NRDC Activist – This is big:

NRDC and our partners just sued the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) for
refusing to designate critical habitat for the highly endangered rusty
patched bumble bee.

The rusty patched bumble bee and other wild bees are essential pollinators
that play a critical role in maintaining our planet's ecosystems. They're
also largely responsible for pollinating so many of the crops we eat —
including apples, blueberries, and cherries.

The bee has disappeared from 87% of its native range — yet former
President Trump's Fish & Wildlife Service stubbornly refused to protect
them by establishing critical habitat, which flies in the face of its
mission to protect endangered species. We can't let that stand.

NRDC's lawsuit demonstrates that we're prepared to fight back in court for
as long as it takes to ensure the survival and recovery of rusty patched
bumble bees and the future of our food supply — and we could really use
your support. [ [link removed] ]Rush an emergency gift today of just $5
or more and it will be MATCHED to fund our legal battle for bee survival,
help us protect pollinators and our food supply, and defend our
environment on all fronts.

Thank you for answering our call.

Sincerely,
NRDC

P.S. — Learn more about our lawsuit to protect the endangered rusty
patched bumble bee [ [link removed] ]at NRDC.org, and read more about the threats
pollinators face below.





[ [link removed]{{user.id}}&utm_source=alert&utm_medium=button&utm_campaign=email&t=1007&tkd=6503928&akid=13694%2E6503928%2EptPrQ1 ]DONATE
[ NRDC ]NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council)

Dear NRDC Activist,

The skyrocketing overuse of toxic "neonic" pesticides — pushed by
agrochemical giants like Bayer — is a leading factor in the devastating
decline of honeybees.

This decline in bee populations is a disturbing signal of ecological
collapse, and it could lead to increased food prices and reduced access to
healthy foods, which will hit low-income communities and communities of
color especially hard.

NRDC is mounting a full-court press against this chemical onslaught, going
toe-to-toe with Bayer and other big chemical makers, mobilizing massive
public pressure on the EPA to ban bee-killing uses of neonics, and holding
the agency accountable in federal court if that's what it takes to save
pollinators. But if we're to wage the strongest possible campaign and win
this fight, then we're going to need your support.

[ [link removed] ]Rush
an urgent, tax-deductible donation of just $5 or more to support NRDC and
our all-out fight to save pollinators. Donate before March 31 and your
gift will be matched $1-for-$1, up to our $250,000 goal, to help us turn
the tide on the agrochemical giants, ban the bee-killing uses of neonics,
and defend our environment on all fronts.

[ [link removed] ]Toxic neonics are destroying the web of life.

Scientists are also ringing alarm bells about drastic declines in other
pollinators, from wild bees to butterflies and songbirds. Native bee
species like the Western bumblebee and Franklin's bumblebee have all but
vanished where they once flourished, and the rusty-patched bumblebee has
declined from an estimated 87 percent of its historic range in recent
years.

And neonics have been linked to declining bird species, dramatic declines
in fish populations, birth defects in deer, and malformations of the
developing heart and brain in people. This chemical onslaught is
destroying the web of life, and it must be stopped.

[ [link removed] ]Make a donation today to support our critical work and it will be
DOUBLED to help us win this fight and defend our environment on all
fronts!

There's a reason neonics are so
harmful: They're an environmental triple threat. These chemicals are
extremely toxic to bees and other pollinating insects, they spread easily,
and can persist in the environment for years.

When seeds for crops like corn and soy are treated with neonics, less than
5% of the pesticides are actually absorbed into the plant on average. The
rest — a whopping 95% of the toxic chemicals — are left to contaminate the
soil, poison nearby wildlife habitats, and leach into our waterways.

And because neonics are found in water supplies and food across the
country, roughly half the U.S. population is exposed to at least one
neonic chemical on a regular basis — which means Big Ag's runaway
pesticide free-for-all has become part of our daily lives.

But while the European Union has already heeded the science and imposed a
permanent ban on selling bee-killing neonics, the U.S. has stubbornly
refused to stand up to giant agrochemical corporations — even though the
EPA admits that it previously underestimated the serious risks neonics
pose to pollinators and even human health!

Enough is enough — we must seize this moment to stop the pesticide
onslaught that's destroying our ecosystems.

[ [link removed] ]Make a gift of just $5 or more today
to shore up our resources so we can galvanize the public, battle in court,
and make sure the Biden administration delivers on its promise to put
science before polluter profits. Remember — all gifts made before March 31
will be MATCHED, up to our $250,000 goal, and help defend our environment
on all fronts.

Thank you for fighting with us. Together, we can put an end to Big Ag's
uncontrolled chemical experiment and save our critical pollinators, our
ecosystems, our food supply, and our health.

Sincerely,

Dan Raichel
Acting Director, Pollinators, NRDC


Donations will be used to protect bees and secure the future of our food
supply, and for other campaigns that allow NRDC to protect the environment
in the most effective way possible.

The mission of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is to
safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals, and the natural
systems on which all life depends.

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