BILL IN ORDER TO GAIN BIPARTISAN SUPPORT.

TURNING TO THE ENVIRONMENT, EXPERTS HAVE LONG FEARED THE DECLINE IN BEE POPULATIONS.

THEY SAY SMALL INSECTS HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON THE ECOSYSTEM.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, AGRICULTURE.

BUT THE NUMBER OF BUMBLEBEES IN WISCONSIN IS UP, AND SO ARE THE EFFORTS TO HELP THESE POLLINATORS.

"HERE & NOW" REPORTER, STEVEN POTTER, HAS THIS STORY.

>> THE POPULATIONS HAVE DECLINED AT AN ALARMING RATE.

SOME SPECIES, OVER 90%.

WHY HAVE NATIVE BEE POPGHTSZ IN WISCONSIN AND AROUND THE WORLD DECLINED AT SUCH A HIGH RATE?

>> CLIMATE CHANGE, LAND USE CHANGES, HABITAT LOSS, AND PESTICIDES ARE ALL PLAYING A ROLE, AND EACH ONE OF THOSE KIND OF STRESSES OUT THE BEES A LITTLE BIT AND THEN WHEN YOU COMBINE THEM ALL TOGETHER, IT'S AN AWFUL LOT FOR THEM TO HANDLE AT ONCE.

>> EXPERTS LIKE ELIZABETH BRAATZ SAY THIS LOSS OF BEES IS A SERIOUS THREAT TO GLOBAL FOOD SYSTEMS BECAUSE OF THE ROLE THEY PLAY IN POLLINATION.

HERE IN WISCONSIN, NATIVE BEES HELP POLLINATE CRANBERRIES, APPLES, AND A NUMBER OF OTHER FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.

ONE IMPORTANT PART OF HELPING THE STATE'S NATIVE BEES IS TRACKING AND MONITORING THEIR LOCATIONS.

STATEWIDE GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS, KNOWN AS THE BUMBLEBEE BRIGADE, HAS BEEN DOING JUST THAT FOR YEARS.

>> WHEN THEY'RE DIPPING DOWN LIKE THAT, THAT'S WHEN THEY'RE GATHERING NECTAR.

>> THE BUMBLEBEE BRIGADE IS A PARTICIPATORY SCIENCE PROGRAM WHERE ANYONE WHO HAS GOT A CAMERA ON THEIR CELL PHONE OR ANY OTHER KIND OF CAMERA CAN TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS OF BUMBLEBEES WHEN THEY'RE OUT IN THEIR GARDEN OR OUT ON A WALK AND SUBMIT THOSE PHOTOS TO THE WISCONSIN DNR WEBSITE.

AND THAT INFORMATION IS INVALUABLE AND IT GETS USED BY RESEARCHERS.

>> BEGINNING IN 2018, THIS EFFORT NOW COVERS MOST OF THE STATE WITH HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS WHO CATALOG THE NUMBER OF BEES SPOTTED, THEIR TYPE AND LOCATION.

DESPITE THIS SUMMER'S DROUGHT, THE NUMBERS ARE PROMISING.

OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BUMBLEBEES FOUND HAS INCREASED AND THE FREQUENCY OF SIGHTINGS HAS MORE THAN TRIPLED.

>> FINGERS CROSSED FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON.

WE'RE SEEING LARGER NUMBERS OF THEM AND, OVERALL, I THINK THAT THERE'S HOPE FOR WISCONSIN.

>> THERE ARE ABOUT 20 SPECIES OF NATIVE BUMBLEBEES IN WISCONSIN BUT THERE'S ONE IN PARTICULAR THAT VOLUNTEERS AT THE BUMBLEBEE BRIGADE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR.

WE HAVE RUSTY PATCH BUMBLEBEES THEIR AND THE POPULATION OF RUSTY PATCH BUMBLEBEES HAS DECREASED BY 90% IN THE LAST 20 YEARS.

WISCONSIN IS, I THINK, THEIR LAST BEST HOPE FOR SURVIVAL.

>> THE RUSTY PATCH BUMBLEBEE WAS THE FIRST BEE EVER PUT ON THE FEDERAL ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST BACK IN 2017 AND IS REGARDED AS A GOOD BAROMETER FOR OVERALL BUMBLEBEE HEALTH IN THE STATE.

IN WISCONSIN, IS A STRONGHOLD LEFT FOR THE POPULATION, SO WE CAN FIND THEM ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE STATE.

BUT ACROSS THEIR ENTIRE RANGE, FROM MAINE TO THE DAKOTAS, DOWN TO OHIO AND INDIANA, THEY'VE DISAPPEARED FROM MOST OF THOSE AREAS.

>> IN RECENT WEEKS, THREE BRAND-NEW NESTS FOR THE BUMBLEBEE HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED HERE.

TWO WERE DISCOVERED THIS SUMMER IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN.

A THIRD NEST WAS FOUND IN A LARGE PLOT OF LAND OWNED BY THE ARIENS, SNOWBLOWER AND LAWN MOWER MANUFACTURING COMPANY IN CALUMET COUNTY.

THE ARIENS COMPANY IS TURNING MORE THAN 200 ACRES INTO WHAT THEY CALL A POLLINATOR PRAIRIE.

>> SO WE HAVE A BUTTERFLY PROJECT AND A BUMBLEBEE PROJECT THAT ARE BOTH MAINLY BUILT ON THE PRAIRIE OAK SAVANNA.

WE'RE PROVIDING A LOT OF -- I BELIEVE IT'S OVER 140 SPECIES OF NATIVE PLANTS WE'RE PROVIDING NOT ONLY FORAGE FROM APRIL TO OCTOBER IN THE FORM OF FLOWERING RESOURCES, BUT WE'RE ALSO PROVIDING OVERWINTERING HABITAT AND NESTING HABITAT.

>> THESE EFFORTS TO CREATE HABITAS FOR BUMBLEBEES ARE PAYING OFF.

>> IT'S A LOT OF AREA, BUT WE HAVE 11 DIFFERENT SPECIES OF BUMBLEBEES FOUND HERE, INCLUDING THE YELLOW BUMBLEBEE AND THE AMERICAN BUMBLEBEE, WHICH ARE BOTH STATE SPECIES OF SPECIAL CONCERN AND WE ALSO HAVE FOUND THE FEDERAL ENDANGERED RUSTY PATCH BUMBLEBEE HERE AND NOW WE HAVE A NEST, SO I WOULD SAY THE PROJECT HAS BEEN VERY SUCCES SUCCESSFUL.

WE SEE A LOT OF BUMBLEBEES ALL THE TIME.

THEY'RE ALWAYS OUT HERE.

>> STATE LAWMAKERS ARE ALSO WORKING TO PROTECT NATIVE BEE POPULATIONS.

>> I'M SO PASSIONATE ABOUT POLLINATORS AND POLLINATOR PROTECTION THAT I RECENTLY GOT A TATTOO ON MY SHOULDER.

IT IS A RUSTY PATCH BUMBLEBEE.

>> APPLETON STATE REPRESENTATIVE SNODGRASS HAS TWICE INTRODUCED BILLS TO HELP WISCONSIN AS POLLINATOR POPULATIONS SAYING WISCONSIN IS LAGGING BEHIND OTHER STATES.

>> UNFORTUNATELY, WISCONSIN IS BEHIND THE EIGHT BALL WHEN IT COMES TO THIS AND ESPECIALLY OTHER STATES IN THE MIDWEST.

OTHER STATES HAVE ALREADY PUT THINGS IN PLACE TO PROTECT POLLINATORS.

>> SNODGRASS HAS A BILL THAT WOULD PROHIBIT THE DNR FROM USING ONE PARTICULAR PESTICIDE.

>> NEONICS ARE A CLASS OF INSECTICIDES THAT ARE PARTICULARLY HARMFUL TO POLLINATORS.

THEY REALLY INTERFERE WITH THE NEUROLOGICAL SYSTEM, BEES IN PARTICULAR.

IT MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO FIND THEIR WAY BACK TO THEIR HIVES.

>> SHE ALSO ALSO RAISING FUNDING FOR POLLINATOR HABITATS AND MANDATING THAT STATE AGENCIES USE NATIVE PLANTS THAT POLLINATORS PREFER.

SHE SAYS IT'S AN ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC ISSUE.

>> WITHOUT POLLINATORS, WISCONSIN REALLY WOULD NOT HAVE AN AGRICULTURE ECONOMY.

OUR CROPS ARE INCREDIBLY DEPENDENT ON POLLINATORS.

WE HAVE OUR APPLE PRODUCERS, OUR HONEY PRODUCERS, OUR CRANBERRY PRODUCERS, ALL OF THEM WOULD SEE 70, 60, 50% DECLINE WITHOUT POLLINATORS.

>> AS TO WHAT INDIVIDUALS CAN DO TO HELP THE NATIVE BEE POPULATION SURVIVE AND THRIVE IN WISCONSIN, THE BUMBLEBEE BRIGADE PROMOTES PLANTING PERENNIALS LIKE THE PURPLE CONEFLOWER.

PROBABLY ABOUT 25% OF BEES ARE SOME LEVEL OF A THREATENED STATUS RIGHT NOW.

THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF LOSS OF BUMBLEBEES.

>> I'M GOING TO DO WHAT I CAN DO TO HELP, AND WHAT I CAN DO IS I CAN PLANT NATIVE FLOWERS IN MY YARD, I CAN PROMOTE MY NEIGHBORS PLANTING NATIVE FLOWERS.

I THINK THERE IS HOPE AND IT'S SOMETHING EVERY SINGLE PERSON CAN DO TO MAKE THINGS BETTER FOR THE BUMBLEBEE.

>> REPORTING FROM CALUMET COUNTY, FOR HERE AND NOW, I'M STEVEN POTTER.

>> FOR MORE ON THIS AND OTHER ISSUES FACING WISCONSIN, VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT PBS WISCONSIN