Trump relents: Bumblebee to be listed as endangered species

It's official: A bumblebee is now on the endangered species list for the first time, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday.

“The Trump administration reversed course and listed the rusty patched bumblebee as an endangered species just in the nick of time," said Rebecca Riley, senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). "Federal protections may be the only thing standing between the bumblebee and extinction,” she said.

In early January, the service, under President Obama, had directed the rusty patched bumblebee to be added to the list and scheduled the official date for Feb. 10. But President Trump issued an order temporarily freezing all new federal regulations a day before the species was set to receive its newfound protective status.

Now, the wait is finally over.

The NRDC had filed a lawsuit in federal court last month, asking the court to stop the federal government from violating the law by freezing the bumblebee’s listing.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is part of the Department of the Interior, originally placed the bee on the list because of a dramatic population decline of 87% over the past 20 years. It's now the first bee of any type in the continental U.S. to receive the designation. (In September, the Obama administration designated seven species of bees in Hawaii as endangered.)

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Named for the rust-colored marks on its back, the bee was once common and abundant across 28 states from Connecticut to South Dakota. Today, the species is only found in small, scattered populations in 13 states.

Bees are responsible for pollinating most of the plants that require insect pollination to produce fruits, seeds and nuts. Like other bees, rusty patched bumblebees pollinate important crops such as tomatoes, cranberries and peppers.

The special designation is made under the Endangered Species Act for species at risk of becoming extinct throughout all or a portion of their range. The status helps protect and conserve habitats and punishes people or companies found in violation.

People can help boost the rusty patched bumblebee population by growing a garden or adding a native flowering tree or shrub to yards and minimizing pesticide use, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.

Leaving some areas of the yard unmowed in summer and unraked in fall can also help since bumblebees need a safe place to build their nests and overwinter. Additionally, try leaving some standing plant stems in gardens and flower beds in winter, the agency suggested.