Environmental, Agriculture and Habitat Concerns

Bees and Pollinators declines have garnered attention from agriculture, environmental organizations and been widely studied. *
Texas House has a bill assigning a task force for pollinator health pending. *
Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD)’s Texas Conservation Action Plan designates several native bees, butterfly, and moth species, including the monarch butterfly, as Species of Greatest Conservation Need. *
Texas State designated the Monarch butterfly as the state insect in 1995. *
References *Refer to various resources listed below. Additional resources may be found in the various articles and studies.

Rigsby Community Agriculture & Environmental Concerns:

The Rigsby Community have native ponds, lakes, pastures and wildflowers to aid the pollinators and provide hay for our area livestock. Pesticides are not used in many of these fields thereby reducing pollutants and providing natural food substances.

As a result, the community has concerns regarding both agriculture and environmental concerns. Some are listed here.

Honey Bee Farms:

A number of the Rigsby Community raise bees for agriculture, income, and environmental reasons. The proposed road will have a devastating impact on their health, making them susceptible to diseases, likely increase Colony Collapse Disorder. Pollutants, construction, and runoff could potentially add harmful substances to food sources, including honey.

Wild Pollinators

While pollinators as a whole are critical to the eco-system, both the Monarch Butterfly and American Bumble Bee are in particular threat.

Butterflies, in particular the Monarch butterfly ((Danaus Plexippus), are Proposed as threatened under the ESA by USFWS (December 2024, comment period ends March 12, 2025). *

Texas State has designated the Monarch butterfly as the state insect in 1995*.
TPWD lists it as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)*.
Globally, the IUCN Red List calls it "endangered" (2022) *
Eastern monarchs (migrating through Texas to Mexico) have dropped ~80% since the 1980s; western monarchs (coastal California) over 95% due to primarily loss of habitat due to urbanization and other related issues. (Xerces)*

Wild Bee & the American Bumble Bee Overview

In general, agricultural scientists and experts are increasingly alarmed about the future of bee colonies, both wild and honey bees and their cascading effects on the food supply. *

In particular, bees are needed for plant pollination yet are facing increasing habitat threats. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) suffer from a range of environmental threats, increasing dust & pollutants due to construction, loss of habitat due to urbanization, pollination, while not pushing them yet to extinction, can hammer their health and numbers. Construction and roadbuilding kick up dust, pollutants and will eliminate important pollination patches. A bulldozer’s worth of topsoil disturbance can linger in the air, coating plants bees rely on.

Historical Context and Forage Decline: *

Numerous studies, research and data has been conducted on pollination, impact on wild & honey bees.
The informational data is limited here and not all inclusive as a whole, yet provides general references to the historical context, forage decline, links to various research, studies and data.

Since the 1970s, U.S. farmland has shifted dramatically as referenced in The USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS). In tracking land use, revealed total farmland dropping from 1.2 billion acres in the 1970s to around 900 million acres by 2022—a roughly 25% decline overall estimation. Pasture and range land, key for forage, took a bigger hit. *

Between 1970 and 2020, pastureland shrank from 655 million acres to about 524 million acres (per USDA Major Land Uses data), a drop of roughly 20%. Meanwhile, cropland held steadier, dipping from 465 million acres to 442 million by 2012, then stabilizing. The forage-specific loss—plants like clover, alfalfa, and wildflowers—ties to this shift, as monocrops (corn, soy) replaced diverse fields.

A 2021 study in Ecological Applications estimated that pollinator forage habitat declined by up to 50% in some regions since the mid-20th century, though nationwide averages are less extreme, likely in the 20-30% range when factoring in pasture conversion and intensification.

Our area has a number of bee farms that would devastate the colonies and farmers income. Any remaining honey bees that may survive, the quality and quantity of honey produce would be impacted by the pollutants, similar to the dust bowl effect.

Links to Various Studies and References

TPWD:

Link: Texas Monarch and Native Pollinator Conservation Plan PDF: https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_rp_w7000_2070.pdf

Texas State Insect:

Link: Texas State Insect | Monarch Butterfly https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/texas/state-insect/monarch-butterfly?

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Monarch butterfly ESA Act:

Article: Proposed rule to list the monarch butterfly as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, including a 4(d) rule under the ESA in December 2024. Monarch Watch
Link: https://monarchwatch.org/listing/

Texas House :

HB1437: Task Force on Pollinator Health https://legiscan.com/TX/text/HB1437

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) - Honey Bee Colony Loss Data

Link: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Surveys/Guide_to_NASS_Surveys/Bee_and_Honey/
Why: Provides annual colony loss stats, like the 40.7% loss in 2022-2023, and tracks beekeeping trends. It’s the go-to for raw numbers on U.S. honey bee health.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) - Pollinators and Food Production

Link: http://www.fao.org/pollination/en/
Why: Covers the 35% of global crop production relying on pollinators and the economic stakes ($577 billion). FAO’s a global authority on food security.

Bee Informed Partnership - Colony Loss Surveys

Link: https://beeinformed.org/
Why: Offers detailed beekeeper survey data (e.g., historical loss rates) and insights into stressors like Varroa mites. It’s a key resource for U.S. bee trends.

Nature (2021) - Global Bee Species Decline

Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-08974-4
Why: This study estimates a 25% drop in bee species richness since the 1990s, highlighting wild bee declines. It’s peer-reviewed and widely cited.

Proceedings Royal Society B (2020)-The Pollination Deficits

Link: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2020.0940
Why: Shows how pollinator loss already cuts yields in fruits and nuts, backing expert concerns about food supply impacts.

Washington State University - Climate and Bee Research (2024)

Link: https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2024/03/25/honey-bees-at-risk-for-colony-collapse-from-longer-warmer-fall-seasons/
Why: Highlights climate-driven risks to colonies (e.g., warmer falls), with practical solutions like cold storage. WSU’s a leader in bee science.

IPBES (2016) - Pollinator Assessment

Link: https://www.ipbes.net/assessment-reports/pollinators
Why: The gold standard for pollination’s economic value ($577 billion) and threats. It’s a global benchmark cited by experts like Simon Potts.

Xerces:

Eastern Monarch Conservation | Xerces Society: https://xerces.org/monarchs/eastern-monarch-conservation?
Western Monarch Conservation | Xerces Society https://xerces.org/monarchs/western-monarch-conservation?

Additional studies and resources can be seen in the various website as needed.