- Ami Eckard-Lee: When we think of bees,
we think of flowers, stingers, and...
[ding] ...honey.
But not all bees make honey.
There are over 20,000 species of bees worldwide,
but less than 15 of these produce the honey
that we like to eat.
Most of our honey comes from bees
that are managed by human beekeepers
for selling products like these:
honey, pollen, honeycomb, or beeswax.
Wild bees are species that survive on their own
in the natural environment
and are typically native to the area.
And these little ladies are vital for a healthy ecosystem.
But bummer news.
Both domesticated and wild bee populations
have been declining for decades,
primarily due to climate change, habitat loss,
and the widespread use of pesticides.
So, what happens to the environment if we lose bees?
[bright music]
All bees are pollinators,
but not all pollinators are bees.
Pollinators are animals that help move pollen
from one plant to another, allowing plants to reproduce.
Many species are considered pollinators,
like butterflies, regular flies,
beetles, even some bat and bird species.
But bees are the kings of pollination.
Or maybe the queens.
But why is it so important for the environment?
I tried catching a bee to ask her,
but she told me to buzz off.
So, I met with these guys instead.
And they seem to know a thing or two about bees.
Why are pollinators so important
for the environment?
- James Crall: One is for biodiversity.
The other one is more selfish.
And that's for us,
because a lot of the crops that we depend on as humans
depend on that pollination.
One in three bites, roughly, of food that we eat
comes from a plant that depends to some extent on pollination.
Basically, less pollinators means less food for us.
- What are the main threats to pollinators
in our communities right now?
- Claudio Gratton: I think if we had to put 'em into categories,
I would say that the biggest one is habitat loss.
Imagine that every little habitat that they can get food
is isolated from every other one.
As habitats get smaller,
they get further and further from other similar habitats.
So, the likelihood that they can get to other food
that is similar to what they're finding here is really low.
So, that's fragmentation.
There's also diseases and pathogens
that are influencing bee populations in particular.
Related to that is also the use of pesticides.
And then, there's this kind of other thing that's happening
in the background
that we're still trying to understand
is the relationship and the role that climate
is actually playing.
- How does climate impact the pollinators?
- So, we can think of climate as both directly impacting bees
and other insects, right?
So, out on a hot day, it might be more stressful
in the middle of summer for bees.
We would call those direct impacts.
But the other thing that can happen
are these indirect effects through plants, right?
One is through sort of shifting timing,
something we call phenology.
Generally, phenology is that sort of timing
of biological events.
So, one of these might be, oh,
when do flowers and bees both emerge in spring?
And one thing that can happen with climate
is you start scrambling those a little bit.
And that can lead to timing mismatches, right?
Maybe the timing of when bees emerge
is different than the timing of when plants come out.
- Ami: These changes in phenology
are what makes biodiversity so important for pollinators.
Biodiversity refers to the variety of species
in a given location.
For example, a cornfield has very little biodiversity
because there's only one species growing.
Whereas a prairie might have dozens of plant species.
All these species have different traits and blooming periods
that make them favorable to certain pollinators.
And by supporting pollinators,
we're directly helping ourselves as well,
because if they can't get the food they need,
we might not get the food we need.
I'm here at an apple orchard to talk with a farmer
whose harvest relies on these pollinators,
just like the pollinators rely on these flowers.
Deirdre is an organic farmer
who decided to designate 30 acres of her land
to restore a native prairie
that would help support the wild pollinators.
And she has a pretty incredible story
about how that decision paid off.
- Deirdre Birmingham: In 2022, we were having
a very long, cool, kind of miserable, damp spring.
I knew that it was delaying bloom,
and then it surged into the 90s. - Oh, wow.
- Deirdre: And so, the blossoms were, like, exploding.
They were just opening very quickly.
And I had seen some wild pollinators.
And so, I thought, "Good,
"I know the wild pollinators are here,
"but I haven't seen this neighbor's honey bees
on the landscape yet."
So, I hadn't seen them.
I called him and said,
"Hey, are your honey bees coming soon?"
He said, "Oh, they're on a truck
from Texas." - Oh, wow!
- 'Cause he would ship 'em to work,
you know, work someplace else. - Wow!
- And so, they won't be here in time for my early blossom.
It was about a three,
maybe three-and-a-half day window.
And the wild bees did it, 'cause I got a crop
on those early season varieties thanks to wild pollinators.
- Having this diverse native prairie habitat available
gave these wild pollinators a better chance
at coping with additional stressors
such as a delayed blooming period.
So, what are some ways we can incorporate more diverse
and connected habitats into our own communities?
- Actually, urban and suburban areas can be even better habitat
for wild bees because there's more diversity.
People have different plants in their yard.
They have flowers, they might have vegetables.
So, all this diverse stuff that people have there
can be great for pollinators.
- Think about all the areas in your community
that are currently covered in a simple bed of grass.
This might be the grassy area
between the sidewalk and the road,
or the median in the street.
These areas could become habitat for pollinators
if the right species were growing there.
Another great way
to get involved in protecting pollinators
is by participating in a citizen science program.
Citizen science programs are ways
that members of the community
can take action on environmental issues they care about
by aiding real scientists in collecting local data.
The Bumble Bee Brigade
is an example of a citizen scientist program,
coordinated by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
to aid in the conservation of bumblebees in the state.
When you're on a, what do you call them,
bee expeditions, when you come down here
to the park? - Aishika Samanta: Bee-search.
- When you're doing some bee-search, I should call it,
what do you-- What does it day look like?
- Yeah, so we kind of walk along the same path each time
for consistency
and look at each individual flower
and see what bees are on them.
We keep track of what flower preferences,
so what flower each bumblebee is on,
the bumblebee species,
the sex of the bumblebee, humidity, temperature, weather,
all that stuff to kind of keep track of population,
but also flower preference
and kind of how populations fluctuate throughout the season.
And that's one of my favorite things
about citizen science is that anyone can get involved.
- There are a lot of ways you can get involved
in protecting and advocating for pollinators
and their habitat.
You can start by building a bee house for your backyard,
or planting a pollinator garden at your school.
You could even try participating in citizen science programs
or start advocating for protective laws
that safeguard pollinator habitat.
All of these can directly or indirectly help pollinators,
protect habitats, and save our food resources.
So, make like a bee and get busy.
[gentle music]
Spoiler: it's bad.
Not the sandwich.
I'm getting weirder.
Aaah!
Our connection to food
is a lot deeper than just eating to survive.
Food invokes memories.
It is a way to express ourselves, where we come from,
and what we believe in.
Food is part of cultural identity
for people all over the world.
For example, wild rice, known as manoomin
in the Anishinaabe language,
is a significant part of Anishinaabe culture.
But it's becoming harder to find and harvest
due to climate change and other human impacts.
But how exactly does climate change
impact culture and community?
And what can we do to protect these traditional foods?
[bright music]
Northern wild rice, or manoomin,
is a species native to the Great Lakes region.
For hundreds of years,
this species has grown in the shallow waters of lakes
and slow-flowing rivers,
and has been a traditional food source
for First Nations people.
However, climate change has impacted wild rice habitat
and is making it difficult to grow and harvest.
As people lose access to foods that were once abundant
and a significant part of their diet,
they begin to lose their food sovereignty.
Food sovereignty is a person's right
to healthy and culturally appropriate food
produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods.
It is the power to have control over your food,
where it comes from, and how it is grown.
But why is food sovereignty so important?
- Sagen Quale: Food is medicine.
What we put into our bodies
and the way in which we harvest and grow it is really important.
Manoomin is just so central to Anishinaabe
or Ojibwe identity that really with, like, a loss of manoomin,
people have felt, like, a loss in that identity.
I always think back to our migration story.
Ojibwe people were originally on the east coast
of Turtle Island.
They were given a prophecy to say that
in order to continue to, you know, survive
and thrive and live, you need to go
to where the food grows on water.
People say it took a couple hundred years
to move all the way from the East Coast
to the Great Lakes region.
And once we got here
is when Ojibwe people came to find manoomin,
the good berry, wild rice.
So, I was taught that that rice is really special.
Passing along the knowledge of manoomin
is something that was done for me,
and that is what I need to do for others.
- Wild rice plays a significant role
not just in Anishinaabe culture,
but also within its own ecosystem.
It helps stabilize the banks of lakes and rivers
by holding sediment in place with its root system.
It filters the water.
It provides habitat for fish and waterfowl
and food for birds, insects, and people.
It's a vital part of the ecosystem.
But as the ecosystem changes,
this species is having a hard time growing
where it used to thrive.
So, what exactly is causing this decline?
Let's get down in the weeds and talk to some researchers
from the UW-Madison Center for Limnology,
who are working up at the Trout Lake Station
in northern Wisconsin.
What does your research focus on?
- Gretchen Gerrish: I think our project started on wild rice,
with the more recent declines.
So, for the last five years, we've been surveying populations
to look at which populations are doing well,
which ones have experienced decline,
and which ones may be threatened.
There's a lot of questions about the seed storage.
So, rice that falls one year can actually fall into the mud
and sit there for many years before it germinates.
- Ami: Oh! - Yeah.
A lot of annual plants have seed banks.
- What does annual plant mean?
- The difference between an annual and a perennial plant
is that annual plants grow from seed each year.
A perennial plant can actually have a root
that stays in the dirt or in the lake,
and then it'll start growing out of that existing root structure.
So, based on that seed bank question,
and we've also been taking sediment cores.
And so, this is where you just take a tube
and shove it down in the mud, cap it off.
You pull it up and you sieve it.
And then you look at how many seeds
are in a section of sediment,
how deep they are in that sediment.
And that gives you an idea of how much seed goes
from one year to the next,
or how much goes from fall to summer.
So, it's common in a sparse population like this,
where your core might contain no seeds.
- So, what changes are happening in the environment
that threaten wild rice growth?
- Climate's threatening the wild rice.
Water level rise and fall is definitely one.
And those are two big ones.
But the other ones are herbivory.
And then, of course, wave action.
You know, if you have rice on a lake
where there's boats creating big waves,
it can uproot the plants.
- Ray Allen: And I think there has been worries about people
because you can get a state permit to harvest wild rice.
You don't have to be a tribal member to do it.
Is that, people just don't know the techniques.
And yet, since it's, like, such a delicate plant.
And it's, as Gretchen mentioned, it's annual.
Like, if you lose that seed that one year,
you're not gonna have it the next year.
- Yeah. - And you'd have to rely
on your seed bank.
- Yeah, I think when we get into discussions
about loss of wild rice too,
the loss of human connection to the rice
over the years, there's a lot of knowledge about harvesting.
So, if you harvest rice before it's ripe,
the seed that falls
can't actually germinate for the next year.
And so, there's a timing for harvest
that's very, very important to think about.
And so, having that deeper understanding
of when it's ready to harvest
is knowledge that needs to come forward
to help protect the rice.
- Ami: Climate change and other stressors,
such as human impact,
are causing wild rice beds to decline.
But losing manoomin isn't an option
for those dedicated to protecting this species.
Let's meet up with Kathy Smith, a strong advocate for wild rice,
to learn why the species is so important
for its ecosystem and how we can help protect it.
Can you tell me a little bit
about the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission?
- Kathy Smith: So, what we do is we help our 11 member tribes
in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan
with their hunting, fishing, and gathering rights
for off reservation only.
- Manoomin, it's wild.
But you are stewarding it.
What does that look like, and how do you monitor it?
- What we also do at GLIFWC, is we do aerial photos.
We fly over, you know, parts of Minnesota, parts of Michigan
and northern Wisconsin here within the ceded territories.
So, we continue to monitor, you know, rice from the air.
We have all these tools that are given to us to be able to,
you know, work alongside that Ojibwe knowledge.
- What changes have you seen?
- I've seen some beds really decline
where they were not doing too well.
It's a indicator species
that really tells us what's going on,
you know, within this natural environment.
If it's not doing so well,
something could be impacting it by pollution,
invasive species, or even water quality.
But that's what happens, you know,
when we have the shifting of the seasons or of the climate,
you know, just really impacting some of these rice beds.
- What kinds of restoration projects do you do?
- So, the types of restoration projects that we do
is we get the seed from the rice
and then go and spread it in areas
that, where it's sparse to help things along.
So, that's what the purpose of reseeding, you know, today
is to be able to, you know, put the rice where
there was a little bit sparser,
maybe build up the density for the rice.
So, for our future, I hope our kids get really excited
about good, clean food,
and food sovereignty, I think, is a big thing.
This is our grocery store right here.
You know, we got a lot of wonderful foods and medicines.
- You just have to know what you're looking at.
Climate change is a threat to food sovereignty everywhere,
not just for Indigenous food systems.
But there are ways we can support
and protect these resources.
Be conscious of where you get your food,
and make sure you're obtaining it
from a sustainable source that prioritizes the health
and care of the ecosystem as a whole.
Participate in restoration efforts,
such as reseeding events, in the places
that you live or visit, and advocate for regulations
that protect sensitive habitats and encourage others
to learn about the species that live and grow
in their communities
so that they can be better stewards of these areas too.
Food is part of cultural identity.
By protecting our environment,
we're also preserving heritage, traditions, and communities.
So, know where your food comes from,
how it's harvested, and ways that you can help protect it
so you can continue eating it for years to come.
[bright music]
- Videographer: I'm rolling. - Okay.
What's the vibe?
Casual?
- Producer: There's a snake. [water splashes]
- How do you typically get around?
Well, for the majority of Americans,
the answer is in a gas-powered vehicle.
And so what?
Why is that significant?
Because our reliance on gas-powered vehicles
is one of the biggest contributors
to climate change today.
But what makes gas-powered vehicles so harmful
for our environment?
[bright music]
Life in the fast lane
has put us on the fast track to changes in climate.
Gas-powered vehicles like most cars, buses,
and airplanes burn fossil fuels for energy.
Fossil fuels are the result
of the heat and pressure of the Earth's crust
transforming the ancient remains of plants and animals
into an energy-rich resource.
But it's a non-renewable resource.
Crude oil, natural gas, and coal
are all examples of fossil fuels we use today.
And when they burn, they emit carbon dioxide, or CO2,
into the atmosphere.
But too much CO2 in the atmosphere
causes something known as the greenhouse effect.
This effect traps heat, kind of like a greenhouse,
leading to the entire planet becoming warmer.
So, we burn fossil fuels for our transportation needs.
Burning fossil fuels emits CO2.
Too much CO2 leads to the greenhouse effect.
And the whole result is a major contribution
to climate change.
But how does this impact us?
- Hi, Jonathan. - Jonathan Patz: Hi, Ami.
- Hey, I have a climate question for you.
How much CO2 is emitted from transportation
in the United States each year?
- In the United States,
transportation is the largest emitting sector
of greenhouse gas emissions.
Transportation emissions come from all over the place,
be it from cars and trucks,
off-road vehicles, to ferries and ships
contributing to warming of the planet.
- How does our reliance on fossil fuel
impact people everywhere?
- When you burn fossil fuels,
you emit all these dangerous pollutants.
Globally, burning fossil fuels
causes more than 5 million premature deaths every year.
When you breathe in these fine particles,
it gets into your bloodstream.
It affects your heart, it affects your lungs.
And, you know, there are issues with asthma,
lung cancer, heart disease.
Those are some of the main issues,
but it also affects mental health.
And there studies that show an impact on learning,
you know, being a compromise with air pollution.
- What can an individual do to make a difference?
- Well, what I can tell you is that we drive too much.
In the United States, a majority of car trips
are short car trips, less than five kilometers.
And there would be enormous benefits
if we could convert those short car trips
into active travel, say by bicycle,
because you're avoiding the emissions.
And at the same time,
you're promoting physical fitness and exercise.
So, this is a strong reason to start designing cities
for people rather than just for cars.
You know, bike and walk as much as you can,
and the world and you will be better for it.
- So, as you can see, our reliance on fossil fuels
is a pretty big contributor to climate change.
But how can we move away from this?
And what's stopping us?
Well, for many people, it's a lack of access
to a more sustainable means of transportation.
Take biking, for example.
It's a great alternative means of transportation
that doesn't produce any CO2 emissions.
But not everyone has a bike or knows how to fix it
if it breaks.
Or maybe they just don't have access
to safe bike routes to get them to their destination.
Thankfully, there are individuals and organizations
dedicated to increasing accessibility to safe,
sustainable means of transportation right here
in our communities and schools.
Let's head to Madison East High School and take a look
at how one student's idea
changed the way his peers show up to class.
- Student: This about right?
- Andy Nguyen: Maybe a little bit more, actually.
There you go.
I started the club last year,
which is halfway through my junior year.
So, I saw a ton of bikes in the front bike rack.
Not well maintained, broken, low tire pressure, no brakes.
And with a background in cycling and bike repair,
I decided to put my talent to use
and educate my peers on how to repair bikes.
I see climate change as a big issue
because we only have one planet,
so biking opens up another form of transportation
that people can consciously choose
and reduces the reliance on cars.
And just riding my bike,
it helps you get a better perspective on the world.
- Oh! - Yeah.
You guys wanna give it a try?
- Silas Hunter: I got taught by Andy and my uncle,
and it's super cool 'cause now
I'm able to teach even more people
through what they have taught me.
And it's kind of this very cool trickle-down effect
'cause, like, they've taught multiple people
and now I've taught multiple people,
and it just keeps growing.
- Andy: People can stand up for what they believe in.
Many people see climate change as such a big issue
and that their impact is too little.
I wish more people would start somewhere,
starting with just cycling to work
or cycling places is a good start.
And every little bit counts.
- Ami: Big changes have to start somewhere,
and it's often one person
who causes a chain reaction for those around them.
Andy saw an issue at his school and realized
he had the knowledge and the power to fix it, so he did.
Thanks to him, there are now
even more students biking to school
and lowering their school community's carbon footprint.
A carbon footprint refers to the amount of carbon dioxide
released into the atmosphere by a specific person or entity.
A carbon footprint can be calculated
for individuals, businesses, schools,
communities, states, or even entire countries.
Some of the biggest contributors to a carbon footprint
include electricity, heating and cooling our homes,
and food waste.
But by far, the biggest factor is our transportation habits.
So, one of the most effective ways to lower a carbon footprint
is to choose more sustainable transportation methods
that release little or no CO2
into the atmosphere, like riding your bike.
Let's take a look at how a similar club
at Omro Middle School grew into a community-wide program,
all thanks to one person who saw a need and filled it.
- Joe Horvath: It's amazing the number of bikes here
that came out of a dump
and people just get rid of 'em, and that's to our benefit.
I never turn down bikes
'cause you never know what you're gonna find.
They know in the community now, rather than throw 'em out,
they'll just come and drop 'em off.
So, people know that bikes aren't gonna go to waste.
- It's very interesting to me
that such a small and rural community
would be so excited about bikes, when often I think of, like,
bike transportation and stuff as being something really urban.
- Right.
We became more involved in biking
through the Safe Routes to School initiative.
We developed safe routes from all corners
of the community to bike and walk to school.
- Why do you think biking is important?
- Elizabeth Schubert: 'Cause it helps to stop air pollution
and so then we don't use up all our natural resources
like gas and oil in the Earth.
'Cause once we run out, we're out.
- Maddie Fisher: Bikes, they're not like cars.
They don't pollute the environment.
If, say, one person rode a bike instead of taking a car,
every day, that's one less car emitting fumes.
- So, one bike at a time. - One bike at a time.
- I want the kids to know there's things that they can do,
like ride your bike to school.
We're trying to build a culture.
We need people that care.
And you may not realize you have a skill you can pass on
that's valuable, and especially if it has anything to do
with the changes
that our environment is going through.
And you just pass it on to one kid at a time.
And that will just blow up. - One thing, one kid,
one community. - Right.
- Ami: These clubs or community groups
are an effective form of advocacy
that empowers others and encourages communities
to build infrastructure to support sustainable habits.
Another great option is to utilize public transportation
and carpooling.
If some of these options don't exist in your community,
become an advocate for them.
It's easy to feel like our actions have little impact
on the big picture, but it's individuals
who get the wheels of change turning.
So, what sustainable means of transportation
are you already using in your life?
And which ones are you going to add?
Together, we can shift gears
towards a more sustainable future.
[cheers] I'm gonna get there so fast!
This is as fast as I can go!
[group cheers]
Wait, you guys, it has no brakes!
[group laughs]