Paulita David passed on a website devoted to "The Great Sunflower Project." The project's goal is to track pollinators in the hopes of understanding their economic impact. You see, conservationists want to be able to make conservation arguments in economic terms as well. That's great.
Paulita's email reminded me of the sudden bee extinctions going on in some parts of the U.S. How do I know this? Because I read a really cool New Yorker article on it last year. It's titled Stung and was written by Elizabeth Kolbert. Experts have a couple hypotheses, ranging from global warming to diseases, but one thing is for sure, the bee population in the U.S. is shrinking very quickly. The article is a great read, as is almost all of Kolbert's global warming coverage in the New Yorker.
While you read that article, listen to these songs:
Blind Melon - No Rain
Wilco - Muzzle Of Bees