In the 2012 President's Budget Request, the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) is terminated. As a result, all resources, databases, tools, and applications within this web site will be removed on January 15, 2012. For more information, please refer to the NBII Program Termination page.
Rights-Of-Way Could Provide Habitat on Millions of Acres
Utility rights-of-way (ROW) account for five million acres of land in the United States. Utility companies are responsible for managing and maintaining these ROW and ensuring that vegetation in or near the ROW does not damage powerlines, resulting in power outages and public safety concerns. Historically, ROW have been managed by periodic mowing, pruning and removing vegetation, and herbicidal application. However, current research suggests that, when managed appropriately, these ROW provide important wildlife and pollinator habitat. For example, two studies found that bee species richness on ROW was very high and found several rare species in the ROW (David Wagner, 2008; Russell, K. N. et al., 2005). The Wildlife Habitat Council, in conjunction with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, has developed integrated vegetation management practices that can benefit both wildlife and pollinators - by increasing habitat diversity, acting as wildlife travel lanes, and increasing early successional habitat availability - and the corporations managing them.
One of the threats to pollinators is the loss of nectar corridors. Many pollinators migrate thousands of kilometers to overwintering grounds. In order for pollinators to survive these long migrations, there must be adequate food for them over the distance of the migration at "stopover points." Nectar corridors are essentially migratory corridors that contain certain flowering plants at stopover points. To learn more about nectar corridors read "Nectar Trails of Migratory Pollinators: Restoring Corridors on Private Lands" (Gary Paul Nabhan In: Conservation in Practice 2(1), Winter 2001).
Habitat Loss Causing Declines in Pollinator Populations
When agricultural fields are used for single crop farming. Once the crop is harvested, there is less food available for pollinators. Photo Jack Dykinga, USDA ARS.
An undisturbed environment often has the elements necessary for pollinators to thrive - food, shelter, water, and habitat. However, land development, logging, agricultural and grazing practices, among others, have led to loss and fragmentation of pollinator habitat. Habitat loss and fragmentation can be very costly to pollinators. Many pollinators migrate long distances and require food and habitat the length of their migration. Loss of stopover points due to habitat loss, or an increased distance between stopover points due to habitat fragmentation, can be detrimental to both nesting requirements and food sources.
Current agricultural practices, specifically single crop farming, makes for very poor pollinator habitat. Single crop farming has eliminated the use of fencing between crops, and as a side effect has eliminated buffer strips between crops that once provided quality pollinator habitat. Additionally, once the growing season for the single crop is over, there are no food resources available for pollinators. Irrigation systems have also been seen to have a negative effect on bees that burrow or nest underground (Reference: Nature's Partners: Pollinators, Plants, and You, The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign).
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