Honeybees and wild bees pollinate billions of dollars of crops in the United States each year. More than one-third of all plants or plant products consumed by humans are dependent in some way, shape or form on insects for pollination. Many plants such as almond, apple, blueberry, sunflower, clover, and canola cannot reproduce without their help.

Why are we talking about this? Bees and other pollinators are under attack from a variety of sources, ranging from habitat loss to pesticides to climate change. The Whitehouse released a fact sheet on the decline of pollinators in 2014 that stated that the number of managed honeybee colonies in the United States has declined steadily over the past 60 years, from six million colonies (beehives) in 1947 to four million in 1970, three million in 1990, and just 2.5 million in 2014. Today, pollinators are getting a lot of attention due to these alarming declines and the contribution pollinators have on our economy.

What can you do to help bring back our pollinators? You can choose to implement one or many of these practices that enhance the pollinator landscape.

• Create new habitat that supports a healthy and diverse population for insect pollinators.
• Choose plants that pollinators love such as wild geraniums, wild lupine, slender mountain mint, ironweed, oregano, sunflowers, New England aster and many more.
• Improve your existing landscape by leaving pollinator-attractive plants such as dandelions and clover in lawns for early-season blooms that are full of pollen and nectar. Accept some insect damage on plants and when choosing to use pesticide and insecticide, choose a product that won’t be harmful to bees.
• Create partnerships and spread the word. Educate children on the wonders of bees and how to respect their role in the growth cycle. By accentuating the positives, you can take the fear of bees and replace it with respect and understanding.

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So what are we to think? Is it going to be flood or drought?

The historical records point to the trend in the Red River basin and surrounding areas to fluctuate between flooding and drought.

A variety of records dating back into the 1800s indicate that few decades have escaped flooding. Even after the exceptionally dry 1930s, floods occurred again in the 1940s.

Subsequent floods, including that of 1950, which forced evacuation of 100,000 people in Winnipeg, resulted in the Red River basin being singled out by the U.S. Congress in 1957 as a serious problem that needed remedy. Recent history has documented the problem of flooding in the basin as even more serious than formerly thought.

But floods were not the only problem. Historical records also point to periodic drought. A study commissioned by the Red River Basin Commission in 2009 identifies 11 significant drought events occurring in the Red River basin since 1897. No decade has escaped drought conditions.

The study found a duration of most basin droughts of just one to two years. Droughts lasting longer than 24 months occurred in 1909-11, 1950-57, 1960-65, 1974-79, 1979-82, 1987-92, and, of course, in the exceptional stretch from 1929-42.

Long-range predictions

Long-range predictions point to an intensifying of severe weather occurrences, whether flood or drought. The overall warming of the climate, as scientists point out, makes for more intense heat waves and resulting droughts. But, in addition, a warmed climate means precipitation tends to occur as thunderstorms in small areas rather than as region-wide rains. With more precipitation falling on smaller areas, floods can result. Recent incidents in Minot, N.D., and Duluth, Minn., have come too close for comfort.

As Mark Seeley, an expert on Minnesota climate issues, concludes, the pattern of bigger storms is already happening, and more change is expected in the next 50 years, particularly for northern latitudes.

So, what are we to expect here in the Red River basin — flood or drought? Whether looking at past record or looking ahead, the answer seems to be a certain, and even intensified, “Both!”

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