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They're coming for the Birds and the Bees (act today!) [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-05-22

The FY 2026 budget for the the Eastern Ecological Science Center (EESC; formerly called the Patuxent Research Center) is set to be cut to exactly $0.00. This organization oversees the Bird Banding Lab (which has been operating since 1923), the Breeding Bird Survey (created in 1966, in the wake of “Silent Spring”) and the USGS Bee Lab. This will be an unbelievable loss of long-term data. Please write to your representative and senators to ask them to oppose this.

Short messages are the best — they just need to hear “Stop this from happening”. Use your own words — cut and paste messages are not given as much weight. COMMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER FRIDAY MAY 23.

Congress has to approve these budget cuts, so the most effective action you can take is to contact your elected representative and urge them to oppose the cuts. Here is how to locate and contact your representatives:

• Representatives: Find Your Representative | house.gov

• Senators: U.S. Senate: Contacting U.S. Senators



You will have to click through to the actual page to send an email. Or you can phone or visit your representative’s office. Here are some points to make in your message:

· EESC is unique in the scope of the data it provides on the birds and bees of the US

· This data is essential for the conservation of our birds and native bees. Farmers need bees; there is no AI substitute for pollinators.

· If EESC is defunded, it cannot be easily reconstituted (loss of institutional memory, former staff moving on, etc)

· Watching birds is a rapidly growing hobby which contributes billions of dollars to the US economy annually. Both red and blue appreciate birds. (If you’re in a red area, you could mention duck hunting and the fact that banding and breeding bird surveys help keep duck populations healthy)

More background:

The EESC, which is part of the US Geological Service (USGS), performs many services for our nation. Here, very briefly, are three major components of the EESC and what they do.



i). The longest-standing program within EESC is the Bird Banding Lab, which was founded in 1923. The BBL collects, archives, analyzes and shares data on bird migration across North America. It has identified migration routes, stop over points and wintering grounds of many bird species to allow their conservation. BBL data was crucial in identifying the decline in species such as the peregrine falcon due to the widespread use of DDT.



ii). The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) was initiated in 1966 in response to widespread declines in bird population throughout North America. The BBS monitors, analyzes and shares data on bird populations across the US and Canada, with a major goal being to keep common birds common. This data revealed that many bird populations were in significant decline.

See https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2025/3011/fs20253011_print.pdf for a handy summary of the two programs.



iii). To complement research on domestic honeybees by the USDA, the USGS Bee Lab’s focus is the study, identification and monitoring of native bees throughout the US (and Canada). It is only recently that we have become aware of the great ecological importance of this little-known group of pollinators, including for the nation’s food supply. Most native bees depend on only one or a few related plants for their food.

See https://www.usgs.gov/centers/eesc/science/usgs-bee-lab-eastern-ecological-science-center for a nice summary.



The loss of the uniquely skilled and experienced staff would mean the EESC could not easily be reconstituted once they have lost their current jobs. Thus, this budget cut will result in permanent harm to the Center and make reconstituting it very difficult.



Most of the info above came from a call to action from Keith Gress from the Maryland Ornithological Society. I’ll add my own plea as a long-time bird bander: The loss of these long-term monitoring programs would be disastrous. I know some of the biologists who will be affected — they are long term, dedicated professionals and the potential loss of institutional knowledge is incomprehensible. I love banding for many reasons (not gonna lie, it’s very cool to experience the birds up close), but chief among them is the ability add to this incredible body of knowledge. The wanton destruction of research is appalling.

Please speak up by Friday, May 23

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