On Tuesday the Fish and Game Commission unanimously voted to pursue an appeal of a recent court decision blocking the state from protecting native bumblebees as endangered species.
In 2019 the commission had charged the Department of Fish and Wildlife with pursuing a review process for listing four bumblebee species under protections designed for threatened fish.
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At the commission meeting, the California Farm Bureau’s Sunshine Saldivar urged “collaboration and stakeholder engagement” with the farming community, environmental groups and the state. Saldivar argued this is much more likely to meet the conservation needs than the California Endangered Species Act would.
The commission will further discuss the issue at its February meeting.
