Watching The Clock

 An authentic Spring Break

Three years and some change ago, I made a pact with my dear friend, that if they navigated their way through what was ahead, we would get our very first  tattoos together. Now this friend happens to be one of the toughest softies that I have had the pleasure and displeasure of going up against. Not a bit of this is from my imagination and the proof of it all is that I have had numerous outsiders ask me why we were such good friends when we agreed on practically nothing. "The plain truth of the matter is," as I always answer,  "I love her because she cares."

And so I gave my friend a little more warning than I probably should have, that I was holding them to our pact. We have a history of making plans that we cancel; but this time must be different. With Spring Break approaching I made mention of the pact while at work and watching the clock. And just like that two more friends agreed to help make it happen.

This is how it came about that I am sitting here at the keyboard tonight, the last night of fast cars and freedom if you will, with a black and yellow bumble bee on my right forearm and a nasty case of poison something or other on the other. For I've experienced what my oldest daughter proclaimed as, "the authentic spring break experience" 

"I do a lot of bees; but I've never done one like this. Your bee is shaped differently." I explained to the artist that while the European honey bee is a popular bee, the bee I chose is a bumble bee. Bumble bees are native to VT. Of course being on the spot and famously being bad with recalling numbers...well for the purposes of this essay, lets just cite the experts.

"The species that have disappeared in Vermont are: Rusty patched bumble bee, Ashton's cuckoo bumble bee, Black-and gold bumble bee and Fernald's cuckoo bumble bee. Researchers found that four other bee species showed "significant" declines in population." (2018) Kent McFarland, Conservation Biologist*

I saw my first big beautiful fuzzy bumble bee this week while eating lunch in the backyard and I got so excited! Does that seem like a strange thing?

When I was a kid, we learned that before we were adults we would lose species of elephants, whales, rhinoceros, and tigers, That was petty devastating for Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom's biggest fan! 50 years ago nobody I knew was thinking about the decline in diversity of native bees in Vermont. Yet in 50 years the world has lost two thirds of its wildlife.**

 In 1986 Wayne and I were stationed in Florida and took the opportunity to travel to Discovery Island at Disney World. By happenstance we viewed the last Dusky Seaside Sparrow living in a cage there. He lived his last days in captivity  as part of a  failed attempt to preserve his genetics through a crossbreeding  program.  The now extinct sparrow, is today an iconic symbol of  the importance of fidelity to habitat conservation. 

Perhaps seeing that small lonely bird formed in me the idea that I was sick and tired of hearing about success stories.  I spent years in Colorado hoping to see my first wild bald eagle. I was hoping that somehow Rachel Carson's Silent Spring was a work of fiction. The science said differently however. We had taken our toll and we needed a rescue of epic proportions. 

Nine years ago I was amazed to see California Condors on the rim of the Grand Canyon. Each condor was wearing identification jewelry declaring its story of peril and then rescue.  Yes, I'm tired of celebrating saving wildlife from the brink. Why do we wait until it's almost too late before we prioritize the survival of wildlife and the systems that support them?

I'm just watching the clock here in Vernon, VT and talking with my friends about the bees. - Norma Manning

Resources:

* Half of Vermont bumble species gone or in peril study shows

**The World Lost Two-thirds of it's Wildlife in 50 Years, We Are to Blame