1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I strongly urge you to restore funding to continue the USGS Bee Lab operations. Bees have high value as they are key pollinators to our crops in US. The recent years have seen bee population declines, and the Bee Lab is important to monitor the populations and study impacts of native bees. Native bees are more efficient in pollinating certain crops and CAN'T be replaced by generic honeybees. The USGS Bee Lab is at risk of being permanently closed due to cuts in the 2026 Federal Budget. Specifically, the Ecosystem Mission Area (EMA) budget, which funds the USGS Bee Lab and the Eastern Ecological Science center has been zeroed out. The budget required to operate is relatively small to the impact it has on our economy and environment. I strongly urge the Congress to restore the budget for USGS Bee Lab.