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Central Standard

Precariousness For Pollinators: Monarch Butterflies & Honeybees In Decline

Catherine L. Sherman and Monarch Watch

Insect ecologist Chip Taylor is a friend to both the monarch butterfly and the honeybee. He's been tracking monarchs and restoring their habitats since 1992. And he's worked with bees in French Guiana, Venezuela and Mexico.

In the first half of the program, Professor Taylor tells us about the monarch migration to Mexico every winter, helping us understand why it's one of nature's great spectacles and explaining why dwindling numbers of over-wintering monarchs has scientists concerned. So concerned, in fact, that they recently wrote a letterurging the White House to take action in reversing the trend.

In the second half of the show, he explains the role of honeybees in the food supply at large, and offers advice to amateur beekeepers. 

Guest:

  • Chip Taylor, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Kansas and founding director, Monarch Watch
People don't make cameos in news stories; the human story is the story, with characters affected by news events, not defined by them. As a columnist and podcaster, I want to acknowledge what it feels like to live through this time in Kansas City, one vantage point at a time. Together, these weekly vignettes form a collage of daily life in Kansas City as it changes in some ways, and stubbornly resists change in others. You can follow me on Twitter @GinaKCUR or email me at gina@kcur.org.
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Every part of the present has been shaped by actions that took place in the past, but too often that context is left out. As a podcast producer for KCUR Studios and host of the podcast A People’s History of Kansas City, I aim to provide context, clarity, empathy and deeper, nuanced perspectives on how the events and people in the past have shaped our community today.

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