Threatened, Endangered Species Playing Role in Project Planning
Rusty patched bumble bees, part of a group of native pollinators with an economic value of $3 billion per year in the United States, are declining in number. Rusty Patched Bumble Bee
(Bombus affinis), according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Endangered Species. Historically,
the species inhabited 28 states throughout the eastern United States and the upper Midwest, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Due to habitat loss, intensive farming, disease, pesticides, and global climate change, the decline in the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee has been so severe that in 2017, the bee was listed as endangered by the federal government. As with a number of other federally and state listed threatened and endangered species, individuals interested in real estate development or other projects should take note because protecting these species will become increasingly more important in the land development permitting process.
