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A currently unknown arsonist killed half a million bees in the Brazoria County Beekeepers Association Bee yard in Angleton (Southeast Texas). Numerous hives were burnt and thrown about the bee yard as well as into a nearby river. The fires were quickly extinguished but the Brazoria County Police were unable to locate or name any suspects. Other than the direct concerns about the presence of arsonists, the killing of such a large bee population poses environmental concerns, as the surrounding wildlife is dependent on the bees. The BCBA Bee Yard is currently accepting donations in aiding their restorative efforts, but the bee population will take a significant amount of time to reach their state prior to the arson.
Questions:
1. Should state governments enforce laws specifically made for preventing the damaging of places such as the BCBA?
2. What distinguishes acts like these from being mistaken for vandalism?
3. Should the government take a more active role in protecting insect populations and preserving the environment?
I think that this an incredibly tragic event and something serious should be done about it. Without bees, we would not have any food. The environmental protection agencies in the United States should have full authority to protect bees and restore populations lost because they are incredibly important to insuring national security of food supply.
ReplyDeleteOf course the government should take a more active role in protecting insect populations and preserving the environment, however, the government rarely prioritizes such concerns. Society will suffer without the bee population, but once that suffering starts, it will already be too late. This act should be investigated thoroughly and the criminal should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law to prevent future instances such as these. State governments need to enforce laws specifically made for preventing the damaging of places such as the BCBA because it they don't, people will continue being destructive without punishment. I do not think enough people are educated on the consequences of losing the bee population, so more information should be spread on this topic so people care and pay attention.
ReplyDeleteI think the government should be enforcing laws to prevent damage of places like BCBA. This act should 100% be considered vandalism if not worse. Bees are incredibly important to our ecosystem and destroying such a large population should be punished. Preserving our ecosystem is important if we would want Earth to continue to be inhabitable.
ReplyDeleteI think the government should take a more active role in protecting the insect population to prevent damages to places like BCBA. This isn't vandalism because this person had the direct goal to kill these insects. Laws should undoubtedly be created to better protect the insect population from people like this.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the government should make more rules regarding the safety of areas such as these. It should be common sense that people are not suppose to burn bees. Rules would not have stopped the unknown arsonist. The only solution is tighter security via surveillance cameras and 24 hour watch. Even heat sensing technology could be incorporated to the hives with an alert system attached in order to call for aid and resources. I propose that Texas sets up a new hive out in the open with a lot of bees and make sure to advertise it so everyone knows about it. This will serve as the bait for the slayer of bees and will most likely be more effective for catching the culprit than running around. Vandalism is when no living beings are harmed, but here living being were harmed therefor it is not vandalism but rather slaughter. The government needs to employ their best people and most advanced technology to protect endangered species.
ReplyDeleteWhile further regulations and protections can not protect insects from arson, there should be a push for placing more environmentally important locations under protection. Insects are dying at record rates, and if their populations fall below a certain threshold, every single organism will suffer the consequences. There should be more done in order to prevent this from happening. However, it can be difficult to pass such legislation because there are interest groups concerned that placing more wild land under government protection will cause a decrease in lumber and related jobs. While these concerns are valid, the short term well being of a few individuals should not be valued over the well being of all humans, across many generations. In order to address these issues, it could be a good idea for the government to provide aid for all individuals losing their jobs because of increased environmental protection. While the costs for doing so may seem discouraging for potential voters, in the long term, the investment will be returned several fold as biodiversity plays a great role in the global economy.
ReplyDeleteTo answer the first question, I think that it is very important that they make laws that prevents damages to places like the BCBA, but I think that it will be difficult to do. They should take quick action so that more do not get harmed. This act seems to be more than an act of vandalism. The government should take more aggressive actions to help save the bee's, because they are an essential part of human resources. Bee production is incredibly important for our food production, like fruits.
ReplyDeleteI think that terrible acts of vandalism/arson against the bee population is an example of how the government needs to do more in conserving the wildlife and biodiversity of this country. Although the system in place for classifying animals based on their population has helped in raising awareness for species on the brink of extinction, the government can do a lot more. There must be greater punishments for those who attempt to depopulate endangered species.
ReplyDeleteAs bees are dying off at incredible rates, the government must take some action to prevent the bees from dying that way. This act is a form of vandalism and the insect ecosystem is suffering from this. Environmental acts should be put in place to prevent such incidents from happening again and to punish those who do such acts
ReplyDeleteFirst, the government should implement their powers granted by the commerce clause in order to state that the damaging of economically beneficial areas is illegal. Therefore, in doing so, both animals and those who "grow" them will be protected by the law. Nevertheless, this act was trespassing and would be considered a felony anyways, so maybe no law is necessary but rather a stricter enforcement of the laws is necessary. This is not mistaken for vandalism because nothing obscene was left behind as evidence and only the destruction of habitats occurred, so it may not be vandalism but rather unwarranted trespassing which is also illegal. Finally, the government should take a higher role in protecting insects and the environment because insects provide a balance in the food chain and the environment must stay balanced because humans still share and live in it, so if the environment is unprotected, so are humans.
ReplyDeleteThe government has enough power granted to them by the Constitution to be able to protect such areas from danger and potential damage, so therefore they should be able to declare that they will be taking some sort of action in order to prevent the bees from dying off. By doing this, they should enforce laws that make damaging the area illegal and protect the animals and plants that grow in these areas.
ReplyDeleteMuch like heated debates concerning pollution and endangered species, acts such as these should be considered important to address in order to protect our environment. As stated in comments above, bees play a vital role in pollination which provides us with necessary crops, besides simply the honey they directly provide for our markets. The state governments at the least should therefor enforce regulations to aid non-profit organization such as the Brazoria County Beekeepers Association that may not have the necessary funds to protect themselves from acts such as these. Such regulations would benefit our society both from an economical perspective in regards to the goods bees provide and contribute to, as well as our overall value for environmental protection and ecosystem preservation.
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