Bumblebees are important, and they're in danger. Pesticides and habitat destruction are threatening the survival of the native bumblebee, and if they die out we will suffer massive consequences in food production and wildlife. But some people are working to make sure that the workers can keep on buzzing.

"Native Pollinators: The Bumblebee" is a short film created by Joe Maurer to draw attention to the plight of the bumblebee in the Midwest. The film also appears in "Prairie Enthusiasm! Protecting Our Natural Heritage", a feature length documentary also directed by Maurer.

"Our native Bumble bees are super cool, under-appreciated little flying rockstars," says Maurer. "We need more awareness of our native pollinators. They are really interesting to learn about! The buzz about (non-native) honeybees is great but we need to be more critical about the use of pesticides in agriculture relative to native bees. Unfortunately in places in China, they've noticed the absence of native pollinators and it's already too late. They've nearly wiped them all out. We also need more garden cities. Eau Claire could be like that. A city of pollinators."

"Native Pollinators" was created by Maurer, with ecology help from Mark Leach and Reena Bowman (UW-Stout), local artists Lori Chilefone and Jyl Kelly, and music by Deirdre Jenkins, Lucas Stangl, and Eric "Pedals" Thompson.