My husband and I enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather this week at one of our favorite places, Stratford Ecological Center. It was heartening to see the children, parents and grandparents in tow, racing through the barns and listening to guides explain the buckets on the sugar maples.

Director and resident farmer, Jeff Dickinson was on hand, sharing the latest news from goats to bees. There are new kid goats and bees waking up early. The bees, reacting to the spring like temperatures are looking for the food that isn’t there yet, so need to be fed. Lucky bees, guessing their wild cousins aren’t so lucky.

Being all too familiar with the plight of bees I wondered how much more stress they can take before they are gone and we are the ones in search of food.

The maple syrup is being affected too, the warmer nights impacting the sap for a much shorter season and yield. And then there is the early and protracted pollen season, insects, more intense rain and wind, soil erosion and degradation of soil health.

How many more unintended consequences are happening and will continue to happen because of the warming climate?

The Wall Street Journal recently published, “A Conservative Answer to Climate Change” (2/7/17) by the Climate Leadership Council. This proposal by prominent conservative leaders proposes a revenue neutral carbon fee and dividend that would create a gradually increasing carbon tax and return the proceeds as dividends to the American people.

Why not give this a try?

Let’s contact our lawmakers and let them know that we want them to act now to protect our bees and trees and world.

— Sheila Fox

Delaware