Patagonia and other outdoor companies pull ads from Facebook and Instagram
Patagonia is the latest outdoor company to take a stand against the spread of hate-inciting content on Facebook and Instagram, the company says. The move comes after other outdoor companies like The North Face and REI pulled their ads from Facebook following encouragement from the civil rights campaign Stop Hate for Profit.
Patagonia will pull ads through at least the end of July, saying that Facebook is “complicit in spreading disinformation and fomenting fear and hatred.” Last year, Patagonia spent nearly $1 million on Facebook ads.
Forest Service plans prescribed burns in Uwharrie National Forest
Six prescribed burn days are planned for North Carolina’s Uwharrie National Forest over the next few weeks, the forest service said in a news release. The objectives of the fires are to reduce fuels in areas where homes and structures are at risk in the event of a wildfire—and to restore longleaf pine ecosystems.
Burn days will depend on weather conditions. Wind and relative humidity are key factors in fire behavior, safety and smoke control, the agency said, and burn days will only occur when environmental conditions permit.
After a bad year, things are looking up for honeybees
An annual survey of thousands of beekeepers has found that American honeybee colonies are recovering after a bad year. From October 1 to March 31, beekeepers reported a loss of 22.2% of their colonies over the winter, lower than the average of 28.6%. During the winter of 2018-2019, beekeepers reported that 37.% of their colonies died.
Honeybees are threatened by mites, diseases, pesticides and loss of food, the Los Angeles Times reports. Winter colony losses are “really the test of colony health,” said Nathalie Steinhauer, scientific coordinator of bee partnership, so the low losses this winter means good news for bees.
