TOUCHET — A small bee might be a big issue in U.S. Highway 12’s future.

Alfalfa seed growers who depend on alkali bees to pollinate their crops are worried that the new route for the highway will threaten the bees’ survivability and, in turn, one of the area’s most valuable commodities.

Growers voiced their concerns to Washington state Department of Transportation officials Wednesday night during an open house on the environmental assessment of the project held at Touchet School.

Among the growers’ main concerns are how the new highway right of way will impact existing bee nests in beds of alkali soil and the toll traffic on the highway will have on bee populations as the insects fly out to pollinate plants.

But at Wednesday’s meeting, WSDOT Environmental Manager Jason Smith stressed that project officials are anxious to talk with growers to find ways to mitigate any impacts on the bees as part of the assessment process.