[Pollinator] White House Announces Presidential Memorandum for Pollinators

[Tom Van Arsdall]

MEDIA RELEASEPollinator_notag

June 20, 2014

For Immediate Release

              Tom Van Arsdall  TVA at pollinator.org 703.509.4746

 
Laurie Davies Adams LDA at pollinator.org 415.362.1137

 


Pollinator Week 2014 Culminates in Presidential Memorandum

Leaders across the Nation Mobilize for Pollinators

 

The White House today announced the first comprehensive pollinator
initiative ever created across the federal government.  This morning
President Barrack Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum to bring federal
actions to the pollinator issue that will provide increased collaboration,
solid science, practical management, and essential research goals. The
Presidential Memorandum works within existing budgets, and through
coordinated efforts has the potential to increase efficiencies and
effectiveness. The Pollinator Partnership acted as a resource to the White
House for many months as the White House Executive Office brought
stakeholders together and canvassed federal departments and agencies. Among
the directives in the memorandum are actions increasing forage on federal
lands, assessing the effects of pesticides including neonicotinoids,
including native seeds in post-fire restoration, landscaping federal
facilities for pollinators, educating the public about pollinators, and
more. All details are at http://pollinator.org/PR_whitehouse.htm.

 

For the Pollinator Partnership, the memorandum is the result of a nearly
20-year campaign to increase awareness and action for pollinators and marks
a new dawn of wise land management across the country. The Presidential
Memorandum is a first for comprehensive terrestrial conservation and for
pollinators – it demonstrates real leadership on the part of the President
and his science team.  Importantly, President Obama is joined in supporting
pollinators by the bi-partisan list of 45 governors who have signed
proclamations for National Pollinator Week supported by millions of
constituents across the country who care about this issue. Pollinator
Partnership’s Executive Director, Laurie Davies Adams, noted “This
Presidential action shows visionary leadership and offers practical measures
that will help pollinators now; it is a triumph for people, plants and
pollinators.” 

 

Details about the Presidential Memorandum are being shared today at a
Pollinator Briefing in Washington, DC organized by the Pollinator
Partnership in collaboration with the Congressional Pollinator Protection
Caucus (CP2C) headed by of Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) and Rep. Jeff Denham
(R-CA), co-chairs of CP2C.  The briefing (3 PM, 1310 Longworth House Office
Building) features Dr. Anne Kinsinger, US Geological Survey, Earl Stewart,
U.S. Forest Service and Laurie Davies Adams, discussing the Presidential
Memorandum and public-private efforts to support pollinators.  Adams
introduced the newly-formed Business for Bees, a collaboration to support
pollinators that brings “business know-how” to cooperative conservation and
includes Toyota North America, the Boeing Company, General Mills, Greif,
Burt’s Bees, among others.  See http://pollinator.org/bizforbees.htm for
details.

 

Also discussed at the briefing will be the Highways BEE Act
(www.pollinator.org/BEEAct.htm), introduced by Reps. Denham and Hastings
will be discussed. The briefing will connect hundreds of Congressional staff
members and help them understand and recognize the importance of pollinators
to our world.  They will hear first-hand about the efforts that the federal
government has planned. 

 

There will be an informational break following the Congressional Briefing
featuring Burt’s Bees Lip Balm and Häagen Dazs ice cream – perfect
pollinated products to cap Pollinator Week in the Capitol, where the
nation’s leaders are responding to the needs of pollinators with
comprehensive and meaningful actions. 

 

Pollinator Week has grown exponentially in scope each year since its
inception in 2007.  This year, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack,
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, and 45 governors designated
June 16-22 through proclamations—the most ever—as a week to celebrate and
protect the nation’s pollinating animals.  A complete list and scanned
versions of the proclamations are available at
http://pollinator.org/npw_events.htm).  “It is really satisfying to see how
many individuals in every state got involved in this project,” commented
Kelly Rourke of the Pollinator Partnership, who coordinated the campaign to
engage states.  

 

Pollinators, like bees, butterflies, birds and other animals, bring us one
in every three bites of food and maintain our environment. Pollinators are
responsible for about $16 billion in U.S. agricultural production and
world-wide human food production at $190 billion. Pollinators form the
underpinning of a healthy and sustainable future for food and the
environment, but have shown disturbing signs of decline.  

 

Efforts during Pollinator Week, and indeed year-round, are working to
reverse and prevent pollinator declines.  Sunny Boyd, of the Pollinator
Partnership remarked “Our steady drumbeat through the years has brought
understanding and commitment across the country on a local as well as a
national level. Pollinator Week helps to increase the discussion of all the
issues, from community beekeeping regulations to the elimination of the
impacts of pesticides on pollinators.”  

 

###

 

ABOUT THE POLLINATOR PARTNERSHIP (P2) 

Established in 1997, the Pollinator Partnership is the largest 501(c) 3
non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to the health, protection, and
conservation of all pollinating animals. Pollinator Partnership’s actions
for pollinators include education, conservation, restoration, policy, and
research.  P2’s financial support comes through grants, gifts, memberships
and donations from any interested party.  Its policies are science-based,
set by its board of directors, and never influenced by any donor.  To make a
donation, or for information on events during Pollinator Week, visit
www.pollinator.org.   

 

R. Thomas (Tom) Van Arsdall, Director of Public Affairs

   Pollinator Partnership <http://www.pollinator.org/> 

   Cell:  (703) 509-4746

   tva at pollinator.org

 



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