<html>
<body>
<img src="cid:.0" width=672 height=144 alt="[]"><br><br>
Hello all,<br><br>
This is a reminder to please call or write your Senator, encouraging her
or him to cosponsor Senator Barbara Boxer's (CA) <b>Pollinator Protection
Act of 2007 </b>(attached). Senator Boxer will be introducing the
<b>Pollinator Protection Act </b>on <b>Tuesday, June 26.
</b>Therefore, your Senator needs to hear from you by <b>Monday, June
25th</b>.<br><br>
This exciting bill not only addresses Colony Collapse Disorder in honey
bees, but also the decline of native pollinators in North America. This
bill will enhance funding for research on the parasites, pathogens,
toxins, and other environmental factors that affect honey bees and native
bees. It supports research into the biology of native bees and their role
in crop pollination, diversifying the pollinators upon which agriculture
relies. <br><br>
The <b>Pollinator Protection Research Act</b> provides for:
<ul>
<li>$25.25 million to the Agriculture Research Service over five years
for research, personnel, and facility improvements regarding honey bee
and native bee biology, causes/solutions for CCD, and bee toxicology,
pathology, and physiology.
<li>$50 million to the Cooperative State Research, Education, and
Extension Service over five years to fund research grants to investigate
honey bee and native bee biology, immunology, ecology, genomics,
bioinformatics, parasites, pathogens, sublethal effects of insecticides,
herbicides, and fungicides, native bee crop pollination and habitat
conservation, and effects of genetically modified crops.
<li>$11.25 million to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service over
five years to conduct a nationwide honey bee pest and pathogen
surveillance program.
<li>Annual reporting to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
of the Senate on the status and progress of bee research projects.
</ul>Please contact your Senator and urge them consider cosponsoring the
<b>Pollinator Protection Act of 2007 </b>to provide for research funding
into honey bee and native bee declines and role of native bees in crop
pollination.<br><br>
Current cosponsors include: Casey (PA), Thune (SD), Clinton (NY), Bill
Nelson (FL), Menendez (NJ), Durbin (IL), Brown (OH), and Kerry (MA).
<br><br>
To find contact information for your senator go to:
<a href="http://www.senate.gov/index.htm">www.senate.gov/index.htm</a>
. <br>
<br>
<b>For additional information on the Farm Bill and its conservation
programs or research into the effectiveness of native bees for crop
pollination </b>please contact Scott Hoffman Black: 503-449-3792
<a href="mailto:sblack@xerces.org">sblack@xerces.org</a> or Mace Vaughan:
503-753-6000
<a href="mailto:mace@xerces.org">mace@xerces.org</a><br><br>
<br>
Sincerely,<br>
Mace Vaughan<br>
Conservation Director<br>
<br>
Scott Black<br>
Executive Director</body>
</html>