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<P align=center><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular"
size=4><B>Pollinator Week June 22-28 <BR>proclaimed by Gov. Ruth Ann
Minner</B></FONT></FONT></P></TD></TR>
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<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>Gov. Ruth Ann
Minner has proclaimed the week of June 22 - 28 as Pollinator Week in
Delaware. In a statement, Minner said, “Our bees, butterflies, birds
and other pollinators are essential to our food supply and to
maintaining our environmental quality. I hope that everyone will
become more aware of the importance of pollinators and help protect
them and their habitats.”<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>Michael
Scuse, secretary of agriculture and the Plant Industries staff of
the Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA), invite the public to
celebrate Pollinator Week at the Delaware Department of Agriculture,
2320 S. Dupont Highway, by visiting DDA’s pollinator garden on Open
Garden Day Thursday, June 26. The Open Garden Day
schedule is as follows:<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>• 10:30 -
11:15 a.m.- Pollinator Garden Tour and dedication; ribbon cutting by
agriculture secretary; the unveiling of future Livable Landscape
design for DDA; and a monarch butterfly release.<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>• 11:15 a.m.
to 12:30 p.m. Bees, Flowers & Butterflies, including The ways of
honey bees - Delaware Beekeepers Association; Sunflowers - Dr. Susan
Yost, Delaware State University; Farming for Native Bees - Heather
Harmon, DDA Plant Industries Section; Delaware’s butterflies -
Ashley Ward, DDA Forest Service; Honey tasting and the mysteries of
mead - John Talkington, mead maker.<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>• 12:30 -
1:30 p.m.- Laboratory Tours - DDA’s Seed Inspection and
Certification - Dick Goerger, seed lab supervisor, Plant Industries
Section; Test your seed IQ! State Insect Survey Lab - Jim Kroon,
Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey, Plant Industries
Section.<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>Refreshments
will be served, including Delaware strawberries and blueberries
donated by Fifer Orchards, Magee Farms and Blueberry Lane
Farm.<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>Pollinators
are among the hardest-working creatures on earth. Most of the
200,000 species that act as pollinators are insects, and bees are
the premier pollinators. These creatures transfer pollen grains from
flower to flower of the same species so the plants can set seeds and
fruit. Local food supply and the quality of life would be seriously
impacted if pollinators were lost. For example, 75 percent of the
world’s flowering plant species rely on pollinators. Also, 130 of
the crop plants grown in the United States are pollinated by bees.
The rich biodiversity in local forests and other natural areas is
dependent both directly and indirectly upon native
pollinators.<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>In spring
2007 in an effort to protect and preserve pollinators, DDA began a
Pollination Garden Project that is being unveiled for the public
June 26. In the garden are nectar- and pollen-rich native plants to
attract bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects. Native
plants tend to be low maintenance and hardy, because they are
adapted to the local region.<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>The
Pollinator Garden has also been designated as an Official Monarch
Waystation (No. 1172, www.monarchwatch.org). Monarch waystations are
a nationwide system that provides habitat for monarch butterflies to
stop along their migratory route to Mexico. <BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>These
habitats provide nectar sources and the required host plant of
milkweed, so butterflies can lay their eggs.<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>The
Department of Agriculture has also initiated a project to catalog
and conserve the native bees in Delaware’s vine crop production
areas. More information about the Farming for Native Bees Project
can be found at <STRONG><A
href="http://dda.delaware.gov/plantind/pollinator.shtml"
target=_blank>http://dda.delaware.gov/plantind/pollinator.shtml</A></STRONG><BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>The garden
project is one of many DDA pollinator initiatives. Information on
other initiative will be presented during the Bees & Butterflies
talks and demonstrations and laboratory tours.</FONT></P>
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<DIV><FONT lang=0 face="Gill Sans MT" size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10">Laurie Davies Adams<BR>Executive Director<BR><B>Pollinator
Partnership </B><BR>423 Washington Street, 5th floor<BR>San Francisco, CA
94111<BR>415-362-1137<BR>LDA@pollinator.org</FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial
color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0
face="Gill Sans MT" color=#0000ff size=4 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="14"><B><A
href="http://www.pollinator.org/">www.pollinator.org</A></B></FONT><FONT lang=0
face="Gill Sans MT" color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"></B><BR><A
href="http://www.nappc.org/">www.nappc.org</A><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0
face="Gill Sans MT" color=#000000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="12"><B><I>National Pollinator Week is June 22-28, 2008. <BR>Beecome
involved at <A
href="http://www.pollinator.org/">www.pollinator.org</A></I></FONT></B></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient <A title="http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007" href="http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007" target="_blank">used cars</A>.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>