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<P align=center><FONT
face="Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular"
size=2><EM><STRONG>From the Cape Gazette (everything is correct except the
headline!)</STRONG></EM></FONT></P>
<P align=center><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular"
size=4><B></B></FONT></FONT> </P>
<P align=center><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular"
size=4><B>Harrington farmer wins Delaware conservation
award</B></FONT></FONT></P></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>The Delaware
Department of Agriculture has announced that Delaware farmer Chuck Hurd
has been chosen to receive the Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation
Award from the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign and the
National Association of Conservation Districts. This award recognizes an
individual or family in the farm and ranch community in the U.S. who has
contributed significantly to pollinator species protection and
conservation on working and wild lands.<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>Hurd, who farms
Lister Acres in Harrington, was nominated for the award by Dr. Faith
Kuehn, administrator of the Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA) Plant
Industries Section, for his efforts on behalf of a long-term bee
conservation project initiated by DDA and funded, in part, by Northeast
Sustainable Research and Education. Among Hurd’s environmental best
management practices and advocacy that contributes to pollinator
conservation:<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>• In 2005 Chuck
Hurd offered DDA use of an acre of his farm to plant a native wildflower
meadow that he continues to maintain. DDA uses the “bee meadow” as a bee
survey study site.<BR>•</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>In 2000, Hurd
installed 14 acres of Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
filter strips. He maintains the filter strips and delays mowing until
after most of the flowering plants have stopped blooming, thereby
preserving season-long forage for pollinators. Natural plant community
succession continues to introduce a number of native bee forage plants
into the filter strips. <BR>Hurd’s farming practices demonstrate a good
understanding of pollinator conservation.<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>• Approximately 90
percent of the acreage in production is no till.<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>• He applies
pesticides when absolutely necessary; however, he only applies
insecticides after sunset to protect foraging bees from contact with the
product.<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>• In land that is
not in production or enrolled in the CREP program, he has installed
buffers and has allowed natural seeding to introduce a number of bee
forage plants.<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>• He maintains,
relatively undisturbed, a large tract of forest along the southern
boundary of the Lister Acres property. This diverse and mature stand of
bottomland hardwoods provides ample nesting and foraging opportunities for
insect pollinators from wood-nesting bees to butterflies.<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>• In addition to
practices already in place, Hurd signed up for a farm assessment that is
part of the department’s Farming for Native Bees project. The department
is reviewing the farm’s land use and habitat structure, production
practices, pesticide use and conservation philosophy. Based on the
project’s recommendations, farmers will be asked to commit to a series of
conservation improvements aimed at improving habitat and forage for native
bees.<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>• He assisted DDA
with installation of a butterfly garden on his property. Plants in the
garden are primarily native plants, chosen to provide food and shelter for
bees, butterflies and natural enemy insects.<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>• Due to his
involvement with the DDA bee project, Hurd became interested in
beekeeping. He attended training sessions offered by the Delaware
Beekeepers Association, rescued a number of swarms and now maintains his
own hives at Lister Acres.<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>• Hurd has helped
to raise awareness of the need for pollinator conservation within the
agricultural community.<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>• Following a
workshop presentation highlighting Lister Acres’ bee friendly practices,
11 additional farmers expressed interest in participating in the
Department’s bee project.<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>• In 2008, the
Lister Acres model of an acre pollinator meadow was copied by a Maryland
cucurbit farmer.<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>Hurd’s efforts and
interest provided a catalyst for the Delaware Department of Agriculture to
seek funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service for the
publication of two booklets for farmers: Farm Management for Bees, a Guide
for Delaware and Delaware Native Plants for Native Bees.<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman, Georgia, Times" size=3>In recognition of
Chuck Hurd’s award, Austin Short, acting secretary of agriculture said, “I
congratulate Chuck Hurd on being chosen for this award and thank him for
his pollinator conservation efforts. As a farmer and a forester, I fully
understand the importance of pollinators. Seventy-five percent of the
world’s flowering plant species rely on pollinators. One hundred and
thirty of the crop plants grown in the United States are pollinated by
bees. The rich biodiversity in our forests and other natural areas is
dependent both directly and indirectly upon our native pollinators. Our
food supply and our quality of life would be seriously impacted if we lost
our pollinators.”<BR></FONT></P>
<P></P>
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<DIV><FONT lang=0 face="Gill Sans MT" size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>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, 2009. <BR>Beecome
involved at <A
href="http://www.pollinator.org/">www.pollinator.org</A></I></FONT></B></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV CLASS="aol_ad_footer" ID="9f9fb759f083522e972c07496f6a7a2d"><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px"><b>One site has it all.</b> Your email accounts, your social networks, and the things you love. <b>Try the new <a href="http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1212962939x1200825291/aol?redir=http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp%26icid=aolcom40vanity%26ncid=emlcntaolcom00000001">AOL.com</a> today!</b></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>