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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT"'><img width=224 height=69 id="_x0000_i1025"
src="cid:image001.jpg@01CB3B0D.41D394F0"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=2
face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=4 face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT";letter-spacing:1.0pt;font-weight:bold'>MEDIA
RELEASE</span></font></b><font size=2 face="Gill Sans MT"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT";letter-spacing:1.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'><font size=2
face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT"'>Contact:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'><font size=2
face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT"'>Vicki
Wojcik, Ph.D.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'><font size=2
face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT"'>Pollinator
Partnership<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'><font size=2
face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT"'>415-362-1137<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'><font size=2
face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT"'>vw@pollinator.org<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<div class=Section2>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT";font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=4
face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT";
font-weight:bold'>Pollinators Celebrate 2010 USDA-CIG Awards Across the Country<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT"'>August 13, 2010<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:City w:st="on"><font size=3 face="Gill Sans MT"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT"'>SAN FRANCISCO</span></font></st1:City><font
face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-family:"Gill Sans MT"'>, <st1:State
w:st="on">CA</st1:State>: Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) awards were
announced this week form USDA offices in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Washington</st1:City>,
<st1:State w:st="on">D.C.</st1:State></st1:place>, sending a clear message in
support of pollinators. The CIG program promotes projects that take conservation
knowledge and put principals into action. Requests for proposals included a
focus on the importance of pollinators to wild and agricultural landscapes, making
it clear that pollinators are indeed a national priority. With over $700,000
dollars of matching funds going toward projects that provide habitat for and support
pollinating species, the bees, bats, beetles, butterflies, and birds are the
real winners!<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT"'>As part of the 2010 CIG program, the
Pollinator Partnership (P2) has been awarded funding for a unique habitat
development plan that is working to promote an important portion of the native
bee community – the wood-nesting bees. Available nesting sites are often
more limiting to bee health and population growth than other ecological factors
including available host flowers, or parasitism. Taking a total habitat
approach to native bee conservation, scientists at P2 and local collaborators at
the American River Parkway in Sacramento, California and at the Native
Seeds/SEARCH conservation farm in Patagonia, Arizona will being work on
developing habitat sites with a mix of food plants and nesting resources. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT"'>In addition to the P2 project, pollinators
will benefit across the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region></st1:place>
landscape from the work of other research and conservation groups. Major
agricultural pollinator assessments will be under way at the <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">California</st1:PlaceName>,
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Davis</st1:City></st1:place> as
researchers and partners work to refine planting protocols for pollinators in
agricultural landscapes. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Mississippi</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
will be working to promote pollinators in biofuel landscapes though habitat
development guidelines within the state. The Xerces Society and partners at the
Monarch Joint Venture will promote a network of milkweed plantings throughout
the country. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT"'>Tom Van Arsdall, P2 Public Affairs Director,
commented: “We greatly value the support of pollinators to agriculture
and now, the support of agriculture for pollinators. So much potential good can
come from these practical land based initiatives for a sustainable and
productive agricultural future.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Gill Sans MT"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT"'>Pollinators are essential to terrestrial
ecosystems and are responsible for the production of one of every three bites
of food that we eat. Pollinator decline would have serious negative
consequences for all living things. The development of habitat and refugia sites
is central in helping to preserve these valuable species. Efforts across the
country will collectively contribute to great, positive landscape change for
pollinators.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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font-family:Calibri'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Calibri'># # # <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;font-style:italic'>P2 is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization
that encourages the health of native pollinator populations throughout <st1:place
w:st="on">North America</st1:place>. P2 accomplishes this mission through
scientific research, conservation projects, policy development, its management
of NAPPC (North American Pollinator Protection Campaign), and various outreach
efforts including mailings, public events such as National Pollinator Week,
corporate partnerships, and its website [www.pollinator.org].<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Calibri'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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