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<p class=Default><b><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.5pt;font-weight:bold'><a href="http://pollinator.org/gca.htm">http://pollinator.org/gca.htm</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=Default><b><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.5pt;font-weight:bold'><br>
<img border=0 width=648 height=202 id="_x0000_i1027"
src="cid:image001.jpg@01CC08CA.AD095DF0"><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=Default><b><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.5pt;font-weight:bold'>PRESS RELEASE: <br>
</span></font></b><font size=2><span style='font-size:10.5pt'>Contact: Jennifer
Tsang<b><span style='font-weight:bold'> </span></b>-<b><span style='font-weight:
bold'> </span></b><a href="mailto:jt@pollinator.org">jt@pollinator.org</a> -
415.362.1137<br>
<br>
</span></font><b><font size=2><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=Default align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=2
color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Pollinator
Partnership Receives National Medal for Environmental Protection from The
Garden Club of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">America</st1:country-region></st1:place>
and Advocates Increased Public Protection of Pollinators<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=Default><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.5pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=Default><b><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.5pt;font-weight:bold'>Indianapolis (APRIL 30) The Pollinator Partnership</span></font></b><font
size=2><span style='font-size:10.5pt'> (P2) was presented the prestigious <b><i><span
style='font-weight:bold;font-style:italic'>Cynthia Pratt Laughlin Medal</span></i></b>
by <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>The Garden Club of America </span></b>at
its annual awards ceremony on April 30 in Indianapolis, Indiana. P2 is the twenty-second
recipient of this national medal, awarded for “outstanding achievement in
environmental protection and the maintenance of the quality of life.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=Default><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.5pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><font size=2 color="#000004"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000004'>Pollination
is vital to the production of 80% of the world's crops and to many plants in
the planet’s ecosystems. </span></font><font size=2 color="#1c1b1d"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1C1B1D'>In
presenting this medal, The Garden Club of America acknowledged P2’s
effective efforts to achieve its</span></font><font size=2 color="#000004"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000004'>
mission ".</span></font><font size=2 color="#000003" face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000003'>..</span></font><font
size=2 color="#000004" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#000004'>to protect pollinators, critical to food and ecosystems</span></font><font
size=2 color="#302f31" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#302F31'>, </span></font><font size=2 color="#000004" face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000004'>through conservation,
education and research” through “building awareness of pollinator
issues and advancing scientific understanding</span></font><font size=2
color="#000003" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial;
color:#000003'>.” Several of P2’s </span></font><font size=2
color="#000004" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial;
color:#000004'>major accomplishments were cited, including its “cre</span></font><font
size=2 color="#302f31" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#302F31'>a</span></font><font size=2 color="#000004" face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000004'>tion and management of
the <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>North American Pollinator Protection Camp</span></b></span></font><b><font
size=2 color="#1c1b1d" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#1C1B1D;font-weight:bold'>a</span></font></b><b><font size=2
color="#000004" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial;
color:#000004;font-weight:bold'>ign (NAPPC)</span></font></b><font size=2
color="#000004" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial;
color:#000004'> through which key governmental and non-governmental
stakeholders take act</span></font><font size=2 color="#1c1b1d" face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1C1B1D'>i</span></font><font
size=2 color="#000004" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#000004'>ons to protect pollinators.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><font size=2 color="#000004"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000004'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><font size=2 color="#000004"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000004'>The
GCA also recognized P2’s work with federal agencies and Congress to
integrate pollinator language into key legislation, such as The Farm Act of
2008, and its promotion of public initiatives. The designation of the annual <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>Pollinator Week</span></b> during the last week of
June encourages the public’s involvement in protecting bees, birds, bats
and other pollinators. This year’s Pollinator Week is June 20-27<sup>th</sup>.
</span></font><font size=2 color="#000003" face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000003'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><font size=2 color="#000003"
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000003'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=Default><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.5pt'>In accepting this medal, <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>P2’s
Executive Director, Laurie Davies Adams</span></b>, acknowledged, “More
than any group in the country, The Garden Club of America has an appreciation
for the power of plants and the integral—but often unseen or even
unknown—role played by pollinators in securing our food supply and our
natural environment.” She further noted, “Tragically, pollinators
show dangerous signs of decline worldwide.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=Default><b><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.5pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=Default><st1:place w:st="on"><b><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.5pt;font-weight:bold'>Adams</span></font></b></st1:place><b><font
size=2><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-weight:bold'> </span></font></b><font
size=2><span style='font-size:10.5pt'>advocates that everyone should share in
protecting pollinators through creating pollinator-friendly habitat. The P2 web
site, <a href="http://www.pollinator.org/">www.pollinator.org</a>, </span></font><font
size=2><span style='font-size:10.5pt'>offers <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Eco-Regional
Guides </span></b>identifying the plants and planting methods capable of
supporting pollinators in 31 regions across the continental US. The web site
also has important information about P2’s many initiatives to save
pollinators and how the public can help.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=Default><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.5pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>The Garden Club of America</span></font></b><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial'> is a
national leader in the fields of horticulture, conservation and civic
improvement and its purpose is to stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening;
to share the advantages of association by means of educational meetings,
conferences, correspondence, and publications; and to restore, improve and
protect the quality of the environment through educational programs and action.
Founded in 1913, GCA is a nonprofit organization comprised of 199 member clubs
and more than 17,500 individual members throughout the country. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;
font-family:Arial'>Additional information about P2 receiving this medal can be
found on <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>The Garden Club of America</span></b>
web site, <a href="http://www.gcamerica.org/">www.gcamerica.org</a>, after
April 30, 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=1
face=Arial><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial'># # #<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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