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--></style></head><body lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple"><div class="WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><a href="http://www.pollinator.org/PDFs/press/Pollinator_Week_2016_Press_Release.pdf">http://www.pollinator.org/PDFs/press/Pollinator_Week_2016_Press_Release.pdf</a> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">June 23, 2016</span></b><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">For Immediate Release</span></b><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Tom Van Arsdall <a href="mailto:TVA@pollinator.org">TVA@pollinator.org</a> 703.509.4746<b></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Laurie Davies Adams <a href="mailto:LDA@pollinator.org">LDA@pollinator.org</a> 415.362.1137</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Pollinator Week 2016 Unites America in Conservation Action for Pollinators </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">This year’s Pollinator Week, June 20-26, has once again united the nation around the critical and pervasive issue of pollinator conservation. The <b>Pollinator Partnership (P2)</b>,<b> </b>which created and has administered Pollinator Week since its beginnings in 2007, announced today that they have received 52 state and federal proclamations<b> </b>supporting the national observance, including ones from the <b>U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell</b> and <b>U.S. Secretary of Agriculture</b> <b>Tom Vilsack</b>. And, for the very first time,<b> <span style="color:#252525;background:white">Alejandro Javier García Padilla,</span></b></span><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#252525;background:white"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">the Governor of the Territory of Puerto Rico, </span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">has added a proclamation of its own for Pollinator Week<b>. </b>Additionally,<b> more than 170 events across 42 states, Puerto Rico and Canada </b>have been organized and registered through P2’s Pollinator Week webpage (a<b> </b>complete list is available at <a href="http://www.pollinator.org/pollinatorweek/">www.pollinator.org/pollinatorweek/</a>). </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, birds and other animals bring us one in every three bites of food, protect our environment. They form the underpinnings of a healthy and sustainable future. From a Pollinator Safari in Portland, Oregon to a pollinator-themed family program at a public library in Hilo, Hawaii, Americans have put their ingenuity, creativity and drive into supporting pollinator health, an issue that we can all do something about! “Americans value pollinators as an essential part of the national landscape,” said <b>Nancy Somerville, Hon. ASLA, executive vice president and CEO of the American Society of Landscape Architects</b>. “We are thankful for the public’s and policymakers’ commitment to help reverse pollinator declines and ensure the vitality of our ecosystems.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Pollinator Week celebrates a new dawn of wise land management across the country, spearheaded by the announcement of a new <b>Pollinator Partnership Action Plan</b> released by the White House (<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/06/22/bees-butterflies-and-you">https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/06/22/bees-butterflies-and-you</a>) highlights case studies to this strategy, which focuses on improving the relationship between butterflies, bees, and you. <b>Laurie Davies Adams</b>, Executive Director of the non-profit <a href="http://www.pollinator.org/">Pollinator Partnership</a><b>,</b> said, “This new aspect to the federal strategy will encourage the public to plant for pollinators and use Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) or Integrated Pest Management (IPM)<b>, </b>promoting common sense approaches to limit our impacts on local ecosystems.” Whether you manage large parcels of land or simply maintain a small garden in your backyard, you can do your part for pollinators and help promote awareness by registering with the<b> </b><a href="http://pollinator.org/million-pollinator-garden-challenge.htm">Million Pollinator Garden Challenge</a>,<b> </b>an<b> </b>initiative of the <b>National Pollinator Garden Network</b>. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">In celebration of its 20<sup>th</sup> Anniversary, P2 has launched the <b>Support the Bees™ Campaign</b> to expand its programs and guarantee its sustainability for the benefit of pollinators. With your help, the campaign hopes to raise $5 million over three years. Visit <a href="http://www.pollinator.org/support-the-bees/">www.pollinator.org/support-the-bees/</a><b> </b>to learn more.<b></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Pollinator Week showcases the brand new pollinator poster of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC), <i>Trees for Bees.</i> This 2016 poster was carefully crafted by artist <b><span style="border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;background:white">Natalya Zahn</span></b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background:white">, </span></span><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";background:white">a Boston-based natural illustrator and designer.</span><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> The poster (left) is available at <a href="http://www.pollinator.org/poster2016">www.pollinator.org/poster2016</a> where a new web feature illuminates the intricate interactions between native trees and their pollinators, and features photographs of the artist at work creating the poster. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:1.0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A new initiative, <b>Show Us Your Poster</b>, asks you to share a photo of you and your Tress for Bees poster wherever you have it! Post it on the Pollinator Partnership Facebook page just like 6 year old Edward, a NY kindergartener, has done at right.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Rob Mies, of the Organization for Bat Conservation shown below, is a Steering Committee member of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign, a multi-stakeholder initiative that supports the annual pollinator celebrations. Efforts during Pollinator Week, and indeed year-round, are working to reverse and prevent pollinator declines caused by loss of habitat, disease, pesticides, parasites and other interconnected assaults on pollinator populations. Now is the time to begin planning your own event for next year’s Pollinator Week, which will take place June 19-25, 2017. Visit <a href="http://www.pollinator.org">www.pollinator.org</a> or send an email to <a href="mailto:info@pollinator.org">info@pollinator.org</a> for help coordinating efforts.<b></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">###</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">ABOUT THE POLLINATOR PARTNERSHIP (P2)</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Established in 1997, the Pollinator Partnership is the largest 501(c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to the health, protection, and conservation of all pollinating animals. P2’s actions for pollinators include education, conservation, restoration, policy, and research. P2’s financial support comes through grants, gifts, memberships and donations from any interested party. P2’s policies are science-based, set by its board of directors, and never influenced by any donor. To make a donation or for information on events during Pollinator Week visit <a href="http://www.pollinator.org">www.pollinator.org</a>. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Kelly Rourke </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Program Coordinator </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Pollinator Partnership</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">423 Washington Street, 5th Floor</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">San Francisco, CA 94111</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">e: </span><u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#0b2bb5"><a href="mailto:kr@pollinator.org"><span style="color:#0b2bb5">kr@pollinator.org</span></a></span></u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#0b2bb5"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">w:</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#0b2bb5"> <a href="http://www.pollinator.org/"><span style="color:#0b2bb5">www.pollinator.org</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">p: 415.362.1137</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/ThePollinatorPartnership"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1155cc;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="40" height="40" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D1CD59.E8C25B90" alt="cid:image001.jpg@01D15E89.826C9660"></span></a><a href="http://twitter.com/Pollinators"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1155cc;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="40" height="40" id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image002.jpg@01D1CD59.E8C25B90" alt="cid:image002.jpg@01D15E89.826C9660"></span></a><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PollinatorOrg/about"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1155cc;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="40" height="40" id="Picture_x0020_3" src="cid:image003.jpg@01D1CD59.E8C25B90" alt="cid:image003.jpg@01D15E89.826C9660"></span></a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/PollinatorPartners"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1155cc;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="40" height="40" id="Picture_x0020_4" src="cid:image004.jpg@01D1CD59.E8C25B90" alt="cid:image004.jpg@01D15E89.826C9660"></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://pollinator.org/index.html"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1155cc;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="117" height="52" id="Picture_x0020_5" src="cid:image005.jpg@01D1CD59.E8C25B90" alt="cid:image005.jpg@01D15E89.826C9660"></span></a><a href="http://pollinator.org/million-pollinator-garden-challenge.htm"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1155cc;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="60" height="60" id="Picture_x0020_6" src="cid:image006.jpg@01D1CD59.E8C25B90" alt="cid:image006.jpg@01D15E89.826C9660"></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p></div></body></html>