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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>ACTION OPPORTUNITY: Express your Organization’s Support for 2018 Farm Bill Pollinator-Specific Provisions<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#0070C0'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#0070C0'><a href="https://goo.gl/forms/JqVt4YqFJEqdMsx92"><span style='color:#0070C0'>Click Here</span></a></span> to add your organization name as a signatory to the group letter to conferees <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'>(<i>Organizations of all types and sizes welcome!</i>). <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><u><o:p><span style='text-decoration:none'> </span></o:p></u></p><p class=MsoNormal><u>DEADLINE</u>: <b><span style='background:yellow;mso-highlight:yellow'>Friday, August 17</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><u><o:p><span style='text-decoration:none'> </span></o:p></u></p><p class=MsoNormal><u>Background</u>:<o:p></o:p></p><ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst style='margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'>Group <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1RtIfAR182bo7otYA7dOR936N6nQfCvdK-rph_zh6A34/edit?usp=sharing">Letter</a> text is pasted below.<o:p></o:p></li><ul style='margin-top:0in' type=circle><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-left:-.5in;mso-add-space:auto;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1'>Feel free to SHARE with contacts who may be interested.<o:p></o:p></li></ul><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'>Key provision is Sec. 7209 (d) “Pollinator Protection” of the Senate-passed farm bill. <o:p></o:p></li><ul style='margin-top:0in' type=circle><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle style='margin-left:-.5in;mso-add-space:auto;mso-list:l0 level2 lfo1'><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/11ofYwugxH9DjW06WSbaJnZXbyFhNF9bN/view?usp=sharing">Click Here</a> for language.<o:p></o:p></li></ul><li class=MsoListParagraphCxSpLast style='margin-left:-.25in;mso-add-space:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=11nfKnOmGFTH6D1qfFx2AVk-iVqlXwqVG">Click Here</a> for Pollinator Partnership (P2) statement to conferees.<o:p></o:p></li></ul><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:2.0in;text-indent:.5in'><b><u>GROUP LETTER<o:p></o:p></u></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in'><b><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>RE: Support for Pollinator Provisions in 2018 Farm Bill Conference<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Dear Senators Roberts and Stabenow and Congressmen Conaway and Peterson:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>The undersigned urge conferees to maximize pollinator-beneficial provisions in the final conference report of the 2018 farm bill. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>We urge that Sec. 7209 (d) “Pollinator Protection” in the Senate-passed bill be included in the final legislation. This important provision on pollinator research reconstitutes the interagency Pollinator Health Task Force and directs the chief scientist at USDA to coordinate research on honey bees and other pollinators. The Task Force language provides fresh impetus to the collaborative, interagency process that has already yielded significant, positive benefits for pollinator health. Coordinating pollinator research at USDA across agencies helps ensure maximum effectiveness when investing scarce funding in advancing honey bee and pollinator health objectives. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>We appreciate that farm bill legislation passed by both the House and Senate reauthorizes pollinator conservation and research provisions enacted in the 2008 and 2014 farm bills. We urge that these provisions be retained in the final conference report.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>As the conferees work to resolve other differences, we urge that decisions be made to advance conservation, research and other policies, programs and funding in ways that best help farmers and ranchers share their landscapes in providing abundant, safe pollinator habitat and forage for honey bees and native pollinators, including monarchs.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'>Thank you for your consideration of this important request.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> [LIST OF ORGANIZATIONS]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-size:6.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>CC: Conferees<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>R. Thomas (Tom) Van Arsdall<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Director of Public Affairs<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(703) 509-4746<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:TVA@pollinator.org"><span style='color:#0563C1'>TVA@pollinator.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.pollinator.org/"><span style='color:#0563C1'>Pollinator Partnership</span></a><o:p></o:p></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 style='width:.4166in;height:.4166in' id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D42F09.A3C784C0" 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 style='width:.4166in;height:.4166in' id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image002.jpg@01D42F09.A3C784C0" 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 style='width:.4166in;height:.4166in' id="Picture_x0020_3" src="cid:image003.jpg@01D42F09.A3C784C0" 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 style='width:.4166in;height:.4166in' id="Picture_x0020_4" src="cid:image004.jpg@01D42F09.A3C784C0" alt="cid:image004.jpg@01D15E89.826C9660"></span></a><o:p></o:p></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 style='width:1.2222in;height:.5416in' id="Picture_x0020_5" src="cid:image005.jpg@01D42F09.A3C784C0" 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 style='width:.625in;height:.625in' id="Picture_x0020_6" src="cid:image006.jpg@01D42F09.A3C784C0" alt="cid:image006.jpg@01D15E89.826C9660"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br />
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