<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0cm;text-align:center;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14pt">Diverse Group
of Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resource Organizations Comes Together
to Protect California’s Pollinators</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0cm;text-align:center;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12pt"> </span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0cm;text-align:center;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12pt">New California
Pollinator Coalition pledges to increase pollinator habitat on working lands</span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US">SACRAMENTO, Calif. Apr. 7, 2021 – A broad array of organizations
from across California’s agricultural and environmental landscape announced a
working coalition to address their shared commitment to the health of wild and
managed pollinators. The Coalition is focusing on increasing the value working
lands provide to our environment, to benefit biodiversity and farmers
alike. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US"><br>
The California Pollinator Coalition, convened by Pollinator Partnership, the
California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Almond Board of
California, includes more than twenty organizations – representing the large
majority of California’s crop and range land – pledging to increase habitat for
pollinators on working lands. Together, the goal is to increase collaboration
between agriculture and conservation groups for the benefit of biodiversity and
food production. The result will be on-the-ground improvements, technical
guidance, funded research, documentation of relevant case studies, and tracked
progress toward increasing healthier pollinator habitats. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US">Achieving this bee friendly goal is laden with benefits for farmers
and the environment in California, increasing biodiversity and sequestering
more carbon in the soil. The Coalition also hopes their success will serve as a
model for even more collaboration among interests who have not always been
aligned, but who are willing to come together in partnership to confront common
challenges. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US">“What we are doing in California is acknowledging the urgency to
address the critical issue of protecting all pollinators, including native and
managed species,” said Laurie Davies Adams, President and CEO of Pollinator
Partnership. “Agriculture and conservation must work together to achieve this
goal, especially when we will be facing many of the same issues – increasing
temperatures, erratic and unpredictable weather, fires, drought, soil
depletion, and more. The outcome will not be a tidy report that sits on a
shelf, but rather a metric of acres, projects, and species added to the landscape
while agriculture continues to profitably feed the nation.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US">The collective land represented by coalition members will provide
the critical mass to address habitat on an unprecedented scale, for the benefit
of beneficial insects, such as bees, butterflies, beetles, wasps, moths and
more.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US">California is home
to more than 1,600 native bees and hundreds of other species of pollinating
insects. Globally, pollinators provide service to more than 180,000 different
plant species, more than 1,200 crops, and are responsible for producing an
estimated one out of every three bites of food. </span><span lang="EN-US">They
sustain our ecosystems and support natural resources, all while adding $217
billion to the global economy each year. But pollinator populations are
declining and often suffer from the same challenges as California’s
agriculture. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US">The Coalition will work together on a variety of fronts to support
pollinators: </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">Preparing farmer-friendly
guidance to build and maintain pollinator habitat on farms and ranches</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">Promoting voluntary,
incentive-based habitat establishment projects and Integrated Pest Management
(IPM) practices</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">Conducting research and
disseminating relevant science</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">Monitoring outcomes (adoption
rates and effectiveness of practices)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US">“Collaborative action can mitigate risks to California’s
pollinators, and that’s exactly why this coalition has come together,” said
Karen Ross, Secretary of California Department of Food and Agriculture. “We
need urgent action, yet the first step in the process is building trust that
encourages, enables, and enhances the result. The California Pollinator
Coalition is a big step forward in a journey of grower and conservation groups
voluntarily demonstrating leadership.” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US">“This will not be an easy or quick fix,” said Josette Lewis, Chief
Scientific Officer of the Almond Board of California. “It will require a robust
and sustained effort, but we are determined to be part of the solution. Almond
growers and many other farmers depend on pollinators to produce a crop and
pollinators depend on us to provide safe habitat. Working lands can and should
be part of the solution.” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US">“Farm Bureau
supports voluntary, farmer-friendly efforts to improve habitat for native
pollinators, and we have long advocated improved research on pollinator
health,” said Jamie Johansson, President of the California Farm Bureau. “We
will work with the coalition for the benefit of native pollinators and managed
bees, and to assure stability for the domestic bee business.”</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US">“Climate change will affect the wildlife of California and the way
we grow food in many ways,” said Dan Kaiser, director of conservation at
Environmental Defense Fund. “The best chance for biodiversity and farms to
thrive is to rebuild the natural infrastructure that supports pollinators, soil
health and water resilience throughout the Central Valley. This coalition will
promote robust research and guidance to support a more resilient and biodiverse
agricultural landscape.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US">While just beginning its work, the Coalition is catalyzing new
collaborations and continuing to recruit partners who understand the urgency
and share the common goal of supporting both the health of pollinators and
agriculture. Current California Pollinator Coalition membership includes: </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">Agricultural Council of
California</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">Almond Alliance of California</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">Almond Board of California</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">California Alfalfa and Forage
Association</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">California Association of Pest
Control Advisers</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">California Association of
Resource Conservation Districts</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">California Cattlemen’s
Association</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">California Citrus Mutual</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">California Department of Food
and Agriculture</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">California Farm Bureau
Federation</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">California State Beekeepers
Association</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">California Sustainable
Winegrowing Alliance</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">Environmental Defense Fund</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">Monarch Joint Venture</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">Monarch Watch</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">Pollinator Partnership</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">Project Apis m.</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">University of California
Agriculture and Natural Resources</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">USDA Natural Resources
Conservation Service of California</span><span lang="EN-US"></span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">Western Growers</span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0cm 36pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US">Dr. Neal Williams, University
of California, Davis</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span lang="EN-US">About the California Pollinator Coalition</span></b></p>
<p class="gmail-paragraph" style="margin:0cm;vertical-align:baseline;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span class="gmail-normaltextrun"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The
California Pollinator Coalition, convened by Pollinator Partnership, the
California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Almond Board of
California, is made up of a diverse group of agricultural and conservation organizations
with the shared goal of providing enhanced habitat for pollinators. The
Coalition and its members have pledged to increase habitat for pollinators on
working lands. Additionally, the group plans to promote research and track its progress
toward healthy and abundant habitats.</span></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>