[Pollinator] Final Reminder-April 30 Deadline to Cosign Group Letter to House Ag Approps in Support of $20 Million for Pollinator Research

[R. Thomas Van Arsdall]

Final Reminder.  Deadline April 30.

* Group Letter to House Ag Appropriations Subc in support of $20 million in
FY10 for pollinator research.  
	+ Letter including Signatories to Date provided below.

* Sign On by e-mailing Pollinator Partnership’s (P2) Jennifer Tsang at
jt at pollinator.org.   
	+ Specify how would like to be listed.
 	+ Questions?  E-mail Jennifer or call 415-362-1137.

* Three Categories of Signatories: 
	+ Organizations of All Types-National, State, Local [if state or
local, include city, state]-Examples:  Nonprofits, Companies, Local Clubs
	+ Researchers [Name, Title, Affiliation, City, State]
	+ Individuals [Name, City, State] 

* SENATE Letter Later-We plan to sending the same letter addressed to the
Senate Appropriations Committee leadership at a later date
	+ Let us know if you’d like to be included on the Senate letter.
 
			**********
May 1, 2009
 
The Honorable Rosa DeLauro, Chair 
The Honorable Jack Kingston, Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Agriculture
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC  20510
 
RE:	Request for $20 Million in FY10 Allocation to USDA for Pollinator
Research
 
Dear Chairwoman DeLauro and Ranking Member Kingston,
 
The undersigned urge the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture to
allocate $20 million in Fiscal Year 2010 to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) to implement the new pollinator research provision
authorized in the 2008 farm bill.
 
Native and managed pollinators are essential partners in agriculture and in
healthy ecosystems.  Today, Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a host of other
pests and pathogens, climate change, habitat loss, pesticide misuse, and
other threats to the health and population of pollinators in North America
could jeopardize the integrity of our food supply and healthy wildlife
ecosystems.
 
Honey bees and other pollinators make possible over $15 billion in
agricultural products in the U.S., and as much as $250 billion worldwide. 
 
Investments in honey bee and pollinator research at the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) have been stagnant for years and continue to fall far
short of identified needs.  The requested funding will underwrite critical
unmet honey bee and pollinator research priorities that can lead to
scientific outcomes urgently needed to address pressing health challenges
plaguing honey bees and threatening the economic viability of beekeepers.
 
Thank you for your consideration.  
 
Respectfully Submitted,
 
ORGANIZATIONS:
      American Beekeeping Federation, Atlanta, GA
      Carmean Pest Management, Fresno, CA
      Fresno Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides, Fresno, CA
      G.E. Consulting LLC, Buckeye, AZ
      Omeg Orchards, Inc., Dalles, OR
      Pollinator Partnership, San Francisco, CA
      St. John's United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden and
Labyrinth, Phoenixville, PA

RESEARCHERS:
       Athena Anderson, Doctoral Student, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Galen P. Dively, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland,
Baltimore, MD
      Roger Downer, Ph.D., Research Scientist, The Ohio State University,
Wooster, OH
      Karen Goodell, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Ohio State University,
Newark, OH
David W. Inouye, Ph.D., Professor, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD
Rainee Kaczorowski, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Associate, Cornell University,
Ithaca, NY
      Wanja Kinuthia, Nairobi, Kenya, Africa
Randall J. Mitcell, Ph.D., Professor, University of Akron, Akron, OH
	E.O. Wilson, Ph.D., Professor, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

OTHER INDIVIDUALS:
      Elise Acosta, San Francisco, CA
      Sarah J. Baker, Los Angeles, CA
      Lisa M. Banik, Waterbury, CT
      Edward Biesiada, Cleveland, OH
      Ron M. Bitner, Caldwell, ID
      Karen Brandenburger, Tigard, OR
      Jessica Brooks, Thomaston, ME
      Ti Bowen, W Terre Haute, IN
      Kristine Bucklin, Irvine, Ca 
      Carol Burgoa, Occidental, CA
      Ingrid Carmean, Fresno, CA
      Kevin Chase, Orrtanna, PA
      Joan Chunko, Zion Grove, PA
      Zoe Cox, Winnebago, IL
      Deryn Davidson, Austin, TX
      Donna Davis, Tucker, GA
      Richard DeSimone
      Jessica Dixon, Maitland, FL
      Michele DuCharme
      Joni Earley, Arvada, CO
      Carol Evans
      Ben Fajen, Berkeley, CA
      Janet Feutz, Reston, VA
      Paul Franzese, Franklin Square, NY
      Bridget Gleason, Palo Alto, CA
      Peggy L. Gray, Gulf Breeze, FL
      Laurel Hopwood, Cleveland, OH
      Lorraine Hubbard, Navarre, FL
      Cynthia King, Morgan Hill, CA
      Jennifer Kleinrichert, Carlsbad, NM
      Loretta Lehman, Duncannon, PA
      Bebe Lemone, Oakland, CA
      Lolly Lewis, Cameron, TX
      Loretta D. Lynch
      Pamela Malmberg, La Conner, WA
      Grace Markarian, Washington, DC	
      Michael Markarian, Washington, DC 
      Janet McGarry, San Francisco, CA
      Sandy McNamee, White Rock, BC Canada
      Kay K. Mitchell, Pensacola, FL
      Kari A. Olson, Seattle, WA
      Mike Omeg, Dalles, OR
      Marian Petrovich, Brookfield IL
      Valerie Phillips, Morgantown, WV
	Marilyn Pipkin, Birmingham, AL
      Bethany Ratliff, King, NC	
      Carol Reynolds, Columbus OH
      Linda K. Robertson, Felton, CA
      Lyle Stock, Brookfield, IL
      Margaret Stowell
      Betty Tharrington, Tacoma, WA
      Katarina Thisner, Mercer Island, WA	
      Beth Todd, Cottage Grove, OR
      Virginia Tyack, Richmond, VA
      Wendy Velman, Idaho Falls, ID
      Joanna Voigt, Lawrence, KS
      Lewis Ward, Cambridge, MA
      Thomas Wilson, Baltimore City, MD
      Linda Zielinski, Philomath, OR

       
      CC:	The Honorable David Obey
      	The Honorable Jerry Lewis
      	The Honorable Collin Peterson
      	The Honorable Frank Lucas
      	The Honorable Dennis Cardoza
      	The Honorable Alcee Hastings, Jr.
      	The Honorable Earl Blumenauer
      	The Honorable Tom Vilsack
       
       ***********
Sincerely,
Pollinator Partnership (P2)
415.362.1137
 
Transmitted by-
R. Thomas (Tom) Van Arsdall, Director of Public Affairs
   Pollinator Partnership
   O-(540) 899-3023
   C-(703) 509-4746
   tva at pollinator.org