[Pollinator] Media Release-Pollinator Partnership's 10th Annual Pollinator Week

[Kelly Rourke]

*POLLINATOR PARTNERSHIP*

*MEDIA RELEASE *[Go to http://www.pollinator.org/PDFs/PWPressRelease2017.pdf
for Media Release with Images]



*Embargoed for release*


*June 19, 2017*

CONTACT

Tom Van Arsdall  TVA at pollinator.org 703.509.4746


Laurie Davies Adams LDA at pollinator.org 415.362.1137



*Pollinator Partnership’s 10th Annual Pollinator Week Leads*

*Support and Action for Pollinators in 2017 and Beyond *



Pollinator Week 2017 (June 19-25), marks the tenth consecutive year of
uniting the nation around the critically important issue of pollinator
conservation. *Pollinator Partnership (P2)*, which created and has
administered *Pollinator Week* since its inception, announced today that *ALL
50 state governors *(and many mayors), as well as the *U.S. Secretary of
Agriculture* *Sonny Perdue *and the* U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan
Zinke, *have authorized proclamations supporting the national observance of
Pollinator Week.  Additionally,* more than 160 events across North
America *have
been organized and registered through P2’s Pollinator Week webpage (a complete
list is available at www.pollinator.org/pollinatorweek/).



*Val Dolcini,* *President and CEO* of *Pollinator Partnership*, noted that
"As we celebrate Pollinator Week this year, we certainly focus on the
pollinators
that contribute so significantly to the biodiversity of our nation's
wildlands and working landscapes, but in a more fundamental way, we also
commend and honor the partnerships that have made for such important public
policy successes over the years.”



Pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, birds and other animals bring us 1
in 3 bites of food; protect our environment; and form the underpinnings of
a healthy and sustainable future. While overwintering numbers for both
honey bees and monarchs are slightly up - and a sign that some of our
efforts are paying off -for other pollinators the news is consistently
grim; the once prominent *rusty-patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis)* has
been listed as endangered in the US and Canada, a reminder of the fragile
nature of pollinator health.



Cities across North America celebrate Pollinator Week through numerous
local events, including in New York City, where the dating app *Bumble* has
erected a pop-up hive as a gathering place at 158 Mercer Street. P2 will
host an employee planting day at *noosa yoghurt’s* farm in Bellvue, Co., on
June 21 as a part of noosa’s larger *Blooms for Bees* program. On June 22,
the *Empire State Building* is lighting its cupula in yellow and black to
represent the nearly 4000 bees found in the United States and to support
the *National Wildlife Federation’s Wild in the City* program in New York
and to draw attention to the *Million Pollinator Garden Challenge*
<http://millionpollinatorgardens.org/>*.* The *CN Tower* in Toronto
and *Niagara
Falls* will also be illuminated to show support for pollinators. In
Washington, D.C., a Congressional briefing is being held by *the
Congressional Pollinator Protection Caucus,* and a reception sponsored by
the *American Society of Landscape Architects* (ASLA) and *Pollinator
Partnership *will engage policy makers in the Capitol.  A limited edition
*tee-shirt* has also been commissioned to help celebrate Pollinator Week.
To find out about all of the events by state and to order a *commemorative
shirt* (the proceeds of which support pollinator conservation efforts
including the *National Pollinator Garden Network*) visit
http://www.pollinator.org/pollinatorweek.



Pollinator Week showcases a new pollinator poster for the North American
Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC).   This 2017 poster, entitled *The
Monarch Highway*, was designed by *Stephanie Law*, an Oakland-based artist.
Featuring an eye-catching blend of aesthetic antiquity and natural detail,
the poster highlights the vital role that roadside habitats like the I-35
corridor can play in supporting monarchs as they travel between
overwintering grounds and summer breeding habitat.  The poster was
sponsored by over 30 organizations and government agencies and is available
at www.pollinator.org/poster2017.



With expanding programs in Canada, Pollinator Partnership has developed 7
new *Ecoregional Pollinator Planting Guides* for Canadian ecoregions. The
guides provide information for farmers, gardeners, and land managers on
local native plants and garden plants that can be used to support managed
and wild pollinators such as butterflies and bees. See all the guides for
the US and Canada at www.pollinator.org/guides.



Also announced this Pollinator Week is a collaborative effort that will
urge the monitoring of honey bee hives across North America during the week
of September 9 through the 16th in an effort to measure the level of
*Varroa* mite infestation.  The *“Mite-A-Thon” *is a major campaign that
coincides with the 30th anniversary of the discovery of *Varroa destructor*
in North America.  The *Mite-A-Thon’s *major sponsor is* Valmont Cosmetics*
in conjunction with sponsors *The Almond Board of California, Project Apis
m.,* *The* *American Beekeeping Federation, The American Honey Producer’s
Association, The Canadian Honey Council, Mite-Check from the University of
Maryland, The University of Michigan, The University of Minnesota Bee Lab,
The Honey Bee Health Coalition, *and* Pollinator Partnership. *“We are
hoping that the *Mite-A-Thon* drives an interest in hive monitoring just
before the important overwintering season.  Our Canadian partners have
outstanding research that mite-free hives fair better – we are hoping to
bring support for fulfilling one of the federal pollinator strategy goals –
reducing the overwintering deaths of honey bees,” said *P2’s* *Executive
Director Emeritus Laurie Davies Adams*.  Beekeeping organizations and
beekeepers are invited to participate; contact info at pollinator.org
<info at pollinator.org?subject=Pollinator%20Week> to get more information.



Pollinator Partnership will join forces with the iconic *Debbie Harry* and
*Blondie*, who are launching their own *Bee Connected* campaign to save
pollinators, following the recent release of their aptly titled *Pollinator*
album. These Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famers have shaped, and continue to
influence, the worlds of music, fashion and art.



In celebration of its 20th Anniversary, P2 has launched the *Support the
Bees™ Campaign* to further expand its programs to benefit pollinators. *Jamie
Sherman, COO of Pollinator Partnership* encourages donations and notes that
“with your help, the campaign hopes to raise $5 million over three years –
it will make a real difference for pollinator health, habitat, and
conservation throughout North America.” Visit
www.pollinator.org/support-the-bees/ to learn more.



*ABOUT POLLINATOR PARTNERSHIP (P2)*

Established in 1997, 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
www.pollinator.org.
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