Last month, 50,000 bumble bees died after trees in Wilsonville, Oregon were sprayed with dinotefuran, the neonicotinoid ingredient in Safari pesticide. This was the largest bee die-off ever recorded. Pollinators Such as honeybees, bumble bees, butterflies, and other insects play an important role in our farms, flower gardens, and food system. In fact, some of the crops most important to Oregon’s agricultural economy blueberries, raspberries, cherries, apples, vegetable seed, squash are reliant on bees for pollination and reproduction. More than 70% of America’s food sources are pollinated by bees and the worldwide economic value of these crops is as high as $200 billion a year.
With bee populations declining across the country at an alarming rate, I urge you to support the "Save America's Pollinators Act" to restrict the use of these chemicals until we can be assured that they are safe and being used properly.
Why should we care?
From flowers to chocolate, berries to tequila, pollinators are integral to the planet, economy, and many aspects of our lives. In fact, the USDA estimates that about one in every three bites of food is either directly or indirectly made possible because of bee pollination. Both our environment and food supply are inextricably tied to the welfare of bees, making the decrease in bee population a cause for great alarm.
The Save America’s Pollinators Act of 2013 directs the Environmental Protection Agency to suspend use of the most bee toxic neonicotinoids for use in seed treatment, soil application, or foliar treatment on bee attractive plants within 180 days, and to review these neonicotinoids and make a new determination about their proper application and safe use.
Raising the public awareness of the integral role of pollinators to the world, the precarious state of their population, and what we can do to protect them is of the utmost importance. I’ll hope you’ll join me as a citizen co-sponsor of this important legislation.
What you can do to help:
1. Email/ Call your Congressman (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/CA, http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/)
2. Sign the credo petition in support, http://org.credoaction.com/petitions/tell-congress-stop-the-pesticide-that-is-killing-bees?akid=8472.818261.es4p4h&rd=1&t=4
3. Learn more about it from Congressman Earl Blumenauer's website, http://blumenauer.house.gov/images/stories/2013/Save_Americas_Pollinators_One_Pager.pdf
With bee populations declining across the country at an alarming rate, I urge you to support the "Save America's Pollinators Act" to restrict the use of these chemicals until we can be assured that they are safe and being used properly.
Why should we care?
From flowers to chocolate, berries to tequila, pollinators are integral to the planet, economy, and many aspects of our lives. In fact, the USDA estimates that about one in every three bites of food is either directly or indirectly made possible because of bee pollination. Both our environment and food supply are inextricably tied to the welfare of bees, making the decrease in bee population a cause for great alarm.
The Save America’s Pollinators Act of 2013 directs the Environmental Protection Agency to suspend use of the most bee toxic neonicotinoids for use in seed treatment, soil application, or foliar treatment on bee attractive plants within 180 days, and to review these neonicotinoids and make a new determination about their proper application and safe use.
Raising the public awareness of the integral role of pollinators to the world, the precarious state of their population, and what we can do to protect them is of the utmost importance. I’ll hope you’ll join me as a citizen co-sponsor of this important legislation.
What you can do to help:
1. Email/ Call your Congressman (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/CA, http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/)
2. Sign the credo petition in support, http://org.credoaction.com/petitions/tell-congress-stop-the-pesticide-that-is-killing-bees?akid=8472.818261.es4p4h&rd=1&t=4
3. Learn more about it from Congressman Earl Blumenauer's website, http://blumenauer.house.gov/images/stories/2013/Save_Americas_Pollinators_One_Pager.pdf
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