{"id":35521,"date":"2024-06-17T00:01:24","date_gmt":"2024-06-17T04:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=35521"},"modified":"2024-06-17T16:30:10","modified_gmt":"2024-06-17T20:30:10","slug":"national-pollinator-week-starts-today-with-opportunities-for-action-every-day-of-the-week-june-17-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2024\/06\/national-pollinator-week-starts-today-with-opportunities-for-action-every-day-of-the-week-june-17-23\/","title":{"rendered":"National Pollinator Week Starts Today with Opportunities for Action Every Day of the Week (June 17-23)"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

(Beyond Pesticides<\/em>, June 17, 2024) Every year, Beyond Pesticides announces National Pollinator Week\u2014this year beginning today, June 17\u2014to remind eaters of food, gardeners, farmers, communities (including park districts to school districts), civic organizations, responsible corporations, policy makers, and legislators that there are actions that can be taken that are transformative. All the opportunities for action to protect pollinators, and the ecosystems that are critical to their survival, can collectively be transformational in eliminating toxic pesticides that are major contributors to the collapse of biodiversity. This is why Beyond Pesticides starts most discussions and strategic actions for meaningful pollinator and biodiversity protection with the transition to practicing and supporting organic.<\/p>\r\n

In launching National Pollinator Week, Beyond Pesticides makes suggestions<\/a> for individual actions to increase efforts to think and act holistically to protect the environment that supports pollinators. The impact that people have starts with grocery store purchases and the management of gardens, parks, playing fields, and pubic lands. The introduction of pesticides into our food supply and our managed lands has contributed to a downward spiral that is unsustainable. The good news is that it is now proven that we do not need toxic pesticides to grow food productively and profitably<\/a> and that these chemicals are not required to manage ballfields, parks, and public spaces.<\/p>\r\n

That is why in very realistic terms Beyond Pesticides says that pollinator protection starts with organic practices. Pollinators\u2014bees, butterflies, birds, bats, and other organisms\u2014make a critical contribution to plant health, crop productivity, and the preservation of natural resources, but their existence is threatened by their pesticide-contaminated habitat. Throughout the week, Beyond Pesticides will suggest actions that can be taken to promote the health of pollinators. Although these actions can include the establishment of pollinator-friendly plants, the first step is providing a safe place for pollinators to live, eat, reproduce, and take refuge from predators and adverse weather. In this context, pollinator conservation begins with organic management of their environment.<\/p>\r\n

A great way to get grounded in Pollinator Week
\r\n<\/strong>See the keynote talk by David Goulson, PhD<\/a> from Beyond Pesticides 40th<\/sup> National Forum, Forging a Future with Nature<\/em>. In his book,\u00a0A Sting in the Tale\u00a0<\/em>(2013), Dr. Goulson writes, \u201cWe need worms to create soil; flies and beetles and fungi to break down dung; ladybirds and hoverflies to eat greenfly; bees and butterflies to pollinate plants to provide food, oxygen, fuel and medicines and hold the soil together; and bacteria to help plants fix nitrogen and to help cows to digest grass. . . [yet] we often choose to squander the irreplaceable, to discard those things that both keep us alive and make life worth living. Perhaps if we learn to save a bee today we can save the world tomorrow?\u201d He is also the author of the\u00a0Sunday Times<\/em>\u00a0bestseller The Garden Jungle:\u00a0or Gardening to Save the Planet\u00a0<\/em>(2019).\u00a0 And in his most recent book,\u00a0Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse<\/em>\u00a0(2021), he writes, \u201cWe have to learn to live in harmony with nature, seeing ourselves as part of it, not trying to rule and control it with an iron fist. Our survival depends on it, as does that of the glorious pageant of life with which we share out planet.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

More background
\r\n<\/strong>Pollinators\u2013\u2013bees, butterflies, birds, bats, and other organisms\u2013\u2013make a critical contribution to plant health, crop productivity, and the preservation of natural resources. However, pesticides consistently act as a\u00a0key contributor to dramatic pollinator declines<\/a>. Much research attributes the decline of insect\u00a0pollinators<\/a>\u00a0over the last several decades to the interaction of multiple environmental stressors, from climate change to pesticide use, disease, habitat destruction, and other factors. Roughly a quarter of the global insect population has disappeared since 1990, according to research published in the\u00a0journal\u00a0Science<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0Monarchs are nearing extinction<\/a>, and\u00a0beekeepers continue to experience declines<\/a>\u00a0that are putting them out of business. We\u00a0continue to lose mayflies<\/a>, the foundation of many food chains,\u00a0and fireflies<\/a>, the foundation of many childhood summer memories. The declines in many bird species likely have close links to insect declines. Recent research finds that\u00a0three billion birds, or 29% of bird abundance, have been lost since the 1970s<\/a>. In a world where habitat loss and fragmentation show no sign of abating, scientists have concluded that the globe cannot afford to continue to subject its critically important wild insects to these combined threats.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Toxic pesticide residues also threaten ecosystem functions needed to support life, frequently found in\u00a0soils<\/a>, water (solid<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0liquid<\/a>), and the surrounding\u00a0air<\/a>\u00a0at levels\u00a0exceeding<\/a>\u00a0U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. The scientific literature demonstrates pesticides\u2019 long history of adverse environmental effects, especially on\u00a0wildlife<\/a>,\u00a0biodiversity<\/a>, and\u00a0human health<\/a>. Notably, pesticides are immensely harmful to pollinators. The pervasiveness of pesticide exposure combined with climate change\u00a0threatens global species biodiversity<\/a>. The globe is currently undergoing Earth\u2019s sixth mass extinction<\/a>, with one million species of plants and animals at risk. With the increasing rate of biodiversity loss, it is essential to provide protection from pesticides by adopting organic agriculture and land care methods. A study in the journal Nature<\/em><\/a> found that, \u201cThe interaction between indices of historical climate warming and intensive agricultural land use is associated with reductions of almost 50% in abundance and 27% in the number of species within insect assemblages relative to those in less-disturbed habitats with lower rates of historical climate warming.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Over the last\u00a0decade and a half<\/a>, increasing scientific evidence shows a clear connection between the role of pesticides in the decline of honey bees and wild pollinators. In the U.S., an increasing number of pollinators, including the\u00a0American bumblebee<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0monarch butterfly<\/a>, are being added or in consideration for listing under the Endangered Species Act<\/em>, with specific chemical classes like systemic neonicotinoid insecticides putting\u00a089% or more of U.S. endangered species at risk.<\/a>\u00a0Pesticides intensify pollinators\u2019 vulnerability to health risks (such as pathogens and parasites), with pesticide-contaminated conditions limiting\u00a0colony productivity, growth, and survival<\/a>. Past research finds that notorious bee-killing neonicotinoid insecticides kill bees outright, resulting in a range of complex damage, including\u00a0their ability to impede bees\u2019 olfactory senses<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0adversely affects their vision and flying ability<\/a>. Other chemicals like glyphosate\u00a0weaken bees\u2019 ability to distinguish between colors.\u00a0<\/a>A 2018 study<\/a>\u00a0found that commonly used neonicotinoid insecticides begin to kill off bumblebees during their nest-building phase, as exposure makes it more difficult for a queen to establish a nest. Exposure to neonicotinoids results in bumblebee colonies that are\u00a0much smaller<\/a>\u00a0than colonies not exposed to these systemic insecticides. Spray applications of various agrichemicals affect the visitation patterns of pollinators through a range of different processes. Neonicotinoid exposure\u00a0decreases pollination<\/a>\u00a0frequency, resulting in fewer social interactions as the chemical\u00a0alters bumblebee feeding behavior<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0degrades the effectiveness of bumblebees\u2019 classic \u201cbuzz pollination\u201d process.<\/a>\u00a0A study published in 2017<\/a>\u00a0determined that fungicides also play a significant role in bumblebee declines by increasing susceptibility to pathogens.<\/p>\r\n

Organic practices require not only refraining from the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, but also taking positive actions to promote biodiversity. Providing organic habitats\u00a0can protect pollinators, and all species, including humans, that depend on their ecosystem services.<\/p>\r\n

We launch Pollinator Week 2024 with our webpage of actions below. Everything here you can find on our webpage, National Pollinator Week Kicks Off with a Week of Actions<\/a>!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\r\n

M<\/strong>onday<\/strong>
\r\n<\/strong>Pollinator Protection Starts with Organic Practices<\/em><\/strong>
\r\n<\/em><\/strong>The week of June 17 is National Pollinator Week, which allows us to recognize\u2014and take action to protect\u2014these vital ecosystem members. >>Tell your Governor to adopt organic practices on state lands.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

In addition, millions of miles of roads, utility lines, railroad corridors, and other types ofrights-of-way<\/a>\u00a0(ROWs) are treated with pesticides to control unwanted plants and insects. Some states have addressed the risk of using pesticides along ROWs by developing integrated pest management (IPM) programs, restricting when and where pesticides can be applied on ROWs and\/or providing no-spray agreements. Planting native vegetation, using mechanical, biological, and least-toxic vegetation control methods are effective in reducing and eliminating toxic pesticide applications.<\/p>\r\n

What can we do?<\/a> Encourage your community to develop an\u00a0integrated roadside vegetation management program\u00a0<\/a>for roadside management. Cut, girdle, mow or use grazing animals whenever possible as a mechanical means to eradicate unwanted vegetation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Establish a roadside wildflower program that plants native flower and grass species, especially those that are attractive to bees and other pollinators.<\/span>\u00a0Avoid pesticides such as 2,4-D, glyphosate (Roundup), dicamba, picloram, and triclopyr for roadside management.\u00a0<\/span>Look to our Pesticide Gateway page for more information!<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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\"🐝\"<\/span>\u00a0 Monday’s featured image: “Bumble and Lupine” by Barbara from Bend, OR!<\/div>\r\n
\u00a0<\/div>\r\n
Tuesday
\r\n<\/strong>Become an organic parks advocate in your community.<\/em><\/strong><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

Envision an organic community where local parks, playing fields, and greenways are managed without unnecessary\u00a0toxic pesticides, children and pets are safe to run around on the grass, and bees and other pollinators are safeguarded from toxic chemicals. At Beyond Pesticides, this is the future we envision and are working to achieve.<\/em>
\r\n
\r\n<\/strong>Our\u00a0Parks for a Sustainable Future\u00a0<\/a>program is an in-depth training assists community land managers in transitioning two public green spaces to organic landscape management, while aiming to provide the knowledge and skills necessary to eventually transition all public areas in a locality to these safer practices.<\/p>\r\n

Beyond Pesticides is interested in working with you to encourage your community to transition to organic. Our training program starts small, with two pilot sites, but often becomes the basis for broader change to land care practices throughout the entire community.<\/p>\r\n

Sign up to be a Parks Advocate today<\/a>\u00a0to let us know you\u2019re willing to speak with local leaders about the importance of this program.<\/p>\r\n

Wednesday
\r\n<\/strong>Juneteenth and Environmental Justice<\/em><\/strong>
\r\n<\/em><\/strong>As Pollinator Week coincides with the Juneteenth celebration, the time is now to renew our commitment to environmental justice while seeking the adoption of transformational policies and practices that recognize the urgency to address disproportionate harm inflicted by toxic pesticide use.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Those fighting for environmental justice understand that the harms inflicted by toxic chemical production and use cause disproportionate adverse effects on people of color\u2014from fenceline communities near chemical production plants to the hazardous and inhumane working conditions in agricultural fields, to the elevated risk factors for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) from toxic pesticide exposure.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In a 2022 interview with Southern Environmental Law Center<\/a>, Robert Bullard, PhD \u2013 known as the father of environmental justice \u2013 defines environmental justice as the embracement of \u201cthe principle that all communities, all people, are entitled to equal protection of our environmental laws, housing laws, transportation laws…civil rights laws, human rights laws, and health laws and regulations.\u201d Earlier this year, Dr. Bullard co-wrote a report for the Brookings Institute<\/a> entitled, US pesticide regulation is failing the hardest-hit communities. It\u2019s time to fix it<\/em>,<\/a> that describes U.S. Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s (EPA) failure to live up to its environmental justice commitments as laid out in various presidential directives under the Biden Administration.<\/p>\r\n

You can speak up for environmental justice and urge EPA and other federal agencies to adopt meaningful programs that take out of the pipeline of production, use, storage, and disposal hazardous chemicals that are having disproportionate adverse effects in people of color communities. >> Take action by telling EPA that it needs to make environmental justice connections<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

Become an advocate for targeted support for small-scale organic farmers<\/a> facing unprecedented uncertainty. See Agricultural Justice<\/a> to learn more about the origins of Beyond Pesticides and a commitment to organic land management principles after witnessing farmworker occupational and living conditions. See Keeping Organic Strong<\/a> to learn about our priorities for equity and the environmental justice benefits<\/a> of an organic food system.<\/p>\r\n

Two organizations you can support on Juneteenth:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n