By Katie Buckley
Pollinator Health Coordinator
Bees and other pollinators are critical to agriculture, food
security, and our state’s overall ecosystem. In Washington, there are more than
400 species of bees as well as pollinating butterflies and moths, wasps, flies,
beetles, and hummingbirds. Unfortunately, pollinators face increasing threats
from habitat destruction and degradation, invasive species, pests and diseases,
pesticides, and climate change.
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| A bee pollinates a sunflower. |
In May, Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law 2SSB 5253, a
bill that adopts recommendations made by a pollinator health task force last
fall, after the group had spent a year examining ways to help protect our
precious pollinators.
Nearly all recommendations made by the task force were
included in the bill, which was fully funded, and helps pollinators in a
variety of ways, including:
- Helping to create more habitat on state, public, and private lands.
- Increasing education around pollinators, pollinator habitat, and pesticide use.
- Reviewing neonicotinoid (new nicotine-like insecticide) impacts on pollinators.
- Restricting use of non-native bumble bees in open agricultural use.
- Providing research on pollinator populations.
The pollinator health task force has now resumed meeting in
order to come up with an implementation plan for all the projects the new bill
encompasses. The task force is also scheduled to extend until at least 2024 to
aid with actual implementation.
This has been a significant win for pollinators and
pollinator health in Washington. With monarch butterflies and the Western
bumble bee currently under consideration for listing under the federal
Endangered Species Act, it is becoming more critical that we all recognize the
ways we can help pollinators. They are some of the few types of wildlife where
backyard conservation can make a real difference.
Similarly, the growers that we work with can also be part of
the solution. The grant program created by the Sustainable
Farms and Fields Act will prioritize grants with pollinator habitat
included. Farms can also take advantage of the Natural Resources Conversation
Service, Conservation Stewardship Program to increase beneficial insect habitat
on their property. Tree fruit growers are increasingly seeing that having a
diversity of pollinators in their orchards leads to better yields.
Whether you’re in the agriculture industry, or not, everyone
can help, one packet of wildflower seeds at a time.
For more ways to get
involved, visit Pollinator Week. You can also visit our website to learn
more about the pollinator health task force or contact our pollinator health coordinator Katie Buckley.