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Tom Van Arsdall  tva@pollinator.org  
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Sunny Boyd sun@pollinator.org
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A Pollinator Week Plea - Helping Bees is Everyone’s Job

It’s Easy; Just S.H.A.R.E.!

Did you know that pollinators are responsible for pollinating nearly one-third of every bite of food we eat, or that the global value of crops pollinated by bees is estimated to be nearly $217 billion?  These invaluable creatures are facing troubling declines in the U.S.  The Pollinator Partnership (P2) is the world’s largest organization dedicated exclusively to pollinator issues, supporting bees, butterflies, bats, birds, and more; and P2’s efforts are working to reverse and prevent declines. 

Simply Have Areas Reserved for the Environment
P2 advocates the S.H.A.R.E. approach to helping pollinators and the planet.  Every landscape can Simply Have Areas Reserved for the Environment – S.H.A.R.E.  When you plant for pollinators, everyone benefits: plants, pollinators, and people. 

As P2’s Executive Director, Laurie Davies Adams, explains, “Each of us lives in a habitat; and we have the opportunity, in fact, the responsibility, to nurture and promote healthy habitat.  By sharing a bit of lawn, a school yard, a farm border, an office landscape or a roadside with blooming pollinator-friendly plants, we create a connection that supports healthy ecosystems and a sustainable future.  All of our actions join to build something invaluable to the very plants and pollinators that feed us.”

Gardeners, land managers, farmers, individuals, corporations, schools, roadside landscapers, even golf course managers -  everyone with a window box or acres of land - are getting involved.  Learn more about S.H.A.R.E. by visiting www.pollinator.org/SHARE.htm.

And P2 has free and simple tools to help everyone S.H.A.R.E.  
P2 has brought you the first ever pollinator-friendly mobile app—FOR FREE!  The BeeSmart™ Pollinator Gardener app is a mobile version of P2’s nationally acclaimed Ecoregional Planting Guides. There’s an app for just about everything these days, but this is the only one dedicated solely to planting native plants for pollinators.  With the BeeSmart™ Pollinator Gardener app’s easy user interface, you can plug in your zip code and selected local varieties from a database of nearly 1,000 native plants!

S.H.A.R.E. is being launched during the 6th Annual Pollinator Week, an international celebration of the invaluable ecosystem services provided by pollinators. The week of June 18-24th will spotlight some fascinating and fundamental animals – the pollinators.  This year, Pollinator Week is recognized by official proclamations by both Sec. of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Sec. of Interior Ken Salazar.  This recognition of the agricultural and ecological roles of pollinators is coupled with proclamations by over 30 state governors.  One significant Pollinator Week event takes place on Monday, June 18 with a special U.S. Congressional Briefing in Washington, D.C., featuring the Congressional Pollinator Protection Caucus and USDA ARS Research Leader, Dr. Jeff Pettis and Jeff Underwood, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Deputy Assistant Director for Fisheries and Habitat Conservation.  Over 100 events are taking place across the country and the continent – see what is happening near you at http://pollinator.org/npw_events.htm. 

Burt’s Bees and Isabella Rosellini Present
Burt Talks to the Bees
Launching as part of a Pollinator Week initiative, Burt’s Bees introduces a series of three wonderfully fantastic and wildly educational films by Isabella Rossellini, actress, director, and uncanny “Burt” impersonator.  The films feature conversations with honey bee “actors” - the queen, the workers and a drone. View these charming and informative films at www.pollinator.org or www.burtsbees.com/wildforbees.   Coinciding with the launch of the films, Burt’s Bees will launch www.wildforbees.com providing all the information and tools people need to do their part for bees. 

NEW 2012 Pollinator Week Poster - Pollinator Pathways
From south to north and back again, the miraculous seasonal migrations of North American pollinating species in search of food, forage and nesting sites is a fragile, awe-inspiring treasure.  Check out the new 2012 poster, brought to you by NAPPC (North American Pollinator Protection Campaign) and the Pollinator Partnership. Beautifully illustrated by world renowned artist Steve Buchanan, the Pollinator Pathways poster is available to order online for only the cost of shipping and handling. Learn more about the poster and its NAPPC sponsors at www.pollinator.org/migratingposter2012.htm .

P2 Canada (P2C)
Pollinators don’t see political boundaries, and local solutions result in more successful conservation initiatives. Pollinator Partnership Canada, the first global diversification of the P2 organization, more effectively targets the unique opportunities and challenges faced by Canada’s pollinators and the ecosystems and economies that depend on them.
With a cooperative agreement with Wildlife Preservation Canada, P2C is developing a research and outreach plan to support species at risk and to help increase awareness about Canada’s pollinators. The Rusty-patched bumblebee is the focus of this effort under the direction of renowned bee scientist Sheila Colla.

ABOUT POLLINATOR WEEK - Organized and managed by the Pollinator Partnership (P2), Pollinator Week is a project of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (www.nappc.org). Established in 1997, P2 is the largest 501(c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the health, protection, and conservation of all pollinating animals. For further information on events taking place during Pollinator Week and to download free materials to create your own event, visit www.pollinator.org/pollinator_week_2012.htm or simply visit www.pollinator.org to donate!



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Pollinator Week
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