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(Model) POLLINATOR PROTECTION RESOLUTION for city, county, township, school district, gov. agency Promoting a healthy environment for bees, pollinators, beneficial insects and people too. WHEREAS: Globally, bees and other pollinators are responsible for at least a third or more of the food humans eat and their pollination services also provide food for other animals including wildlife; and are responsible for the pollination of key crops contributing over $19 billion worth of services to U.S. agriculture; and WHEREAS: The Worldwide Integrated Assessment, a review of 1,121 studies conducted by the Task Force on Systemic Pesticides, plus the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Special Registration Review of Neonicotinoids, both found that bees and other pollinators are threatened by exposure to pesticides, in particular, systemic insecticides including neonicotinoids and fipronil; and WHEREAS: Research shows multiple interacting causes are contributors to the severe decline of pollinator populations including pathogens, habitat loss, exposure to pesticides, and synergistic effects of herbicides, fungicides and insecticides; and WHEREAS: The Task Force on Systemic Pesticides is comprised of 29 independent scientists commissioned by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and after four years of analysis of 800 peer reviewed reports (not industry funded) of systemic pesticides, found clear evidence of harm sufficient to call on all governments around the world to immediately regulate and restrict the use of the systemic insecticides, including neonicotinoids and fipronil; and WHEREAS: There is concern that the pesticide industry will continue to develop new systemic pesticides that might be as dangerous or more dangerous than the current systemic pesticides; and WHEREAS: Bees and other pollinators have become weakened due to lack of nutrition since WWII when mono-cropping and herbicide use became prominent; and WHEREAS: The Task Force on Systemic Pesticides in their WIA report encourages farmers and other stewards of the land to replace pesticide use with regenerative growing techniques such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and organic practices instead of pesticides; and WHEREAS: We find these actions to be in the public interest and demonstrates the city’s commitment to a healthy community environment for people and pollinators. WHEREAS: The practices that help to protect pollinators such as planting habitat with native plants that help filter groundwater, reducing pesticide use, and educating the public on conservation practices, are also healthy for the environment and people too. Commented [DL1]: Commented [DL2]: Commented [DL3]: