CATCH THE BUZZ – International Celebrations Mark Pollinator Partnership’s 11th Annual Pollinator Week.

Pollinator Week 2018 (June 18-24), marks the eleventh consecutive year of bringing greater awareness to the critically important issue of pollinator conservation. Pollinator Partnership (P2), which founded Pollinator Week in 2007, announced today that ALL 50 state governors (and many mayors), as well as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, have signed proclamations supporting the observance of National Pollinator Week. In addition, more than 250 events across North America have been organized and registered through P2’s Pollinator Week webpage (view the complete list at www.pollinator.org/pollinatorweek/).

Val Dolcini, President and CEO of Pollinator Partnership, noted that “As we celebrate Pollinator Week throughout the U.S and Canada, we continue to focus our work on the pollinators that contribute so significantly to the biodiversity of wildlands and working landscapes, but in a more fundamental way, we also honor the partnerships that have made for such important public policy successes over the years.”

Pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, birds and other animals bring us 1 in 3 bites of food; promote ecosystem health; lay the foundation for a sustainable future. While we are seeing some signs of the benefits of conservation efforts, many species of pollinators are in grave peril.

Communities throughout North America and beyond celebrate Pollinator Week by organizing local events such as native plants sales, beekeeping classes, pollinator themed meals or mixers, and more! As a result of P2’s coordination, seven major landmarks will be lit up in pollinator colors this week including Niagara Falls, San Francisco City Hall, and the British Columbia Legislature building. In addition, P2 will be co-hosting a variety of events in Washington, D.C., including a Congressional briefing held by the Congressional Pollinator Protection Caucus, a Bureau of Land Management film screening of The Guardians, and a reception hosted at the Smithsonian Gardens’ Enid A. Haupt Garden, all of which will engage pollinator friends in the United States Capitol. Lastly, the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge whose goal is to register 1 million pollinator gardens on virtual map has gained momentum leading up to Pollinator Week, with only 300K to go! Bee counted by registering today. Get more information and resources at http://www.pollinator.org/pollinatorweek.