Back in August 2016, Bluestem reported Governor Mark Dayton issues executive order to reverse bee decline, restore MN pollinator health. The media event announcing the order took place at the Minnesota State Fair. Included in the news of the executive order:
A Governor’s Committee on Pollinator Protection also will be established to advise the Governor and state agencies on pollinator policies and programs. Up to 15 members will be appointed to ensure that Minnesota citizens have a seat at the table in shaping the solutions that will ensure a healthy pollinator population and the continued strength of our agriculture economy. Applications will be accepted through the Secretary of State’s open appointments process.
In a Friday, pre-Thanksgiving week news dump over two years later, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has sent out the following email:
November 21st Environmental Quality Board meeting.The Governor's Committee report is attached . . .
That meeting is the day before Thanksgiving. From the executive summary of the report (embedded below):
It is the intention of the Governor’s Committee on Pollinator Protection that decision makers in the Minnesota governor’s office, state agencies, and the legislature will use this document to help prioritize and enact meaningful policy and other positive changes for pollinators in our state. The committee hopes that many of the recommendations in this document will be selected, refined, and enacted to measurably benefit Minnesota’s pollinators.
It is important to note that this is largely an informational, rather than directional, document. The 39 recommendations presented in this document were contributed by committee members and represent a wide range of perspectives and approaches. Our committee decided to list the full array of ideas that were seriously discussed by our group, along with the results of a voting process (see the Recommendations for Pollinator Protection section and Appendices A and B).
We organized the recommendations under three goals, abbreviated here as: 1) Habitat, 2) Pesticides, and 3) Education. Committee members voted in two ways. Members individually registered their support, opposition, or neutral position for each recommendation. Additionally, committee members elevated, or prioritized, a set number of recommendations within each goal. We have highlighted high-priority recommendations with broad support under each goal, as we believe they are the most likely to gain traction in Minnesota and be highly beneficial to pollinators.
Here's the report:
Minnesota Governor’s Committee on Pollinator Protection Recommendations 2018-2 uploaded by Sally Jo Sorensen on Scribd
We'll read and comment on the report as we get through it.
Photo: Honeybees.
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