On the day in which the Minnesota House Ways and Means Committee moved HF1076, the Environment and Natural Resources Omnibuzz bill, we received news of some pollinator-related news.
In an email from the Environmental Quality Board, we learned:
The EQB collaborated with the Minnesota Lottery to create the Bee Lucky scratch ticket that features the endangered rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis), Minnesota’s state bee.
The Interagency Pollinator Protection Team and Dr. Elaine Evans from the UMN Bee Lab worked together to provide the technical and scientific information that populates the Bee Lucky ticket landing page, and the Bee Informed box included in each ticket. This ticket will raise awareness about Minnesota’s imperiled pollinators and ways to help them. Additionally, Bee Lucky ticket sales will generate lottery proceeds that support environmental projects, including improving pollinator habitat.
Directed to the Minnesota Lottery's news release page, we read in State Bee is the star of the Bee Lucky Scratch Ticket:
Pollinators like the rusty patched bumble bee help support Minnesota’s environment and economy. That’s why the Minnesota Lottery has created a very special scratch ticket with help from our friends at the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board.
Bee Lucky scratch tickets—starring Minnesota’s state bee, the rusty patched bumble bee—land in retailers across Minnesota on April 6. Each ticket is $2. Players have a chance to win up to $10,000 instantly.
In addition to featuring one of Minnesota’s most buzz-worthy pollinators, Bee Lucky scratch tickets include a special “Bee Informed” box. Players scratch the Bee Informed box to reveal facts about Minnesota’s pollinators.
“The Environmental Quality Board is excited to collaborate with the Minnesota Lottery to produce the Bee Lucky scratch ticket,” said Katie Pratt, EQB Executive Director. "This ticket will raise awareness about Minnesota’s state bee—the endangered rusty patched bumble bee—and generate lottery proceeds that support environmental projects including improving pollinator habitat. While Minnesota is making progress on pollinator protection, it will take all of us to protect our state bee and other imperiled pollinators.”
The rusty patched bumble bee became Minnesota’s state bee in 2019. The rusty patched bumble bee has been listed as federally endangered since 2017.
“The Minnesota Lottery is happy that we can help play our part to raise awareness about Minnesota’s native pollinators,” said Minnesota Lottery Executive Director Adam Prock. “We are grateful for the work that The Environmental Quality Board and so many others have done for Minnesota’s environment.”
Playing Our Part for MN since 1990
The Lottery has generated more than $3.3 billion for programs that positively impact the lives of Minnesotans. More than $1.4 billion has helped preserve, restore and protect Minnesota’s environment through the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, Game and Fish Fund and the Natural Resources Fund. Approximately $1.9 billion has helped fund state programs through the General Fund, including education, public safety and health and human services.
We don't usually gamble, but we may have to buzz over to Ortonville and buy a couple of scratch cards to help out our little bumble bee friends.
Lawns to Legumes 🌱Pilot Program – 🐝Environmental Initiative Awards. @Morrison4MN #mnleg #savethebees @CariveauLab https://t.co/gSlP1hBpIf
— Rep. Rick Hansen (@reprickhansen) April 13, 2021
In other news, we received an email from the Environmental Initiative announcing its 2021 Awards. Minnesota's Lawns to Legumes Pilot Program won the 2021 Large Scale Sustainability Impact Project:
Pollinators like butterflies, moths, beetles, and native flies all play a key role in pollinating many food crops and native plants, but populations have significantly declined worldwide in recent years.
Lawns to Legumes seeks to combat population decline by creating new pollinator habitat and habitat corridors that provide food sources and nesting space for pollinators. The program includes landowner technical and financial support, neighborhood demonstration projects, and an outreach campaign.
To engage residents across the state and shift landscape practices, collaboration was needed with many partners. Metro Blooms and BlueThumb – Planting for Clean Water coordinated workshops, provided coaching to residents and helped distribute cost share funding for residential installations. Cities, counties, conservation districts, tribes and nonprofits are collaborating in demonstration neighborhoods. The Minneapolis College of Art and Design played a key role in developing outreach materials and social media assets to support the awareness campaign.
More than 100 partners are actively engaged, 100 volunteer coaches have assisted individual residents, and the program was featured widely in the media. Equity benefits of this pilot program are being assessed to more effectively benefit underserved populations.
The page then directs readers to the Board of Water and Soil Resources' Lawns to Legumes: Your Yard Can BEE the Change page.
The Environmental Initative describes itself as:
- Are a nonprofit organization working with business, nonprofit, government and community leaders to address complex and systemic issues.
- Facilitate conversations addressing environmental, economic, and public health issues between diverse stakeholders as we work toward social equity and environmental health.
- Take action and implement on-the-ground projects to improve our air, land, and water for all beings.
- Plan and host events for environmental leaders from businesses, nonprofits, government and most-impacted communities to share information, network and learn from one another.
Related posts:
- After robust mark-up, Minnesota House omnibus agriculture bill gains approval on 9-4 vote
- Lawns to Legumes program earned great media for MN; 5 GOP senators want to rob funding
- BWSR accepting applications for Lawns to Legumes grants for Fall 2020 projects
- BWSR accepting applications from MN residents, local orgs for Lawns to Legumes Grants
- O! my! Minnesota's #Lawns2Legumes makes Live Your Best Life list in Oprah Magazine
- MN Corn Growers Association "watched" plan to list new state bee as endangered, part one
Image: The Bee Lucky lottery ticket
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