Pollinator Protection Package Introduced

Saturday, June 26th, 2021 -- 6:53 AM

Representative Lee Snodgrass and Senator Melissa Agard introduced the Pollinator Protection Package of four bills to the state legislature on Thursday.

Overall, the package aims to promote a healthy and robust pollinator population in Wisconsin.

The individual bills ask the state to prohibit the usage of certain insecticides by state agencies within one mile of pollinator habitats, allow local governments to limit or prohibit usage of certain insecticides, and require proper labeling of plants that had received insecticide treatments at greenhouses or plant shops. Finally, the lawmakers ask that June 2021 be recognized as Wisconsin Pollinator Awareness Month.

Within the last 20 years, Wisconsin has seen an 87% decrease in its rusty patch bee population. In 2017, the species was the first of the bees to be put on the endangered species list. Snodgrass hopes that with the action of these bills, more Wisconsinites will take it upon themselves to look out for the pollinators and all that they do.

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