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DEC Contact: Lori Severino | 518-402-8000 Press Office | pressoffice@dec.ny.gov
Press Contact: Jola Szubielski | 518-457-0752
June 20, 2016
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POLLINATOR AWARENESS WEEK PROCLAIMED IN NEW YORK STATEEvents being held Statewide to Celebrate and Educate the Public on Importance of Pollinators |
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The week of June 20-26 is proclaimed Pollinator Awareness Week in New York State with several events highlighting the importance of key species such as bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to the state's environment and agricultural economy, state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced today. As part of this national celebration, Governor Cuomo signed a proclamation commemorating the week and affirming that New York is committed to the promotion of the health and recovery of the pollinator population, which is the focus of a state agency task force. The task force is expected to shortly release its recommendations for actions to protect New York’s pollinator populations. “Pollination is the cornerstone of most ecosystems,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “Native pollinators, such as bees, butterflies and moths, beetles and other insects, and birds and small mammals, are critical to the health of our crops and natural resources. We are just beginning to understand how climate change, pesticide misuse and habitat loss – among other factors – affect pollinator health. I want to thank Governor Cuomo for designating this week as Pollinator Week to bring the attention of New Yorkers to the challenge of maintaining healthy pollinator populations.” “Pollinator Week is a great reminder of the importance of pollinators to our food supply and the agriculture industry, as well as the need to address their declining population,” said State Commissioner of Agriculture, Richard A. Ball. “These birds and insects provide a critical service to all of us as they make it possible for New York farmers to offer an amazing array of flowers and food. I applaud Governor Cuomo for making this designation to raise awareness about this issue, and for establishing an interagency task force to help identify ways to prevent the loss of more pollinators.” “Pollinators are at the core of a healthy environment which in turn promotes a healthy community. I commend Governor Cuomo for his consistent efforts to inform New Yorkers on pollinator populations and programs that teach us the impact they have on everyday life,” said State Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey. DEC and Agriculture and Markets are leading the Pollinator Protection Taskforce to examine and develop short and long-term solutions to address pollinator losses in the state and develop a statewide Pollinator Action Plan. Co-chaired by Commissioners Basil Seggos and Richard Ball, the taskforce consists of agency officials from the Department of Agriculture & Markets, DEC, Department of Transportation, Offices of General Services, State Parks, and key stakeholders. The Pollinator Taskforce focused on protecting New York's managed and native pollinators and stressors which harm their populations. The Governor’s Pollinator Week proclamation recognizes the importance of pollinators to the state's economy and biodiversity. The number of pollinators, including honey bees, native bees, bats, hummingbirds and butterflies, has dropped significantly over the past 50 years. Losses are likely caused by a combination of factors such as poor nutrition, loss of foraging habitat, parasites, pesticides, pathogens, lack of genetic diversity and poor land management practices. Pollinator Week provides an opportunity for New Yorkers to learn about the value of pollinators to our state's agricultural industry and ecosystems, and about how all can work to increase pollinator levels. Pollinators contribute substantially to the state’s economy. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, pollinators provide approximately $344 million worth of pollination services to New York and add $29 billion in value to crop production nationally each year. New York’s ability to produce crops such as apples, grapes, cherries, onions, pumpkins and cauliflower relies heavily on the presence of pollinators. To celebrate Pollinators Week, events highlighting the importance of pollinator planned across the state this week include: Monday, June 20, 2016
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Friday, June 24, 2016
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Sunday, June 26, 2016
NYS Excelsior Conservation Corps Pollination Education Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6W5VRrIGec To view the Pollinator Week Proclamation, visit https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/PollinatorWeek2016.pdf |
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