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2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
2023 ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTIO N 64
July 27, 2023 - Introduced by Representatives SNODGRASS, CONSIDINE, C.
ANDERSON, J. ANDERSON, ANDRACA, BALDEH, BEHNKE, CABRERA, CONLEY,
EMERSON, HAYWOOD, HONG, JACOBSON, JOERS, MOORE OMOKUNDE, OHNSTAD,
ORTIZ-VELEZ, PALMERI, RATCLIFF, SCHUTT, SHANKLAND, SHELTON, SINICKI,
STUBBS, SUBECK and VINING, cosponsored by Senators PFAFF, AGARD, BALLWEG,
CARPENTER, HESSELBEIN, LARSON, ROYS and SPREITZER. Referred to Committee
on Rules.
***AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***
Relating to: designating June 2023 as Pollinator Awareness Month in Wisconsin.
Whereas, bees, butterflies, and other pollinator species have a critically
important role in agriculture in the United States and help to produce a healthy and
affordable food supply and sustain ecosystem health; and
Whereas, pollinators are responsible for the reproduction of 90 percent of the
world's wild plant species by providing them with a healthy habitat rich in a variety
of native plants that are free or nearly free of pesticides; and
Whereas, thanks to the more than 400 species of native pollinators in
Wisconsin, along with honeybees, we have very diverse dietary choices rich in fruits,
nuts, and vegetables; and
Whereas, pollinators help to produce an estimated one out of every three bites
of food consumed in the United States and help reproduce at least 80 percent of
flowering plants; and
Whereas, commodities produced in partnership with animal pollinators
generate $6.5 million in annual production, with domestic honeybees alone
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pollinating an estimated $14.6 billion worth of crops in the United States each year
produced on more than two million acres; and
Whereas, there are approximately 20,000 bee species in the world, 3,600 in the
United States, and 400 in Wisconsin; and
Whereas, in Wisconsin, pollinator-dependent crops are harvested on over
100,800 acres, with apple, cranberry, cherry, green bean, and pickling cucumber
crops accounting for over $230 million in annual production; and
Whereas, bees and other pollinators have experienced population declines due
to a combination of habitat loss, use of pesticides, and the spread of pests and
diseases; and
Whereas, residents of Wisconsin have the opportunity to support bees and other
pollinators on both public and private land; and
Whereas, the State of Wisconsin seeks to ensure a healthy environment and
create policies that sustain our environment; and
Whereas, supporting native honeybees and other pollinators promotes
environmental awareness, sustainability, and increases interactions among
community stewards such as commercial and backyard beekeepers, farmers,
children, educators, Master Gardeners, plant nurseries, municipalities,
neighborhoods, and garden clubs and suppliers; and
Whereas, the ideal pollinator-friendly habitat provides diverse and abundant
nectar and pollen from plants blooming in succession throughout the growing
season; provides undisturbed spaces such as leaf and brush piles, un-mowed fields
or field margins, and fallen trees and other dead wood for nesting and overwintering
for wild pollinators; provides water for drinking, nest-building, cooling, diluting
stored honey, and butterfly puddling; is pesticide-free or has pesticide use carried
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out with the least ill effects possible on pollinators; is comprised of mostly, if not all,
native species of annual and perennial flowering plants, grasses, vines, shrubs, and
trees in landscapes because many wild pollinators prefer or depend on the native
plants with which they coadapted; includes, where possible, designated pollinator
zones in public spaces with signage to educate the public and build awareness; and
provides for safe and humane removal of honeybees when required; and
Whereas, No Mow May, a municipal effort encouraging homeowners to reduce
their mowing intensity to provide forage for native pollinators, began in Appleton in
2020 and has expanded throughout Fox Cities municipalities to include the
communities of Appleton, Fox Crossing, Oshkosh, De Pere, Fort Atkinson, and
Hortonville; and
Whereas, a peer-reviewed scientific study of the effects of No Mow May and the
community-wide delay in early May lawn care, specifically mowing early growth
flowering plants, revealed that these efforts precipitated a five-fold increase in bee
species prevalence and a three-fold increase in bee species diversity; and
Whereas, possible declines in the health and population of pollinators pose
what could be a significant threat to global food webs, the integrity of biodiversity,
and human health; and
Whereas, it is in the strong economic interest of agricultural producers and
consumers in Wisconsin to help ensure a healthy and sustainable pollinator
population; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That the Wisconsin
Legislature designates June 2023 as Pollinator Awareness Month in Wisconsin.
(END)
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