Wisconsin 2023-2024 Regular Session

Wisconsin Assembly Bill AJR64 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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3	3	2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
4	4	2023 ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTIO N 64
5	5	July 27, 2023 - Introduced by Representatives SNODGRASS, CONSIDINE, C.
6	6	ANDERSON, J. ANDERSON, ANDRACA, BALDEH, BEHNKE, CABRERA, CONLEY,
7	7	EMERSON, HAYWOOD, HONG, JACOBSON, JOERS, MOORE OMOKUNDE, OHNSTAD,
8	8	ORTIZ-VELEZ, PALMERI, RATCLIFF, SCHUTT, SHANKLAND, SHELTON, SINICKI,
9	9	STUBBS, SUBECK and VINING, cosponsored by Senators PFAFF, AGARD, BALLWEG,
10	10	CARPENTER, HESSELBEIN, LARSON, ROYS and SPREITZER. Referred to Committee
11	11	on Rules.
12	12	*AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE*
13	13	Relating to: designating June 2023 as Pollinator Awareness Month in Wisconsin.
14	14	Whereas, bees, butterflies, and other pollinator species have a critically
15	15	important role in agriculture in the United States and help to produce a healthy and
16	16	affordable food supply and sustain ecosystem health; and
17	17	Whereas, pollinators are responsible for the reproduction of 90 percent of the
18	18	world's wild plant species by providing them with a healthy habitat rich in a variety
19	19	of native plants that are free or nearly free of pesticides; and
20	20	Whereas, thanks to the more than 400 species of native pollinators in
21	21	Wisconsin, along with honeybees, we have very diverse dietary choices rich in fruits,
22	22	nuts, and vegetables; and
23	23	Whereas, pollinators help to produce an estimated one out of every three bites
24	24	of food consumed in the United States and help reproduce at least 80 percent of
25	25	flowering plants; and
26	26	Whereas, commodities produced in partnership with animal pollinators
27	27	generate $6.5 million in annual production, with domestic honeybees alone
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46	46	pollinating an estimated $14.6 billion worth of crops in the United States each year
47	47	produced on more than two million acres; and
48	48	Whereas, there are approximately 20,000 bee species in the world, 3,600 in the
49	49	United States, and 400 in Wisconsin; and
50	50	Whereas, in Wisconsin, pollinator-dependent crops are harvested on over
51	51	100,800 acres, with apple, cranberry, cherry, green bean, and pickling cucumber
52	52	crops accounting for over $230 million in annual production; and
53	53	Whereas, bees and other pollinators have experienced population declines due
54	54	to a combination of habitat loss, use of pesticides, and the spread of pests and
55	55	diseases; and
56	56	Whereas, residents of Wisconsin have the opportunity to support bees and other
57	57	pollinators on both public and private land; and
58	58	Whereas, the State of Wisconsin seeks to ensure a healthy environment and
59	59	create policies that sustain our environment; and
60	60	Whereas, supporting native honeybees and other pollinators promotes
61	61	environmental awareness, sustainability, and increases interactions among
62	62	community stewards such as commercial and backyard beekeepers, farmers,
63	63	children, educators, Master Gardeners, plant nurseries, municipalities,
64	64	neighborhoods, and garden clubs and suppliers; and
65	65	Whereas, the ideal pollinator-friendly habitat provides diverse and abundant
66	66	nectar and pollen from plants blooming in succession throughout the growing
67	67	season; provides undisturbed spaces such as leaf and brush piles, un-mowed fields
68	68	or field margins, and fallen trees and other dead wood for nesting and overwintering
69	69	for wild pollinators; provides water for drinking, nest-building, cooling, diluting
70	70	stored honey, and butterfly puddling; is pesticide-free or has pesticide use carried
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99	99	out with the least ill effects possible on pollinators; is comprised of mostly, if not all,
100	100	native species of annual and perennial flowering plants, grasses, vines, shrubs, and
101	101	trees in landscapes because many wild pollinators prefer or depend on the native
102	102	plants with which they coadapted; includes, where possible, designated pollinator
103	103	zones in public spaces with signage to educate the public and build awareness; and
104	104	provides for safe and humane removal of honeybees when required; and
105	105	Whereas, No Mow May, a municipal effort encouraging homeowners to reduce
106	106	their mowing intensity to provide forage for native pollinators, began in Appleton in
107	107	2020 and has expanded throughout Fox Cities municipalities to include the
108	108	communities of Appleton, Fox Crossing, Oshkosh, De Pere, Fort Atkinson, and
109	109	Hortonville; and
110	110	Whereas, a peer-reviewed scientific study of the effects of No Mow May and the
111	111	community-wide delay in early May lawn care, specifically mowing early growth
112	112	flowering plants, revealed that these efforts precipitated a five-fold increase in bee
113	113	species prevalence and a three-fold increase in bee species diversity; and
114	114	Whereas, possible declines in the health and population of pollinators pose
115	115	what could be a significant threat to global food webs, the integrity of biodiversity,
116	116	and human health; and
117	117	Whereas, it is in the strong economic interest of agricultural producers and
118	118	consumers in Wisconsin to help ensure a healthy and sustainable pollinator
119	119	population; now, therefore, be it
120	120	Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That the Wisconsin
121	121	Legislature designates June 2023 as Pollinator Awareness Month in Wisconsin.
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