International Symposium Addresses the Pollinator Declines

EMBARGOED UNTIL OCTOBER 25, 2011 

WASHINGTON, D.C., OCTOBER 21, 2011, –/WORLD-WIRE/– One out of every third bite of food we consume comes from plants that depend on bees and other pollinating animals for reproduction, yet Colony Collapse Disorder continues to plague honey bees, stump researchers, and alarm the agricultural community. While many people are aware of pollinator declines, very few know how they can help. Now is the chance!

A week of brain storming and technology transfer between North America’s leading pollinator scientists and stakeholders at the 11th Annual North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) International Conference will begin with a film screening for the public and press of “The Strange Disappearance of the Bees” at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s Baird Auditorium on Tuesday October 25th at 3:30 PM. Attendees will have a chance to participate in a question and answer session with the leading pollinator authorities following the film screening.

Additionally, the public is invited to join the NAPPC morning symposium, “Our Future Flies on the Wings of Pollinators” on Wednesday, October 26, 2011 from 9-11 AM featuring keynote addresses by; Bryan Arroyo, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Ed Flanagan, Jasper Wyman & Son, Rev. Richard Cizik, The New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good, and more. During this public session, the Bee SmartTM Mobile Planting App and the Bee SmartTM School Garden Kit will officially be released. The Bee SmartTM School Garden Kit is geared for 3-6 grade classrooms interested in learning about the connection between pollinators, food, and people. The Bee SmartTMMobile Planting App is the only pollinator planting app available for smartphones, and provides nearly 1,000 different planting suggestions based on the type of pollinator habitat gardeners want to create. “These new tools give hands-on support to make a real difference for bees and all pollinators,” said Laurie Davies Adams, ED of the Pollinator Partnership (P2), the 501(c)3 that oversees NAPPC.

The public will also witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between P2 and the National Park Service. With the signing of the new MOU, the total acreage influenced by P2 to promote pollinators will be tipped close to 2 billion acres.

Recipients of the Pollinator Advocate Award will be honored for the work they done for pollinators in local gardens (Dr. Clement Kent – Canada), along utility rights-of-way (Jimmy Brown – USA), across agricultural landscapes (Peter and Laura Berthelsen – USA), and at migration overwintering sites (Dr. Isabel Ramirez – Mexico) at the Tuesday VIP evening reception. P2 supporter Spring44 Spirits will be at this event sweetening the reception with specially crafted cocktails made from their signature Spring44 Honey Vodka.

The NAPPC Symposium is a unique opportunity to get the latest insights on why pollinators matter, what you can do to help pollinators, and what are the benefits, challenges, and outcomes anticipated across the continent in the next decade. Please join NAPPC and explore the interaction between humans, plants and pollinators, broadening our understanding of the role pollinators play in major issues facing North America. Visit www.nappc.org to RSVP and learn more about these events.

Managed by the non-profit Pollinator Partnership, NAPPC is a collaborative effort of over 130 organizations in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico whose common goal is to promote awareness of the essential role that pollinators play in food systems and ecosystems, and to provide the public with simple, effective ways to engage in environmental stewardship. To learn more about the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign visit www.nappc.org or the Pollinator Partnership visit www.pollinator.org.

CONTACT:
Tom Van Arsdall tva@pollinator.org t: 703 509 4746
Olivia Jacobsen oj@pollinator.org t: 415.362.1137