VNPS Writes Proclamation for Pollinator Week

The VNPS takes an active role in legislative issues, keeping members informed of important ideas and laws that are being considered by lawmakers in Virginia. We also coordinate with other groups to put forward actions that work toward our goal of conservation. Recently the Pollinator Partnership put out a call for national recognition of a new Pollinator Week.

Our Conservation Chair, Marcia Mabee Bell put some excellent thought into how to modify the boilerplate proclamation the Pollinator Partnership put out in order to show the vital connection between pollinators and native plants. This week the Governor was persuaded to put the new Pollinator Week in place using another version, but we think ours is the best, and here it is, with the bolded and the green phrases being our own.

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

skipper and bee, diggers don't have pollen basketWHEREAS, pollinator species such as birds and insects are essential partners of farmers in producing much of our food supply; and

WHEREAS, pollination plays a vital role in the health of our national forests and local pasturelands, our wetlands, riparian and coastal areas, which provide forage, fish and wildlife, timber and water resources, as well as recreational and  enhanced economic development opportunities for communities; and

WHEREAS, a diverse array of pollinators is crucial to the survival and proliferation of the native plants that form the foundation of Virginia’s rich natural heritage of ecosystems and biodiversity, and 

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia has managed wildlife habitats and public lands such as Virginia forests and wetlands for decades; and
WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia provides food producers with conservation assistance to promote wise conservation stewardship, including the protection and maintenance of pollinators and their habitats on working lands and wild lands; and

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Governor Terry McAuliffe, Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, do hereby proclaim the week of June 16-22, 2014, as
Virginia Pollinator Week
throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, and urge all citizens to recognize this observance.