Pollinator Conservation Workshop Scheduled

Bangor, Maine – May 1, 2009 -- The 2008 Farm Bill, passed by Congress in June 2008, supports pollinator conservation in the United States. Money will be available to support research, as well as on-the-ground establishment and management of pollinator habitat. The bill makes pollinators a central concern of Farm Bill conservation programs and makes pollinators and their habitat a priority for every USDA land manager and conservationist.

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is providing a Pollinator Conservation Workshop on Wednesday, May 27th, at the Ricker Hill Orchards, 295 Buckfield Road (Route 117), in Turner. The workshop will begin at 5:00 p.m. and end at approximately 6:30 p.m. Eric Mader, National Pollinator Outreach Coordinator from The Xerces Society, will be the main speaker on Pollinator Habitat Establishment.

Pollinators are essential to our environment. The ecological service they provide is necessary for the reproduction of nearly 75 percent of the world’s flowering plants. This includes more than two-thirds of the world’s crop species, whose fruits and seeds together provide over 30 percent of the foods and beverages we consume. The economic value of insect-pollinated crops in the U.S. was estimated to be $20 billion in 2000.

The Pollinator Habitat Protection Act, included in the 2008 Farm Bill, targets pollinator conservation as a national priority for USDA conservation programs. These programs include the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Conservation Reserve Program, Grassland Reserve Program, Wetland Reserve Program, and Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program. NRCS is to encourage producers to develop and protect habitat beneficial to pollinators, and to provide financial incentives using conservation programs for habitat development.

If you plan to attend the workshop to learn more about pollinator conservation, and/or require special needs at the workshop, please call the NRCS office in Lewiston at 207-753-9400, extension 3, by May 18th.

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