The Idaho State Department of Agriculture is forming a committee of agricultural organizations and other stakeholders to help devise a statewide plan protecting the health of pollinating insects.
The first meeting is scheduled for Sept. 27, and 17 organizations have already been invited, including the Idaho Potato Commission, the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Seed Association, Treasure Valley Beekeepers Club and the Idaho Honey Industry Association.
ISDA will welcome any other organizations interested in participating in the discussion, said George Robinson, administrator of the agency’s Division of Agricultural Resources.
ISDA staff have created a “straw-man” draft, drawing heavily from North Dakota’s state pollinator plan, to spur discussion, Robinson said. Robsinson explained the draft is a guidance document, outlining best practices for each interest group to benefit pollinator health, with an emphasis on strong communication.
“(Plans) vary a lot from state to state,” Robinson said. “I think that is a reflection of those states going to their stakeholders and asking them, ‘What’s best for our state?’”
Pollinator protection plans have been adopted or are being drafted in 45 states, according to Dudley Hoskins, public policy counsel with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, a leading advocate of state pollinator plans. Hoskins explained five states, including California, implemented the first plans in response to concerns about the rising mortality of pollinators such as bees and monarch butterflies.
In May 2015, a pollinator task force convened by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and USDA issued a report, recommending that states draft pollinator plans.
“These are not meant to be a regulatory vehicle,” Hoskins said, adding effective plans have prioritized “sharing information about each other’s practices and challenges.”
Hoskins said the initial states to implement plans have made great progress for pollinators.
Source: www.capitalpress.com