Ask MA's Legislators to Support Pollinator Habitat Bills S.520/H.843!

S.520/H.843 An Act to Protect Pollinator Habitat would establish a commission of government officials, subject matter experts, and stakeholders to study how the state can expand and enhance pollinator habitat across the Commonwealth.

You can use this form to send a quick message to your legislators asking them to co-sponsor S.520 /H.843.

Update (4/20/23): This bill is expected to receive a public hearing at the MA State House (and online) on May 10th, 2023. We will share the details with everyone who takes action using this page and hope that you can join us to demonstrate public support for this bill.

The science is very clear that habitat loss is a leading cause of pollinator declines and insect biodiversity loss broadly. Pollinators contribute an estimated 24 billion USD to the national economy annually and about 45% of the Commonwealth’s agricultural commodities rely on pollination; at the same time, we are losing (or have already lost) once-common pollinator species right here in New England.

There is no time to waste in reversing pollinator declines. Simply put: Massachusetts needs to do more to expand high-quality pollinator habitat. This includes consideration of pollinators when developing climate resiliency plans.

In June 2014, President Obama issued a memorandum establishing a Pollinator Health Task Force to create a National Pollinator Health Strategy that promotes the health of honey bees and other pollinators. They also called upon states to develop their own managed pollinator protection plans.

In response, the Department of Agriculture developed a plan for Massachusetts, which was published in its final form in 2016.

This plan, which is voluntary and not regulatory in nature, is now seven years old; it is time to consider new priorities and objectives, including immediate conservation actions to protect at-risk native pollinators.

A recent scientific publication reviewed progress on the national strategic plan using Michigan as a case study and found that we are falling short of the stated goals: “The shortfall toward reaching the 2020 national goals for habitat enhancement and monarch butterflies highlights a need for further investment in pollinator supportive policies and funding.”

Use this form to join the Mass Pollinator Network and our friends at Mass Audubon in asking your legislators to co-sponsor these bills!

We set up this Action Network page to make it as easy as possible for people to send a quick email to their legislators. We encourage everyone to take this simple action… and if you want to multiply your impact you can follow up with a phone call or personal email. You can find your legislators' contact info at this link and a sample call script at this link.

Thank you for taking the time to stand up for pollinator health in our Commonwealth!