This month, the Fish and Wildlife Service became the first agency in the U.S. to crack down on a class of pesticides that are posing a serious threat to pollinators, wildlife and people.
The pesticides known as neonicotinoids (neonics), have been found to be lethal to honey bees, bumble bees and other pollinators at high doses, but even a little bit can cause problems by making them more vulnerable to other stressors.
The agency announced it will be phasing out these toxic chemicals in wildlife refuges in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii by 2016, citing concerns about the dangers they pose to pollinators and protected species and their inappropriate use on land designated to protect wildlife and conserve habitats.
In the meantime, refuge managers will be required to take other steps to avoid their use on close to 9,000 acres of land in Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
Please sign the petition thanking the agency for making this change and asking it to expand the ban to all wildlife refuges across the U.S.
As someone who is concerned with wildlife and the future of pollinators, I was thrilled to learn that the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has become the first agency to crack down on the use of neonicotinoids (neonics) by implementing a ban in wildlife refuges in Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
This class of widely-used insecticides is clearly harming pollinators and other wildlife, and their use on wildlife refuges clearly runs counter to the intent both the refuge system itself and policies that are supposed to cause the least harm to wildlife and their habitats.
I thank you for recognizing the threats that these pesticides pose and sincerely hope the FWS will expand this common sense ban throughout the entire National Wildlife Refuge System.
