Spring Advocacy: Two Important Oregon Bills
We were honored to spend time in Salem this month to support the efforts of
many organizations - Beyond Toxics, Oregon Wild, NCAP, PICUN, and others - advocating for stronger pesticide policies.
Bills SB853 and HB3058 will not only help protect pollinators, they will protect the health of all who eat and the health of farmworkers.
A work session on the Senate bill has been scheduled for April 8.
Thank you to everyone who helped get the word to our elected officials
that it is time to make neonicotinoids a Restricted Use Pesticide,
and chlorpyrifos a banned substance!
It is clear that S. Oregon has an opinion about these bills! Your letters to the legislators are in the official public hearing record:
see the comments at these links: SB853 & HB3058.
Have you seen PPRV's video discussing the need for this important legislation?
PPRV's Kristina Lefever was quoted in this OPB article discussing the bills!
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Medford Parks and Recreation Votes for Bee City USA!
It is soon to bee.....Medford Parks and Recreation voted to approve
Medford as the next - the 5th! - Bee City USA in the Rogue Valley!
We eagerly await a vote at the April 4 Medford City Council meeting.
See the article in the Mail Tribune!
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Non Toxic Jacksonville News
Jacksonville's Lauren Kemple spoke at the March City Council meeting
with two outstanding results:
the City Council voted to move forward to a study session
(open to public for watching, April 8th @ 5:30 at Old City Hall)
the City's contract with TruGreen was updated to use organic fertilizer!
Non-Toxic Jacksonville supporters hope the study session
will move the City towards alternatives to pesticides.
Lauren also spoke about this issue on KTVL news!
Watch the video embedded in this KTVL article which ties together Non Toxic Jacksonville efforts with the pending state bills.
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Planting Native Benefits the Birds and the Bees
Recent research shows that planting native species is the single biggest
thing you can do to promote biodiversity in your garden:
native plants, insects and birds co-evolved to depend on each other.
"These simple choices on what people are planting can really
have profound consequences on the birds that are living in these yards...
Those consequences stretch beyond nesting birds and to the migratory birds
that pass through on their long journey."
Take advantage of the abundance of local expertise on planting native!
- Saturday, April 6 plant sale, Northwest Nature Shop, Ashland
- Saturday April 13 Native Plant Presentation and Sale by
Kyle Poling (see flyer below) - Saturday, May 6 Plants for Pollinators talk hosted by PPRV and Shooting Star Nursery in Central Point
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It's Mosquito Season Soon
Are you on the Mosquito No-Spray list?
This is an important way to help ensure that your property stays pesticide free. Please advise Jackson County Vector Control District that
you do not want bee-killing and endocrine hormone disrupting insecticides
sprayed where you live and play.
Click here to learn more, and get on the list. (You need to renew annually.)
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It's almost here! Rogue Buzzway Celebration!
Sunday, April 7, 3pm-5pm
Talent Community Center
Our Rogue Buzzway is growing! Come celebrate with us!
Here is your chance to:
Meet Jarrett Taylor and Seth Campbell, the SOU students who are creating the Buzzway Map. Hear the story behind the map!
Meet the gardeners creating the REAL Buzzway with their pollinator landscapes.
Take a tour of Talent's City Hall Pollinator Garden with Gerlinde Smith.
Meet members of the 4, soon-to-bee 5 Bee City USAs in the Valley.
See photos of Buzzway gardens.
Enjoy music by The Rogue Pianist!
Enjoy refreshments and bee inspired!
The event is free, but donations will bee greatly appreciated!
Let us know if you would like to contribute a favorite goodie for the table, or volunteer to help make this event a success!
Thank you, Talent Garden Club, Rogue Creamery, the Rogue Valley Bee City USA's, and Le Mera Gardens for your support and contributions!
With a special thank you to our Rogue Buzzway Sponsors:
Valhalla Organics, Essential 3, and Shooting Star Nursery!
See Facebook event and flyer below.
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12 Native Plants for your Pollinator Garden:
Presentation and Plant Sale
Saturday, April 13, 10AM–12PM
Phoenix Firehouse, 5811 S. Pacific Hwy, Phoenix
Southern Oregon is a wonderfully diverse region that has flora worthy
of your pollinator garden.
Native plant enthusiast Kyle Poling has a passion for these plants and will win you over as an ally for planting native!
The talk will be followed by a plant sale offering six packs of the described species,
all organically grown.
Suggested Donation: $10
All donations will go to Pollinator Project Rogue Valley!
See flyer below and Facebook event.
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Talent Community Celebration!
Saturday, April 13, 2pm-4pm
Talent Community Center, 104 E Main St
Talent will be holding a family-friendly, zero-waste social event
celebrating their transition to an organics-first parks policy!
- Learn about the history and details of Talent’s IPM
- Presentation by Gerlinde Smith: How to create a beautiful pollinator garden - without synthetic pesticides
- Meet local organizations, gardeners, vendors and suppliers
- Snacks and fun!
Check out the latest Mail Tribune article about Talent's switch to organics.
See flyer below.
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Rogue Valley Earth Day 2019 Celebration!
Saturday, April 20, 11am-4pm
Scienceworks in Ashland
Mark your calendars for this year's Rogue Valley Earth Day celebration
featuring exhibits, live entertainment, and eco-friendly activities.
We'll bee there!
See Facebook event and webpage
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You are invited!
Non Toxic Rogue Valley Team Building Meeting
Thursday, April 25, 5pm-6:30pm
The Pollination Place, 312 N. Main St., Suite B
Cheese, crackers, tea and idea-sharing for collective momentum between cities.
Meets every fourth Thursday.
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Pollinators' Picks
Arbor Day is coming April 26 -
plant a (native) tree for the bees and butterflies!
The California desert super bloom is captivating pollinator enthusiasts
with such a simple message: More food (plants and flowers!) = more butterflies!
One way to bring an abundance of food for pollinators
to your garden is to plant a flowering tree this spring!
Check out this Bee City USA blog which will inspire you to look twice at the flowering trees in your neighborhood this spring.
"While wildflowers are essential for supplying nectar and pollen, a small bee must expend enormous energy to fly to flowers strewn across a landscape.
In contrast, a single blooming tree offers a flower feast."
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Bugged by Climate Change: Insects in a Changing Climate
Rescheduled: May 26, 6pm-7:30pm
Large Meeting Room, Medford Library, 205 S. Central
We know about dwindling snowpacks and polar ice caps, and increasing wildfire risk,
but these aren’t the only climate change consequences. Among the creatures most seriously compromised by current climate trends are our insect friends.
At this Southern Oregon Climate Action Now (SOCAN) general meeting
we will explore what is happening to insects and why.
Join us for presentations by Kristina Lefever, Pollinator Project Rogue Valley,
Alan Journet, Southern Oregon Climate Action Now,
and Robert Coffan, Southern Oregon Monarch Advocates.
See Facebook event
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Have items to donate? New Location Needs
Have you stopped by to visit us in our new location yet?
Now that we have a lovely new office ..... we are putting out a call for:
- bookshelves or other shelving
- 6-8 person conference table
- one (or two small?) coffee tables
- a low window shelf
- garden bench (with back and arms)
- room dividers / cubicle walls
We will appreciate your generosity!
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How can you help?
Are you interested in helping get good things going around the Valley
about pollinators, plants, gardens, (no) pesticides, and more?
We are looking for more volunteers to write articles for this newsletter or our blog,
send letters to the editor about important issues, help with social media, and more.
We invite fun-loving, creative people to join our Events Committee
and to table at community events!
Send us an email to let us know how you would like to bee involved!
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Questions or Comments? Please contact us at
pollinator@pollinatorprojectroguevalley.org
Keep up to date with all things Pollinator on our Facebook page:
Pollinator Project Rogue Valley
Office Hours: noon - 5 pm, Tuesday - Friday
and by appointment
312 N. Main St., Phoenix
Mail to: PO Box 242, Phoenix, OR 97535
458-214-0508
Visit our website.
Click here for archived editions of The Pollinator Times.
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4/3/19
