Save Bees By Planting Flowers in Cities and Towns

Target: Douglas H. Fisher, Secretary of Agriculture, New Jersey

Goal: Plant more flowers in city landscaping to support local bee populations.

You may have heard about the global threat to bee populations. These pollinators help push the evolution of plants, keep fruits and vegetables growing, and are responsible for a most popular super-food: honey. Bees are a critical component of our ecosystem and must be protected.

Unfortunately, these small but significant creatures are at a risk in the United States and elsewhere. Human intervention such as land development is one cause. When a parcel of land is razed for development, potential food for bees is removed with it. Later, landscapers do not take into account planting bee-friendly flowers, only low-maintenance shrubs. Second, widespread use of pesticides can poison bees. This can be on a scale as small as homeowners treating lawns and gardens or as large as massive farms dusting their crops. Third is monocropping, the practice of only planting a single crop across acres. Wiping out food options for bees over widespread areas can eliminate the sustainability of bee populations in any given region.

New Jersey is a significant agricultural state. Some of the country’s finest fruits and vegetables are produced here in addition to honey. According to the New Jersey state website, they boast 20,000 established honey bee colonies. The same webpage explains efforts to protect these bee populations in the interest of farming. These interests do not necessarily help wild bee populations, especially in heavily developed areas where bees still exist. With a number of existing strip malls and other public structures spanning across the state, and growing every day, it is vital the state requires municipalities to landscape with more bee-friendly flowers.

Sign the petition now to show Secretary Fisher just how great the support is for bee populations in New Jersey and nationwide.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Secretary Fisher,

No one can doubt the importance of an individual’s role in leading agriculture for an entire state, especially one that has as prosperous an output of goods as New Jersey. The “Jersey Fresh” label can be found nationwide and comes with pride that the state stands behind its homegrown products. It is our hope this same pride spans beyond goods bought and sold and establishes respect for all wildlife in N.J., even if it is not found on farms or in stores.

Bees need our help. We are destroying the elements of nature they need to survive. Our thirst for land removes diverse flower populations they require for nourishment and reproduction. Indiscriminate use of pesticides poison bees in targeted areas as well as those chemicals leeching into surrounding areas through air and water. Subsequent landscaping in developed public areas prioritizes convenience over the life of those that timelessly relied on naturally occurring plant life.

This is a worldwide issue, but domestically, New Jersey can lead as a state that not only respects controlled agriculture but also its elements existing in nature, too. Farms alone cannot sustain the most important parts of our ecosystem; we must enable their survival everywhere. Your state is poised as a leader in agriculture and is full of experts who can advise on how to sustain bee populations beyond the 20,000 farmed hives in order to let these creatures exist around us as they always have.

We, along with the bees who have no voice, urge you to rethink landscaping of public spaces in the state of New Jersey to include more diverse flowers, especially in early spring when bee populations are at their height.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here}

Photo credit: Tdorante10