SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 6

52nd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2016

INTRODUCED BY

Mimi Stewart and Jason C. Harper

A JOINT MEMORIAL

URGING STATE AGENCIES TO PROTECT DECLINING BEE POPULATIONS; REQUESTING THE GOVERNOR TO DECLARE "BEE AWARE DAY" TO PROMOTE EDUCATION ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF BEES TO NEW MEXICO'S ECONOMY AND QUALITY OF LIFE.

     WHEREAS, bees pollinate one-third of the food that we eat, including apples, squash, alfalfa and other crops vital to New Mexico's economy; and

     WHEREAS, native and commercial bee populations are drastically declining due to disease, habitat loss and the use of pesticides such as neonicotinoids; and

     WHEREAS, without bees, the estimated cost of having people pollinate crops would be approximately fifteen billion dollars ($15,000,000,000) annually in the United States; and

     WHEREAS, the people of New Mexico traditionally eat sopaipillas with honey, which is becoming scarcer and costlier due to declining bee populations; and

     WHEREAS, pollinator gardens can be established to include pollinator-friendly plants, human-made bee colony structures, bee baths and drip irrigation in order to provide areas where bees can flourish and repopulate; and

     WHEREAS, the New Mexico department of agriculture is currently conducting a study on the health of commercial bee populations in our state; and

     WHEREAS, bees are an important part of New Mexico's ecosystem, providing the state with honey, crops and biodiversity, making it imperative to protect bee populations; and

     WHEREAS, Albert Einstein said that if bees disappear, humans would have only four years of life left on earth; and

     WHEREAS, bees need help and protection, as they do not have a voice of their own;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that all state agencies be requested to set an example and use bee-friendly plants in all landscaping projects and restrict the use of systemic insecticides such as neonicotinoids; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all state land management agencies designate areas of these lands to serve as pollinator gardens and educate the public about how individuals and communities can support native and commercial bees; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department of agriculture send a report on its study of commercial bee populations in New Mexico to the appropriate legislative interim committee by November 30, 2016; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the governor be requested to issue a proclamation declaring a "Bee Aware Day" to promote education about the importance of bees to the state; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor, the commissioner of public lands, the department of game and fish, the state parks division and the forestry division of the energy, minerals and natural resources department, the department of transportation and the New Mexico department of agriculture.

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