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2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-3177/1
MCP:skw
May 30, 2025 - Introduced by Senators Pfaff, Habush Sinykin, Carpenter, Drake, Hesselbein, Larson, Ratcliff, Roys, Smith, Spreitzer, Wall, Wanggaard and Wirch, cosponsored by Representatives Snodgrass, Behnke, DeSanto, Doyle, Fitzgerald, Joers, Johnson, Madison, Mayadev, Moore Omokunde, Palmeri, Rivera-Wagner, Roe, Sinicki, Stubbs, Subeck, Tenorio, Vining, Andraca, Udell and J. Jacobson. Referred to Committee on Senate Organization.
SJR61,1,1
1Relating to: designating June 2025 as Pollinator Awareness Month in Wisconsin.
SJR61,1,42Whereas, bees, butterflies, and other pollinator species have a critically
3important role in agriculture in the United States and help to produce a healthy
4and affordable food supply and sustain ecosystem health; and
SJR61,1,75Whereas, pollinators are responsible for the reproduction of 90 percent of the
6worlds wild plant species by providing them with a healthy habitat rich in a variety
7of native plants that are free or nearly free of pesticides; and
SJR61,1,108Whereas, thanks to the more than 400 species of native pollinators in
9Wisconsin, along with honeybees, we have very diverse dietary choices rich in
10fruits, nuts, and vegetables; and
SJR61,1,1311Whereas, pollinators help to produce an estimated one out of every three bites
12of food consumed in the United States and help reproduce at least 80 percent of
13flowering plants; and
SJR61,2,314Whereas, commodities produced in partnership with animal pollinators

1generate $6.5 million in annual production, with domestic honeybees alone
2pollinating an estimated $14.6 billion worth of crops in the United States each year
3produced on more than two million acres; and
SJR61,2,54Whereas, there are approximately 20,000 bee species in the world, 3,600 in the
5United States, and 400 in Wisconsin; and
SJR61,2,86Whereas, in Wisconsin, pollinator-dependent crops are harvested on over
7100,800 acres, with apple, cranberry, cherry, green bean, and pickling cucumber
8crops accounting for over $230 million in annual production; and
SJR61,2,119Whereas, bees and other pollinators have experienced population declines due
10to a combination of habitat loss, use of pesticides, and the spread of pests and
11diseases; and
SJR61,2,1312Whereas, residents of Wisconsin have the opportunity to support bees and
13other pollinators on both public and private land; and
SJR61,2,1514Whereas, the State of Wisconsin seeks to ensure a healthy environment and
15create policies that sustain our environment; and
SJR61,2,2016Whereas, supporting native honeybees and other pollinators promotes
17environmental awareness, sustainability, and increased interactions among
18community stewards such as commercial and backyard beekeepers, farmers,
19children, educators, Master Gardeners, plant nurseries, municipalities,
20neighborhoods, and garden clubs and suppliers; and
SJR61,3,1021Whereas, the ideal pollinator-friendly habitat provides diverse and abundant
22nectar and pollen from plants blooming in succession throughout the growing
23season; provides undisturbed spaces such as leaf and brush piles, un-mowed fields

1or field margins, and fallen trees and other dead wood for nesting and
2overwintering for wild pollinators; provides water for drinking, nest-building,
3cooling, diluting stored honey, and butterfly puddling; is pesticide-free or has
4pesticide use carried out with the least ill effects possible on pollinators; is
5comprised of mostly, if not all, native species of annual and perennial flowering
6plants, grasses, vines, shrubs, and trees in landscapes because many wild
7pollinators prefer or depend on the native plants with which they coadapted;
8includes, where possible, designated pollinator zones in public spaces with signage
9to educate the public and build awareness; and provides for safe and humane
10removal of honeybees when required; and
SJR61,3,1511Whereas, No Mow May, a municipal effort encouraging homeowners to reduce
12their mowing intensity to provide forage for native pollinators, began in Appleton in
132020 and has expanded throughout Fox Cities municipalities to include the
14communities of Appleton, Fox Crossing, Oshkosh, De Pere, Fort Atkinson, and
15Hortonville; and
SJR61,3,1916Whereas, a peer-reviewed scientific study of the effects of No Mow May and
17the community-wide delay in early May lawn care, specifically mowing early growth
18flowering plants, revealed that these efforts precipitated a five-fold increase in bee
19species prevalence and a three-fold increase in bee species diversity; and
SJR61,3,2220Whereas, possible declines in the health and population of pollinators pose
21what could be a significant threat to global food webs, the integrity of biodiversity,
22and human health; and
SJR61,4,223Whereas, it is in the strong economic interest of agricultural producers and

1consumers in Wisconsin to help ensure a healthy and sustainable pollinator
2population; now, therefore, be it
SJR61,4,43Resolved by the senate, the assembly concurring, That the Wisconsin
4Legislature designates June 2025 as Pollinator Awareness Month in Wisconsin.
SJR61,4,55(end)
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