AUGUSTA, Maine -- A bill signed into law last week bans the use of neonicotinoids, neonics for short, in outdoor residential landscapes. The pesticides are seen as harmful to bees and other pollinators.

Anya Fetcher, state director for Environment Maine, said when neonics are sprayed on plants or applied to seeds, the toxins impair their brain functions, and can be harder to find their way back to a hive, to collect food, to produce new queens.

She added these days, bees are losing more and more of their habitats to development and agriculture.

"Bees are more and more relying on urban gardens and green spaces for healthy and nutritious habitat," Fetcher explained. "And so that's why we need to make sure that our backyards and our lawns and gardens are safe spaces for them to come."

She pointed out Maine's new law is the nation's strongest statewide restriction on neonic use. While some states such as Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut and Vermont have removed neonics from the shelves, she noted licensed applicators such as landscapers and gardeners can still use them in those states.

Fetcher stressed pollinators are critical for many key food crops, and help preserve healthy ecosystems. In Maine in particular, she said broccoli, squash and wild blueberries rely heavily on bees.

"Our food systems are very dependent on these natural pollinators," Fetcher asserted. "Not to mention the beauty of Maine, our wildflowers and our greenery, a significant reason that people live and visit Maine."

Close to 90% of wild plants and three-quarters of food crops globally rely on pollinators. She hopes more states and municipalities will follow suit in banning the use of neonics in favor of alternatives.

A coalition of conservationists and tribal nations is pushing for support of the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative by state officials in Olympia.

The Initiative is a project to remove the lower Snake River dams while maintaining current irrigation, transportation, energy, and recreation services. It focuses on restoring salmon runs and supporting the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales.

Gabriel Newton, a competitive kayaker, artist and conservationist, will draw attention to the plight of the Orcas next week. He said protecting them means protecting all living things.

"It's incredibly important," Newton stressed. "Every time a thread in the web of life is broken, our own capacity to thrive is diminished. Orcas and famine are very integral threads. Newton said the trip could be challenging."

Newton will paddle 65 miles from Seattle to Olympia. He plans to meet with Gov. Bob Ferguson and present 500 signed cards seeking his support. Former Gov. Jay Inslee endorsed the Initiative but Ferguson, who took office in January, has yet to take a position.

The initiative was initially proposed by a group called the "Six Sovereigns," including the tribes of the Yakama Nation, Umatilla Indian Reservation, Warm Springs Reservation, Nez Perce and the states of Oregon and Washington. Newton acknowledged the kayak trip could be challenging.

"It would be an easy run in the summer but March is one of the windiest months of the year on Puget Sound, and it tends to be wind from the south," Newton explained. "I can expect a headwind most of the way, and depending on the strength of the wind, it could be treacherous or mildly annoying."

Newton will also be one of the artists featured at "An Evening of Art and Poetry," on March 26 in Olympia. The event is sponsored by the Endangered Species Coalition, Save our Wild Salmon, Braided River, Washington Conservation Action, and the Sierra Club.


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Today, Oregon conservation groups are headed to the state Capitol for "Wildlife Lobby Day."

The organizations, all part of the Oregon Wildlife Coalition, will meet legislators to advocate for four bills supporting science-based coexistence with wildlife.

Sristi Kamal, deputy director of the Western Environmental Law Center, highlighted the "1% For Wildlife" bill, which would raise the state Transient Lodging Tax by 1% up to 2.5%. Funds would help the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife implement the State Wildlife Action Plan to protect imperiled species and habitats.

Kamal pointed out the plan currently has no funding from the state.

"Even though we have a Democratic majority in our legislature this session, unfortunately, wildlife falls at the bottom of everyone's priority list," Kamal observed.

One bill would help landowners use nonlethal tools to share land with beavers. Another seeks about $1 million to fund four wildlife coexistence biologists, a public education campaign and a grant program for wildlife rehabilitation centers.

Along with supporting four bills, the coalition opposes two bills this session, both focused on carnivore management. One would reimburse ranchers up to five times the market value for livestock killed by wolves, despite Oregon already compensating the full market value.

Kamal noted research shows such payments do not increase tolerance and may have the opposite effect.

"We fear that this will actually increase intolerance for the species and lead to more actions like poaching of wolves," Kamal explained. "Which we are already seeing a significant uptick in the state."

Another bill opposed by the coalition would legalize using hounds to hunt cougars, an idea Kamal argued is inhumane and has already been voted down by Oregonians.

Kamal emphasized the coalition, along with the bills they support, aim to foster coexistence between wildlife and people. She stressed Oregon's policies need to reflect the vital role many species play in supporting ecosystems and humans through climate change and wildfires.


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Colorado lawmakers could add buffalo, also known as bison, to a long list of wildlife that have been restored to their natural habitat across the Centennial State. Senate Bill 25-053 would classify wild roaming buffalo as wildlife, to be managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife the same as deer, elk, moose and other big game species.

Nick Gevoc, Northern Rockies campaign organizing strategist with the Sierra Club, says under current Colorado law, when members of wild buffalo herds from southeastern Utah cross a border they can't see, they are not protected.

"Just a handful, maybe four to six animals a year, are making their way into western Colorado. And those animals are being shot now," he explained. "And they can do that legally because they are not recognized as wildlife in the state of Colorado."

Colorado is seen as a leader in the Rocky Mountain region for restoring wildlife, most recently with the reintroduction of wolves, a move opposed by some cattle producers. Efforts to protect buffalo as wildlife in Montana have been strongly opposed by the livestock industry. Senate Bill 25-053 would protect existing free-range buffalo, and does not direct wildlife managers to bring more animals into Colorado.

Before they were hunted to near extinction in the late 19th century, between 30 million and 60 million buffalo roamed North America. In recent years, efforts by Tribal Nations to recover buffalo as a wildlife species have gained momentum. The keystone species provides food and habitat for birds, insects and small mammals, and increases biodiversity.

"They create little depressions that often store water. They selectively graze on the landscape differently than cattle, they hit some areas harder than others," Gevoc continued. "They tend to stay away from waterways. They bring tremendous ecological benefits to a shortgrass prairie."

Gevoc believes the measure will boost Colorado's economy as people come to the state for a chance to see buffalo, America's national mammal, in the wild.

"They are deeply important to Native American people, and they're a symbol of pride to the people of Colorado and all over the country. We recovered elk, deer, antelope, moose, all kinds of other species. But for some reason we left this one behind," he concluded.