Why are there toxic pesticides in wildlife refuges?

Why are there toxic pesticides in wildlife refuges?

National wildlife refuges should be safe havens for bees — but the Trump administration has overturned a ban on deadly pesticides called neonicotinoids in wildlife refuges.1

 

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These pesticides are poisoning bees.

Neonicotinoids, or neonics, are poisonous to honeybees, wild bees and other wildlife. Mounting evidence shows that exposure to even small amounts of neonics harms bees’ immune systems and reproductive success, leading to colonies’ decline.2

For national wildlife refuges to truly preserve and protect bees and other pollinators, the ban on neonics in refuges needs to be reinstated. That’s why we’re calling on Congress to pass the Protect Our Refuges Act, which does just that.

National wildlife refuges should be safe for wildlife.

The National Wildlife Refuge System is the nation’s largest collection of land set aside for wildlife conservation.3 Allowing the use of neonics, which cause bees neurological damage, paralysis and death, in our refuges undermines this mission.

The Protect Our Refuges Act would reinstate the Obama administration’s ban on neonicotinoids in national wildlife refuges, which cover 150 million acres across the nation. This bipartisan bill passed the House Committee on Natural Resources last November, but has yet to be voted on by the entire Congress.4

Take action to save the bees from toxic pesticides.

We need your help urging the U.S. House of Representatives to take action to protect and preserve bees.

Call on your representative to support an end to the use of neonicotinoids in national wildlife refuges.

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  1. “Neonicotinoid and GMOs Ban in National Wildlife Refuges,” Harvard University Environmental & Energy Law Program, August 8, 2018. 
  2. Roni Dengler, “Neonicotinoid pesticides are slowly killing bees,” PBS, June 29, 2017. 
  3. “Neonicotinoid and GMOs Ban in National Wildlife Refuges,” Harvard University Environmental & Energy Law Program, August 8, 2018.
  4. Adam Allington, “House Panel Advances Bill to Curb Pesticides on Wildlife Refuges,” Bloomberg Law, November 20, 2019.