Action

Challenging City Council Ordinances to Sell

White Pond Wetlands

LEAD for Pollinators and advocates to Save White Pond filed a challenge in the Court of Common Pleas, Jan. 23, 2023, to the Akron City Council vote of Dec. 12, 2022 which approved the sale of the White Pond Wetlands for rental housing development. LEAD for Pollinators and advocates of SAVE WHITE POND are represented by Mendenhall Law Group.

LEAD for Pollinators and the SAVE WHITE POND neighbors do not support the housing development project on White Pond wetlands. This land on White Pond Dr. should remain in its natural state to continue to provide free ecological service to this neighborhood, and the greater Akron and Summit County community for its valuable contribution to community health, mosquito control, pest control, and flood control.

Read the news release here.

City of Akron, Ohio Noxious Weed Ordinance Meets the 21st Century

Daisies, Milkweed. and Goldenrod can now be legally planted in the City of Akron. Our Coalition was supported by local beekeepers, University of Akron Native Bee researcher, and members of the Summit Food Coalition to secure the modernization of the City of Akron noxious weed ordinance. March 21, 2022 the Akron, Oh. City Council voted to revise ordinance 94.29, aligning it with the State of Ohio’s noxious weed list.

LEAD for Pollinators and the Summit Food Coalition are appreciative of our collaboration with the City of Akron in revising the Noxious Weed ordinance 94.29 based on science. This change allows our community to legally provide native plants to migratory Monarch butterflies and other pollinators. During the March 21, 2022 Akron City Council meeting the revised ordinance passed unanimously. The revised ordinance aligns the definition of noxious weeds with the State of Ohio list of noxious and invasive plants. The revised ordinance removes goldenrod, milkweed, and daisies from Akron’s list of illegal plants.

Councilwoman Nancy Holland has been very supportive in working with LEAD for Pollinators and the Summit Food Coalition to ensure homeowners, retail nurseries, County Extension, and landscape designers could support customers and landowners in creating beautiful landscapes which also supported pollinators. Under the old City Ordinance it was illegal to plant and grow goldenrod, milkweed, and daisies: all vital food and habitat for honey bees and native pollinators. We are appreciative of this legislation’s sponsors, Councilman Fusco, and Councilwoman Holland for presenting a revised ordinance #94.29 to Akron City Council, and for shepherding its progress to passage.

Michele Colopy, Executive Director Beth Knorr, Executive Director

LEAD for Pollinators, Inc. Summit Food Coalition

Watch our video to learn about the “Value of Urban Pollinator Habitat for gardens, soil, clean water, and pollinators.” View the video “City of Akron Ordinance Conflicts” for clarification and understanding of the issues.

Akron Ordinances Support Letter thank you

City of Akron Ordinance Conflicts-you tube pic for video

Value of Urban Pollinator Habitat for gardens, soil, clean water, pollinators- you tube pic for video

City of Akron, Ohio Noxious Weed Ordinance Meets the 21st Century

Michele Colopy, Executive Director Beth Knorr, Executive Director

LEAD for Pollinators, Inc. Summit Food Coalition

Akron Ordinances Support Letter thank you

Watch this engaging, informative video, share it, and take action for common-sense provisions to enact an ecologically sound mosquito control program in Massachusetts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHmpDPWd9mw

The MassQuito Coalition, is a group of 15 local, regional, and national advocates working to enact sound mosquito control that protects public health and the environment. Jan. 26, 2022 we presented a Legislative Briefing, featuring our House and Senate legislative sponsors, Senator Adam Hinds, and Rep. Dr. Tami Gouveia., and four subject matter experts:

*Sarah Hoyle, Pesticide Program Specialist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

*Dr. Flaminia Catteruccia,, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator

*Dr. Brita Lundberg, Board Chair of the Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility

*Kyla Bennett PhD, JD, Science Policy Director for the New England Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility

In this briefing you will learn about ecological mosquito management and how pesticides impact pollinators and other wildlife; the biology and behavior of mosquitoes and the lack of efficacy of pesticide applications for mosquito control; the human health risks associated with broadscale spraying of pyrethroids; and the gaps in the study commissioned by the Massachusetts Mosquito Control Task Force, and why we need this legislation.

Thank you to the Akron, Ohio City Council for passing our proposed Resolution to recognize National Pollinator Week 2021 and recognizing the environmental work of Councilman Rich Swirsky. Read the Resolution HERE

Read our submitted testimony HERE

Learn more about the work of Councilman Swirsky HERE

Akron City COuncil Recognizes Natl Poll Week pic

LEAD for Pollinators Comment letters for policy & legislative actions:

LEAD for Pollinators comment letters during 2021

Rhode Island- An Act Relating to Health & Safety-Pesticide Control (March 2021)

House Bill 5641- Read Our Written Testimony

Senate Bill 702- Read Our Written Testimony

Joining with fellow advocates in 2021:

Save the Monarch Butterfly: Signed a bicameral letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asking for critical pollinator protections- Jan. 28, 2021

Beyond Pesticides Action for Monarchs to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to eliminate pollinator poisons.
NOFA to oppose Heidi Heitkamp for USDA Secretary.
NOFA Action letter to MDAR (Massachusetts) to ban neonics.
Center for Biological Diversity expressing strong support for the EPA to issue a robust and protective final biological evaluation for atrazine under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
PEER letter to National Wildlife Refuge System, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , Department of the Interior concerning the Wildlife Refuges policy for genetically modified crops and neonicotinoid insecticides.
Earthjustice letter Urging EPA to Ban Chlorpyrifos.
Rural Action letter to Congressional leadership to Support Emergency Relief for Farmers and Ranchers of Color.

LEAD for Pollinators comment letters during 2020

Ohio HB 496 Ohio Apiary Owners Immunity Bill-May/June 2020
Proposed Decision on Some Neonics– April 2020

Fairlawn, OH Tree Plan

Joining with fellow advocates:

Beyond Pesticides-Clopyralid PID-July 2020
Massachusetts Neonic Scientific Literature Review June 2020
Beyond Pesticides- Proposed Revised Decision on Some Neonics- May 2020
Food & Water Watch and Friends of the Earth-Treasury Secy Disaster Relief for Farmers- April 2020
Coming Clean- COVID-19 Implications for EPA’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Program- April 2020

Keep Toxic Herbicides Out of Lake Tahoe with Beyond Pesticides- August 2020

Remove products with glyphosate from retail shelves with Friends of the Earth to Lowe’s and Home Depot

Take Action As A Keeper of the Ecosystem With Our Partners

Please take action through our advocacy partners on these issues affecting pollinators and the keepers of our ecosystem. Some actions may be for local or state residents only.

Select a link below to be directed to their current advocacy action for a healthy and sustainable ecosystem.

Audubon
Friends of the Earth
Center for Biological Diversity
Center for Food Safety
Xerces Society
Sierra Club
Beyond Pesticides
Cornucopia Institute
Pesticide Action Network
Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides

American Beekeeping Federation

NOFA/MASS

American Honey Producers

Farmworkers Association of Florida

Ohio Apiary Owners Immunity Bill

Ohio House Passed HB 496 June 9, 2020

The Ohio Apiary Owners Immunity bill was originally presented in the 2017-2018 session of the Ohio Legislature. It passed the Ohio House, then remained in committee in the Senate, as the 2018 election season began.

Representative Dick Stein (District 57) and Representative James Hoops (District 81) have re-introduced the bill for this session. HB 496, the Apiary Owners Immunity Bill was voted on June 9, 2020 and passed by the Ohio House of Representatives. The Bill now moves to the Ohio Senate. LEAD for Pollinators will continue to work with the Bill’s Sponsors to move it forward.

To read the bill and committee testimony select this link

Thank you to all who joined with LEAD for Pollinators (an Ohio nonprofit) and Beyond Pesticides and emailed a support letter encouraging your Ohio Representative to vote for HB 496, the Ohio Apiary Owners Immunity Bill.

LEAD for Pollinators is actively working to protect pollinators:

Akron, OH- Noxious Weed Ordinance (accomplished 3-21-22)

Beekeeping and Urban Agriculture ordinances

Summit County, OH- Noxious Weed Ordinance

Massachusetts: H.4650 Arbovirus Concerns H.4650 Text of Bill FAQ H. 4650 Legislator Testimony Massachusetts Advocates News Release 6-2-20 Support letter for Mass Bee Representative for Task Force

Thanks to all those who took action in OCTOBER 2020–We support the action of our collaborator, NOFA/MASS, to protect pollinators and other beneficial insects from neonics in Massachusetts.

Challenging City Council Ordinances to Sell

White Pond Wetlands

City of Akron, Ohio Noxious Weed Ordinance Meets the 21st Century

City of Akron, Ohio Noxious Weed Ordinance Meets the 21st Century

LEAD for Pollinators Comment letters for policy & legislative actions:

Joining with fellow advocates in 2021:

LEAD for Pollinators comment letters during 2020

Joining with fellow advocates:

Take Action As A Keeper of the Ecosystem With Our Partners

Ohio Apiary Owners Immunity Bill

Ohio House Passed HB 496 June 9, 2020

LEAD for Pollinators is actively working to protect pollinators:

Thanks to all those who took action in OCTOBER 2020–We support the action of our collaborator, NOFA/MASS, to protect pollinators and other beneficial insects from neonics in Massachusetts.

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