This is an action diary if you live in California. The citrus growers in our state have asked that honeybees be banned near any large parcel of agricultural land. This is to stop the citrus from having seeds. I am asking you to write or call the Secretary of Agriculture to let him know that you oppose this bad idea. California has been greatly impacted by the loss of honeybees already and this would make the problem worse.
Subject: Help our Honeybees! Action needed 12/18 and 12/19
Hi Calfornia friends!
In the next few days, the California Sec. of Agriculture is going to be making a decision on AB771, which would ban the presence of honeybees (!) from large areas of agricultural land.
We need as many of you as possible, today and Friday, to email Secretary AG Kawamura and ask him to oppose AB771 and support the well-being of our dwindling honeybees.
How you can help:
- Cut and paste the following message in an email and send it to Sec. Kawamura at (akawamura@cdfa.ca.gov ).
Dear Secretary Kawamura,
AB771 is a proposed law formulated to protect the plantings of growers of seedless citrus crops. The growers have realized, too late, that their fruit will contain seeds if honeybees forage on their trees, and so they have asked the state legislature to forbid the presence of honeybees within a two-mile radius of any 6 acre parcel of their orchard. This means potentially banning bees from 8,000 acres of land to protect any 6 acre orchard.
At a time when honeybees are suffering from loss of habitat and from ensuing malnutrition, among other ailments, this is absolutely incredible and unconscionable! Our State has suffered massive deaths among honeybees due to Colony Collapse Disorder. This is contributing to what is bound to be one of the greatest environmental crises of our time: the loss of pollinators.
If this ruling is allowed to pass, citrus growers will be placing the burden of ensuring that they make a greater financial profit from their crops onto all the other people that live and work around their orchards.
As a California citizen and taxpayer, I am asking you to oppose AB771, which is privileging a special interest group over the needs of the larger agricultural community and all the citizens of our state. Save our honeybees!
Sincerely,
(name)
- Please pass this message along to all your friends and family.
Here is the contact information for the public affairs office-
PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE - CONTACT INFORMATION:
CDFA, Public Affairs Office
1220 N Street
Sacramento, California 95814
Phone: (916) 654-0462
FAX: (916) 657-4240