Action Alert - Contact the EPA TODAY (Monday) to register your concerns about neonicotinoids.
REGISTER YOUR COMMENTS TODAY - SEE LINKS BELOW
Instead of following the leads of Europe and Canada by banning neonicotinoid pesticides for outdoor use, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed only modest limits of the widely used insecticides in its review.
Neonicotinoids have demonstrated acute and chronic effects on honeybees, birds, butterflies and other pollinator species, and are a factor in the alarming insect declines documented by scientists worldwide. Widely used as seed treatments for major agricultural crops and for ornamental landscaping plants, these systemic insecticides render the entire plant - including pollen, nectar and fruit - toxic to pollinators and birds throughout the life of the plant. And they are slow to break down, meaning they are accumulating in the environment. Recent major studies have linked neonics to songbird declines in North America, and they may not be so healthy for humans either: scientific research has shown that they may increase the risk of permanent developmental or neurological damage in infants and young people.
Contact the EPA TODAY (Monday) to register your concerns about the neonicotinoids listed below.
Each pesticide has an individual link.
Please stress your concerns about the worrisome declines in bird and insects and about the damaging effects of neonicotinoids on pollinators and birds. Urge the EPA to reduce or ban neonicotinoids completely as Europe and Canada have done.
Sandhill Cranes photo by Jerry Goldner