Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RONALD S. DANCER
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Designates Common Eastern Bumble Bee as New Jersey State Native Pollinator.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act designating the Common Eastern Bumble Bee as the New Jersey State Native Pollinator and supplementing chapter 9A of Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Whereas, Bumble bees, found across New Jersey in urban and rural areas, are native to our State; and
Whereas, The Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus Impatiens) is a species of bumble bee in North America and an essential pollinator because it has a long flight season and can fly at low light levels and at low temperatures; and
Whereas, The Common Eastern Bumble Bee is an important generalist pollinator, pollinating a wide range of plants including New Jersey's leading agricultural crops of blueberries, cranberries, tomatoes and peppers; and
Whereas, Pollinators are vital to the health of diverse ecosystems because the fruits and seeds derived from insect pollination are a major part of the diet of all birds and mammals, including over 30 percent of the foods and beverages that we consume; and
Whereas, Pollinators also play a vital role in the health of our State and national forests and grasslands, which provide forage, fish and wildlife, timber, water, mineral resources, and recreational and economic development opportunities for communities; and
Whereas, The benefits that native pollinators provide to New Jersey have been documented through extensive research at Rutgers, the Statue University, and other institutions of higher learning; and
Whereas, A focus on bumble bee pollination can be used to connect people to nature, while engaging all generations in the conservation of bumble bees; and
Whereas, The Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus Impatiens) should be designated as the New Jersey State Native Pollinator; now, therefore,
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus Impatiens) is designated as the New Jersey State Native Pollinator.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill designates the Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus Impatiens) as the New Jersey State Native Pollinator. The Common Eastern Bumble Bee, found across New Jersey in urban and rural areas, is native to our State. As generalist pollinators, they are an essential part of our pollinator communities by gathering pollen and nectar from a wide variety of flowering plants. Bumble bees are important to New Jersey's working farms as key pollinators of blueberries, cranberries, tomatoes and peppers. Pollinators are vital to the health of diverse ecosystems, because the fruits and seeds derived from insect pollination are a major part of the diet of all birds and mammals, including over 30 percent of the foods and beverages that we consume. The benefits that native pollinators provide to New Jersey have been documented through extensive research at Rutgers, the Statue University, and other institutions of higher learning.