Fall 2023 | Cover Story

Bee-ing Mindful

Protecting pollinators benefits the region, world, and future.

When people mention the doom and gloom of the bee population dwindling, it’s important to pay attention. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, there are about 20,000 species of bees in the world, and they are the most important insect pollinators. A steady decline of up to 40 percent of pollinator species due to insecticide and herbicide use, habitat loss, climate change, and colony collapse will continue to negatively affect the ecosystem. Pollinators are essential. If they cease to exist, so do the habitats and food webs that rely on them to flourish.

Just this year, Nevada lawmakers passed AB-162, authored by assemblyperson Michelle Gorelow, which establishes provisions governing the use of neurotoxic neonicotinoid insecticides. Under the new legislation, these devastating pesticides are prohibited for use in gardens, on lawns and golf courses, and in other non-agricultural settings.

Several area organizations, including Reno Food Systems, Help Save the Bees Foundation, Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter, and others helped in the effort to get the bill passed. In the following pages, you’ll meet a few local individuals and organizations working hard to protect the bee population. They encourage readers to continue to make the Sierra safe for bees and other pollinators. Now’s the time to make a big, bee-autiful effort for change that will benefit future generations.

Bee Feature Stories