On November 10, GCSAA’s Chava McKeel and Mark Johnson spoke to the Pesticide Education Task Force of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign about all of the golf industry’s efforts toward pollinator protection.

NAPPC's mission is to encourage the health of resident and migratory pollinating animals in North America. NAPPC partners gather from throughout the North American continent and beyond to:

• Raise public awareness and education and promote constructive dialogue about pollinators’ importance to agriculture, ecosystem health, and food supplies;
• Encourage collaborative, working partnerships among participants and with federal, state and local government entities and strengthening the network of associated organizations working on behalf of pollinators;
• Promote conservation, protection and restoration of pollinator habitat;
• Document and support scientific, economic and policy research

Members of the Pesticide Education Task Force were unaware of efforts by the green industry toward pollinator protection so they heard not only from GCSAA but the National Association of Landscape Professionals and the National Pest Management Association.

During GCSAA’s presentation, the following topics were covered:

• Collaboration between GCSAA and the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs regarding Registration Review of active ingredients
• Environmental Principles for Golf Courses
• Golf Course Environmental Profile – phase 1 and 2
• Best Management Practices 50 x 2020 initiative
• Facility BMP project
• New pollinator resource page on gcsaa.org – launched last month

Members of the Pesticide Education Task Force were from the following organizations:

• United States Department of Agriculture ARS

• Syngenta
• National Coordinator of US Fish and Wildlife Service
• Tribal Pollinator Protection Committee Pollinator Protection Workgroup Lead, EPA Office of Pesticide Programs 
• Valent
• Bayer
• Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Fate and Effects Division
• Pollinator Stewardship and Communications Coordinator at Pollinator Partnership
• RISE

The members of the task force were very impressed with GCSAA’s body of work on pollinator protection, asked lots of great questions, and is looking forward to seeing how we can partner together in the future.