Bee populations are collapsing around the world. We need to step up to save them before it's too late, and that starts with banning the worst uses of the neonic pesticides that are a major contributor to bee die offs.

Anonymous, I'm asking you to stand up for bees -- and to support all of our work to defend the environment -- by making a donation before midnight tonight.

I know that Environment Colorado and our national network have the experience, tools and determination to win. Our national network helped lead the charge to ban the consumer sale of neonics in Connecticut and Maryland.

And earlier this month, we saw a big victory when -- thanks in part to messages from more than 16,000 supporters like you -- the Trump administration reversed course and decided to restart a critical study of the effects of pesticides and climate change on bees.

But all of that work takes resources, and there's just a few hours left before our midnight deadline.

Will you donate today?

Thank you for your support,

Hannah

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Environment Colorado <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, Sep 30, 2019
Subject: Bee populations are collapsing -- Anonymous, will you help us turn the tide?
To: Anonymous Donor <[email protected]>

Anonymous,

Bee populations are collapsing around the world. Just last winter, commercial beekeepers lost nearly 40 percent of their hives. And some parts of the country have seen losses as high as 90 percent.1,2

One big reason for these bee die-offs? Neonicotinoid pesticides -- better known as neonics -- act as a nerve agent, targeting bees' brains and harming their ability to fly and find food.3

This is a crisis, and we need to do something about it. That's why Environment Colorado and our national network are pushing for Colorado to ban the worst uses of neonics -- just like Connecticut, Maryland and Vermont have already done.

We've set a goal of raising $20,000 by midnight tonight to keep our work going strong -- donate today.

We rely on bees to pollinate 71 of the 100 crops that provide 90 percent of most of the world's food. No bees, no food -- it's that simple.4

But a new study shows that agriculture is 48 times more toxic to honeybees than it was in the 1990s -- and a huge part of that is due to the expanded use of bee-killing pesticides like neonics. Those same pesticides can now be sprayed in wildlife refuges, thanks to the Trump administration.5

From global climate change to intensive farming practices to habitat loss -- there are many factors contributing to the collapse of bee populations.

So this summer, Environment Colorado and our national network put boots on the ground across the country, calling on state leaders to support a ban on the worst uses of neonics. Our advocates went door to door, educating and engaging the public on this crisis including knocking on more than 100,000 doors right here in Colorado. Nationwide, more than 131,000 Americans signed our petition to ban the worst uses of these bee-killing pesticides in their state.

But we're losing bees at an alarming rate, and we can't take our foot off the gas now. Donate today to help us hit our goal, stand up for bees, and support all of our work to defend the environment.

Anonymous, here's how I know we can win:

• When the Trump administration's USDA ended a critical study of the effects of climate change and pesticides on bees, our national network collected from supporters like you more than 16,000 messages asking them to reverse course -- and earlier this month, they announced that they're resuming research.6
• Maryland, Connecticut and Vermont have already passed statewide bans on consumer use of these pesticides -- we need to make Colorado next.
• Environment Colorado and our national network worked with Reps. Velazquez (N.Y.) and Blumenauer (Ore.) to introduce legislation to stop the worst uses of neonics, including in wildlife refuges. If passed, both of these bills would be huge steps forward for bees.

But we can't do any of our work without resources, and without supporters like you. Donate today.

Thanks for making it all possible,

Hannah Collazo
State Director

1. Julia Jacobo, "Nearly 40% decline in honey bee population last winter 'unsustainable,' experts say," ABC News, July 9, 2019.
2. Steve McDaniel, "The bees are dying," The Baltimore Sun, February 7, 2019.
3. Alessandra Potenza, "Bad news for bees: three-quarters of all honey on Earth has pesticides in it," The Verge, October 5, 2017.
4. "No Bees, No Food," Environment America, last accessed September 18, 2019.
5. Stephen Leahy, "Insect 'apocalypse' in U.S. driven by 50x increase in toxic pesticides," National Geographic, August 6, 2019.
6. Sam Fossum, "USDA Will Resume Honeybee Survey Suspended this Summer," CNN, September 13, 2019.