Dear NRDC Activist,

The skyrocketing overuse of toxic "neonic" pesticides — pushed by agrochemical giants like Bayer — is a leading factor in the devastating decline of honeybees.

This decline in bee populations is a disturbing signal of ecological collapse, and it could lead to increased food prices and reduced access to healthy foods, which will hit low-income communities and communities of color especially hard.

NRDC is mounting a full-court press against this chemical onslaught, going toe-to-toe with Bayer and other big chemical makers, mobilizing massive public pressure on the EPA to ban bee-killing uses of neonics, and holding the agency accountable in federal court if that's what it takes to save pollinators. But if we're to wage the strongest possible campaign and win this fight, then we're going to need your support.

Rush an urgent, tax-deductible donation of just $5 or more to support NRDC and our all-out fight to save pollinators. Donate before March 31 and your gift will be matched $1-for-$1, up to our $250,000 goal, to help us turn the tide on the agrochemical giants, ban the bee-killing uses of neonics, and defend our environment on all fronts.

Scientists are also ringing alarm bells about drastic declines in other pollinators, from wild bees to butterflies and songbirds. Native bee species like the Western bumblebee and Franklin's bumblebee have all but vanished where they once flourished, and the rusty-patched bumblebee has declined from an estimated 87 percent of its historic range in recent years.

And neonics have been linked to declining bird species, dramatic declines in fish populations, birth defects in deer, and malformations of the developing heart and brain in people. This chemical onslaught is destroying the web of life, and it must be stopped.

Make a donation today to support our critical work and it will be DOUBLED to help us win this fight and defend our environment on all fronts!

There's a reason neonics are so harmful: They're an environmental triple threat. These chemicals are extremely toxic to bees and other pollinating insects, they spread easily, and can persist in the environment for years.

When seeds for crops like corn and soy are treated with neonics, less than 5% of the pesticides are actually absorbed into the plant on average. The rest — a whopping 95% of the toxic chemicals — are left to contaminate the soil, poison nearby wildlife habitats, and leach into our waterways.

And because neonics are found in water supplies and food across the country, roughly half the U.S. population is exposed to at least one neonic chemical on a regular basis — which means Big Ag's runaway pesticide free-for-all has become part of our daily lives.

But while the European Union has already heeded the science and imposed a permanent ban on selling bee-killing neonics, the U.S. has stubbornly refused to stand up to giant agrochemical corporations — even though the EPA admits that it previously underestimated the serious risks neonics pose to pollinators and even human health!

Enough is enough — we must seize this moment to stop the pesticide onslaught that's destroying our ecosystems.

Make a gift of just $5 or more today to shore up our resources so we can galvanize the public, battle in court, and make sure the Biden administration delivers on its promise to put science before polluter profits. Remember — all gifts made before March 31 will be MATCHED, up to our $250,000 goal, and help defend our environment on all fronts.

Thank you for fighting with us. Together, we can put an end to Big Ag's uncontrolled chemical experiment and save our critical pollinators, our ecosystems, our food supply, and our health.

Sincerely,

Dan Raichel
Acting Director, Pollinators, NRDC