Friend,

New research shows that neonicotinoid pesticides damage bees' brains to the point where they can't even walk in a straight line.1

It almost sounds funny, but believe me, the consequences are dire. Bees that can't walk straight will also struggle to fly back and forth to forage for food. It's just one of the many ways that these pesticides -- better known as neonics -- are devastating bees.

We need to ban the worst uses of neonics if we're going to save the bees, and we've set a goal of raising $35,000 by the end of the month to help keep our campaigns going strong. Donate today to help us save the bees.

Nearly 90% of American bumblebees have disappeared, and the species has completely vanished from eight states. One in 4 native bee species is imperiled.2,3

Climate change and habitat loss are big contributors to these declines -- but another serious threat is the pervasive use of bee-killing neonic pesticides. Our farmland is nearly 50 times more toxic to bees than it was just a few decades ago.4

Bees can't defend themselves from deadly pesticides -- they need us to stand up for them.

We can't let these precious pollinators die off when we know how to save them. We're leading the charge to protect bees from neonics, habitat loss and climate change -- and here's how we're going to win:

• Convincing major retailers to stop selling these deadly pesticides: Environment Colorado and our national network have gathered more than 100,000 petition signatures urging Amazon to take bee-killing pesticides off its (virtual) shelves. Donate now >>
• Campaigning for state and federal action: Our national network has already helped win bans on some of the worst uses of neonics in seven states, and we're working to do the same here in Colorado. And in just the past week, we've mobilized more than 10,000 supporters to join our petition calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to protect bees. Donate now >>
• Expanding safe pollinator habitat: We helped secure $10 million for roadside pollinator habitat in the bipartisan infrastructure bill, and we're asking the Biden administration and Congress to restore the Obama-era ban on neonics in wildlife refuges. Donate now >>

But these campaigns take resources, and we can't do this without your help -- we'll need the whole Environment Colorado hive if we're going to protect our pollinators. Donate today.

Thank you for being part of our hive,

Ellen Montgomery

1. Matthew Rozsa, "Bee genocide may have been caused by insecticides that make bees unable to walk in a straight line," Salon, August 18, 2022.
2. Elizabeth Gamillo, "The American Bumblebee Has Nearly Vanished From Eight States," Scientific American, October 6, 2021.
3. Maryellen Kennedy Duckett, "Nature needs us to act," National Geographic, March 4, 2020.
4. Stephen Leahy, "Insect 'apocalypse' in U.S. driven by 50x increase in toxic pesticides," National Geographic, August 6, 2019.

Your donation will be used to support all of our campaigns to protect the environment, from saving the bees and protecting public lands, to standing up for clean water and fighting climate change. None of our work would be possible without supporters like you. Environment Colorado may transfer up to $50 per dues-paying member per year into the Environment Colorado Small Donor Committee.