UVM's Samantha AlgerDr. Samantha Alger, Director of the Vermont Bee Lab tells us the Gund Apis Fund proposal the Vermont Beekeepers Association helped develop was successful in obtaining funding:
"Big thanks to VBA for your support with this proposal and along the way. The pesticide data we presented in the proposal was made possible by VBA support and served as the basis for our ask to continue this work! The Gund Apis Fund will help to form the Vermont Pollinator Working Group. This group will launch with two initiatives: 1. native pollinator awareness campaign for Vermont farmers and 2. research and advocacy campaign to tackle Vermont's weak policies on nenonics. Included is $10K for more pesticide testing!"
The Vermont Pollinator Working Group is led by UVM bee experts Samantha Alger (who serves on the VBA Advisory Board), Extension's Laura Johnson (who is VBA's Membership Secretary), and Spencer Hardy of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies. Details on the announcement are available here.