Increase pesticide rules, education, Oregon task force says

Oregon should establish a state-of-the-art bee health diagnostic facility at Oregon State University and increase funding for a state pollinator health education program, a task force formed in response to recent mass bee die-offs is recommending.

The state Task Force on Pollinator Health released a 23-page draft report Monday containing 26 "consensus recommendations," 14 "majority recommendations," and 35 "minority recommendations."

RELATED: Bee deaths prompt emergency pesticide restrictions

The task force will make some adjustments to the draft before submitting it Oct. 1, said chairman Ramesh Sagili, a bee health expert from OSU.

The Legislature established the task force earlier this year following a recent series of mass bee die-offs caused by a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids.

One, at a Wilsonville shopping center, killed more than 25,000 bumblebees.

RELATED: No answers in mystery Oregon bee deaths

The group met six times over the summer.

"I think we've really done a good job of sharing and exchanging ideas," said Rep. Jeff Reardon, D-Happy Valley. Reardon sponsored the bill creating the task force and is a non-voting member.

The OSU facility would cost about $500,000 to set up and $500,000 per year to operate, according to the report. No funding stream was identified, although a minority of members suggested raising fees for pesticide registration, pesticide applicator licenses and commercial beehive registration.

Other recommendations include:

• Developing a statewide pollinator health outreach and education plan.

• Improving the state's bee incident reporting system.

• Continuing to work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to improve pesticide labeling and education.

• Improving training for pesticide applicators and using OSU Master Gardeners to help educate the public about protecting bees from pesticides.

• Directing the Oregon Department of Transportation to establish pollinator habitat along public transportation corridors.

At a task force meeting Monday, some members complained that the recommendations were too soft.

"I do feel we need to put some really solid components forward. I don't feel the consensus items do that," said Aimee Code, pesticide program coordinator for The Xerces Society, a Portland-based invertebrate protection group.

tloew@statesmanjournal.com, (503) 399-6779 or follow at Twitter.com/SJWatchdog