Environmental Issues Forum

The Joint Legislative Conservation Committee will host an Environmental Issues Forum on Monday, May 22, 2017, at 12 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 8E-A.

The May forum will feature Pennsylvania’s pollinator decline and its impact agriculture and the beekeeping industry. Pollinators play a significant role in the production of fruit and vegetables. For example, 90 percent of our nation’s apple crop relies on bee-induced pollination. Over the last decade, however, there has been a staggering decline in the Western honeybee population, attributed to several causes, including colony collapse disorder. This has alarmed scientists and farmers alike, as it poses a significant risk to the world’s agriculture and food supply.

Guests for the forum include Dr. Harland Patch, a research scientist at Penn State’s Department of Entomology, and Mr. Charles Vorisek, past president of the Pennsylvania State Beekeepers Association and member of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. Their presentation will discuss trends in the state’s pollinator population, as well as ongoing efforts to understand and reverse the honeybees’ decline.

For questions regarding the May forum, please contact Mike Nerozzi, assistant director, at [email protected] or by phone at 717-787-7570.

Those unable to attend in person can view a live stream at www.pasenategop.com.