Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Native Plants And Insects Getting Legislative Attention

By Nate Reagle, Certified Pollinator Steward

Great news!  There are multiple bills addressing plant and insect conservation in Pennsylvania! 

It is easy to get confused when thinking about what they all mean and how they interact. 

It is important to understand that native insects depend on native plants, while non-native pollinators will also benefit from native flowers. 

Threats to non-native or managed pollinators such as pesticide exposure or diseases also tend to threaten native pollinators. 

Finally, remember that managed pollinators are agricultural commodities while native pollinators are part of the natural ecosystem, although native pollinators benefit Pennsylvania agriculture as well. 

Act 37, formerly House Bill 797 sponsored by Rep. Brett Miller, pertains to native vegetation along PennDOT roads. Simply put, the bill directs PennDOT to prioritize native plants along roadside ROW corridors. 

PennDOT has already been working toward this goal in collaboration with DCNR and other partners. 

Act 37 however, codifies the efforts to make them more permanent. The result will be more habitat for pollinator dispersal and migration across the state. 

When thinking about all the PennDOT roads, this is a significant amount of future habitat. 

Representative Pielli’s House Bill 2470  is like Act 37 in that it prioritizes native plants, however the scope is different. While Act 37 focuses on roadside ROW corridors, House Bill 2470 focuses on state facilities. 

Think of all the state office buildings surrounded by lawns lacking pollinator habitat as opportunities to provide native vegetation for native pollinators and other insects. 

This bill also directs DCNR to make their planting and seeding guidance available to other state agencies interested in providing native habitat at their facilities. 

Senator Comitta’s Plant and Pollinator Protection Act (Senate Bill 1198) addresses commercial plant merchants and managed pollinators to protect the agricultural pollinator commodity. 

The Department of Agriculture oversees the implementation of this legislation.  

Representative Pielli’s Wild Resource Conservation Act amendment (House Bill 2471) closes a huge gap in biodiversity conservation in Pennsylvania by addressing taxa that are not currently assigned to a Commonwealth agency. 

The bill assigns native terrestrial invertebrates to DCNR, allowing the department to designate native invertebrates as threatened or endangered, critical for conservation efforts. 

Having a responsible agency would also give a voice to invertebrate conservation and enable better interagency cooperation. House Bill 2471 is the single most impactful bill regarding native insect conservation. 

Act 37 and House Bill 2470 both prioritize native vegetation, but at different locations. This is critical for proactive native pollinator and other insect conservation. 

The Plant and Pollinator Protection Act covers managed pollinators and plants that are sold or distributed in Pennsylvania with an emphasis on agriculture. 

These bills work together to improve pollinator and native insect conservation along our roads, at state buildings, and in the agricultural realm.   

(Photos: Winners of Pollinators Photo Challenge sponsored by the Brandywine Conservancy and the Westmoreland Pollinator Partners.)

Nate Reagle is an independent insect biodiversity and conservation advocate as well as a Certified Pollinator Steward issued by the Pollinator Partnership.

Resource Links:

-- Pollinator Gardens: Help Encourage Ecological Diversity In Your Own Backyard  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Watershed Friendly Certification Program Expands To Large And Small Properties, Apartments  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Master Gardeners Certification As Pollinator Friendly Garden

-- Penn State Extension Is Celebrating Pollinator Week June 17-21!   [PaEN]

-- Pollinator Vehicle License Plate Now Available From PennDOT To Support Pollinator Habitat Fund  [PaEN]

-- Agriculture Secretary, Sen. Comitta Visit Chester County’s Jenkins Arboretum, Highlighting Bill To Protect Pollinators, Boost Agriculture  [PaEN]

Related Articles This Week: 

-- Gov. Shapiro Signs Bill Requiring PennDOT To Plant Native Plants Along State Highways Into Law  [PaEN]

-- Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Native Plants And Insects Getting Legislative Attention - By Nate Reagle, Certified Pollinator Steward  [PaEN]

-- Westmoreland Pollinator Partners, Penguin Court Invite Entries To 4th Annual Pennsylvania Pollinator Photo Challenge  [PaEN]

-- PA iMapInvasives 2024 Invasive Species Scavenger Hunt Set For August; July 30 Webinar Training Available  [PaEN]

-- Discover How To Identify, Track Invasive Species Using iMapInvasives In Aug. 9 Penn State Extension Webinar  [PaEN]

NewsClip:

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation Applauds New PA Law Requiring Native Vegetation Along State Highways

[Posted: July 3, 2024]  PA Environment Digest