Montana proposal would organize a task force to plan pollinator protections

The Department of Agriculture would appoint and lead a 14-member pollinator health task force. Members would represent three state agencies, several farming and conservation interests, beekeepers, Montana tribes, and a youth agricultural education group. The proposed act would take effect upon passage and approval and end on December 31, 2026.

The task force would develop a statewide pollinator health strategy, and the Department of Agriculture would report its findings and recommendations to the 70th Legislature. The report would include all parts of the strategy and recommendations for legislative, administrative, or budget actions. The strategy would build on existing state and national habitat plans. It would cover research, public education, state land habitat goals, and recommendations on partnerships, native plants, and communication among beekeepers, landowners, and pesticide applicators. The task force would draft a policy for the agriculture director to consider that could allow registered beekeepers’ contact information to be shared with a requesting landowner or pesticide applicator when that could protect an apiary. The Department of Agriculture would provide the report to the 70th Legislature.

The proposal would set aside $50,000 from the general fund for the Department of Agriculture’s task force work. The funding would go to the Department of Agriculture for the task force’s work. The money would pay for the task force duties described in the proposal. The appropriation would apply to the two-year period beginning July 1, 2025.