Bill Text: NJ A2335 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Creates "Pollinator Pathway" designation for municipalities.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Environment, Natural Resources, and Solid Waste Committee [A2335 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A2335-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman CHRIS TULLY
District 38 (Bergen)
Assemblywoman LISA SWAIN
District 38 (Bergen)
Assemblyman CLINTON CALABRESE
District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Lopez and Assemblyman Freiman
SYNOPSIS
Creates "Pollinator Pathway" designation for municipalities.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act creating a "Pollinator Pathway" designation for municipalities and supplementing Title 13 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that pollinators, such as bats, bees, birds, and butterflies, play a vital role in the production of New Jersey's most popular crops, including apples, blueberries, cranberries, cucumbers, pumpkins, and squash; that pollinators are essential for the maintenance of healthy, biodiverse ecosystems, including the State's forests and grasslands, which provide habitat to many species of animals, as well as natural resources and recreational opportunities for residents; and that over 80 percent of all flowering plants on earth are animal-pollinated.
The Legislature further finds and declares that pollinators are in serious decline in New Jersey and worldwide; that this decline threatens the State's food supply, its natural ecosystems and biodiversity, and, thus, the health and well-being of New Jersey residents; that the main causes for the decline in pollinator numbers are climate change, pollution, the widespread application of pesticides and herbicides on lawns and crops, the loss of pollinator habitat due to development and fragmentation and degradation of the State's natural areas, and the introduction of non-native invasive plant species.
The Legislature therefore determines that it is in the public interest to encourage and promote the development of pollinator pathways -corridors of public and private land that provide native plant habitat and nutrition for pollinators. The establishment of such pathways will help ensure a better harvest for farmers, protect the State's ecosystems and biodiversity, promote healthier lawns and public spaces and reduce mowing and maintenance costs, and promote community involvement in the protection of pollinators.
2. a. The Commissioner of Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall, within the availability of funds, establish a "Pollinator Pathway" designation for municipalities that meet the standards established therefor by the Department of Environmental Protection pursuant to subsection b. of this section.
b. The standards for a municipal "Pollinator Pathway" designation shall include, but need not be limited to:
(1) Providing a habitat area for pollinators;
(2) Providing host plants which shall include at least one of the following to support at least six butterfly species:
(a) Asclepias syriaca;
(b) Asclepias incarnate;
(c) Asclepias tuberosa;
(d) Asclepias verticillata;
(e) Asclepias exaltata;
(f) Asclepias purpurascens;
(g) Asclepias viridiflora;
(h) Asclepias lanceolate;
(i) Asclepias quadrifolia;
(j) Asclepias rubra;
(k) Asclepias variegate; or
(l) Asclepias amplexicaulis;
(3) Providing at least four nectar sources for pollinators during the seasons of spring, summer, and fall;
(4) Providing an appropriate water source and shelter for pollinators, and a basking site for butterflies; and
(5) Incorporating at least five of the conservation practices enumerated in subsection c. of this section.
c. To meet the standards for designation as a "Pollinator Pathway," a municipality shall incorporate at least five of the following conservation practices: (1) removing invasive plants; (2) composting yard and food waste; (3) avoiding the use of chemical pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides to the greatest extent possible; (4) controlling pests naturally by encouraging and facilitating the use of beneficial insects; (5) using drip or soaker hoses instead of an overhead sprinkler system for irrigating plants; (6) using a rain barrel or other means of capturing rainwater to irrigate plants; (7) directing downspouts and gutters to drain onto the lawn, plant beds, or retention, detention, and other containment areas; (8) maintaining a layer of organic mulch over tree roots, shrubs, and plant beds; (9) replacing non-native and invasive plants with low maintenance native plants; (10) planting groundcovers or using mulch on thinly vegetated areas to decrease erosion; (11) reducing or eliminating lawn areas; (12) eliminating the use of chemical fertilizers and using instead natural fertilizers, such as compost and manure; or (13) reducing maintenance costs by reducing mowing.
d. After establishing the program logo design pursuant to section 3 of this act, the department shall provide a "Pollinator Pathway" designation sign or signs for outdoor use by any municipality that meets the designation requirements provided by the department.
e. As used in this section:
"Host plant" means a plant which aids and shelters a butterfly in its growth by providing a site for the butterfly to lay eggs and food for an emerging caterpillar.
"Pollinator" means any bee, butterfly,
moth, wasp, fly, beetle, ant, hummingbird, bat, or other animal that is known
to pollinate plants.
3. The department shall develop and promote a Statewide contest, to be conducted every 10 years, for a program logo design for the "Pollinator Pathway" designation sign. The department, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall establish application guidelines for an entry and shall solicit input from the general public prior to announcing the winning design entry of the contest. The department shall decide the winning design and use it as the "Pollinator Pathway" designation sign for a period of 10 years.
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would require the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, to establish a "Pollinator Pathway" designation for municipalities that meet the standards established by the Department of Environmental Protection. The standards for a municipal "Pollinator Pathway" designation would include, but need not be limited to:
(1) Providing a habitat area for pollinators;
(2) Providing host plants which shall include at least one of the following to support at least six butterfly species:
(a) Asclepias syriaca;
(b) Asclepias incarnate;
(c) Asclepias tuberosa;
(d) Asclepias verticillata;
(e) Asclepias exaltata;
(f) Asclepias purpurascens;
(g) Asclepias viridiflora;
(h) Asclepias lanceolate;
(i) Asclepias quadrifolia;
(j) Asclepias rubra;
(k) Asclepias variegate; or
(l) Asclepias amplexicaulis;
(3) Providing at least four nectar sources for pollinators during the seasons of spring, summer, and fall;
(4) Providing an appropriate water source and shelter for pollinators, and a basking site for butterflies; and
(5) Incorporating at least five of the conservation practices from subsection c. of section 1 of the bill.
Under the bill, the department would develop and promote a Statewide contest for the establishment of a program logo design for the "Pollinator Pathway" designation sign, to be conducted every 10 years, and would solicit input from the general public prior to announcing the winning design. After the establishment of a program logo, the department would provide a "Pollinator Pathway" designation sign or signs for outdoor use by any municipality that meets the designation requirements.
