by Ethan Gilardi
New Jersey’s State Senate passed legislation this past August authorizing the creation of “Protect Pollinator” license plates with the aim of helping to protect New Jersey’s native pollinators.
Created by Kip Bateman (R) and co-sponsored by Linda Greenstein (D), the bill will require the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to create “Protect Pollinator” license plates, featuring a design and slogan that expresses support for New Jersey’s native pollinator animals.
“New Jersey would not be the Garden State without the help it gets from its native pollinators,” said Bateman. “From the gardens we grow to the produce we purchase at a local farmer’s market, many of our fruits, vegetables, and flowers rely on pollinators like bees and butterflies. The license plates will ensure our ‘Jersey Fresh’ plants and crops grow strong for generations.”
The bill would also establish a special fund called the “Protect Pollinators License Plate Fund” in the Department of the Treasury. Any monies from application fees that are not used to administer the license plate program would be deposited in this fund and annually appropriated to the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey and to the “Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management Program.”
Applicants for the license plate would be required to pay an initial fee of $50 and a subsequent $10 fee to renew the license plates.
Pollinators are a vital part of our global ecosystem, with over 90% of flowering plants relying on animals and insects to reproduce. Pollinators aren’t just bees either; some plants rely on ants, beetles, butterflies, moths, or even bats to spread their pollen!
You can learn more about pollinators and their importance to our economy, agriculture industry, human health, and working food webs in our natural ecology here.
You can track the bill’s continued progress here.