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EQB marks 10-year pollinator effort; agencies outline 2026 report and outreach
Summary
The Environmental Quality Board heard a presentation April 15 from state pollinator coordinator Rebeca Gutierrez-Moreno on the draft 2026 pollinator report, highlighting a 10-year interagency action framework, upcoming scorecards and outreach events including Pollinator Week and a state fair panel.
Rebeca Gutierrez-Moreno, the state pollinator coordinator with the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board, told the board April 15 that agencies will present a 10-year anniversary draft of the state’s pollinator report this year, summarizing interagency actions, remaining challenges and recommended next steps.
The report’s draft outline emphasizes three goals: restore and support pollinator habitat and food resources, reduce pesticide impacts through integrated pest management, and increase public understanding and engagement. "Pollinators are essential for the production of the majority of the flowering plants in the world," Gutierrez-Moreno said, noting climate change, pesticides, disease and habitat loss have combined to threaten pollinator populations.
Board members heard that the interagency team established after the 2016 executive order has developed an action framework and scorecards; the next set of scorecard metrics will be presented in 2027. The framework organizes agency actions by goal, lead agency, partners and status (in progress, completed, on-hold or sustained) so the public and leadership can track progress and avoid duplicative efforts.
Gutierrez-Moreno outlined outreach already under way and planned for 2026: a monarch exhibit partnership with the Bell Museum, a peer-to-peer webinar series with the GreenStep Cities program, tabling at the Great Minnesota Insect show and a coordinated Pollinator Week (June 22–28) social media campaign. She said a state-fair panel to celebrate the 10-year anniversary is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 10.
Board members from several agencies praised the interagency approach and urged broader engagement. Commissioner Strommen called the interagency team "the only place where there is a platform for collaboration across agencies," and Member Smith asked for more ways that public members can join outreach and engagement efforts. Gutierrez-Moreno said the full annual report will return to the board in November and the team will bring the implementation matrix showing agency actions and status.
The presentation and discussion also highlighted research advances such as the Minnesota Biological Survey’s work identifying more than 400 native bee species and several programs that translate agency work into public participation, including Lawns to Legumes and habitat-friendly solar initiatives. Several board members said continued funding and clearer public-facing guidance on resources and seed mixes would help spread local action.
The board did not take action on the report at this meeting; staff will refine the draft based on feedback and return later this year with a full report and updated scorecards.
