A quick bonus update: how a five-minute email led to an official Montana Pollinator Week proclamation — and how you can get the same thing done in your own state before Pollinator Week wraps up.
Resources:
- State of Montana, Governor's Proclamation, Montana Pollinator Week, June 22–28, 2026 (signed by Gov. Greg Gianforte)
#PollinatorWeek #NativeBees #MontanaPollinatorWeek #PollinatorPartnership #WildBees #SecretPollinators #BeeConservation #Montana #Wildbees #nativebees #Bees #gardening #
About Secret Pollinators
A wonder-first science podcast about native bees, bumblebees, wild bees, and the lesser-known pollinators most of us walk right past every day.
Visit secretpollinators.com
[00:00:04] Welcome back to Secret Pollinators. This is just a quick bonus update. It's not really a full episode, and I wanted to talk about Pollinator Week. About a month ago, I emailed our state governor's office on behalf of Pollinator Partnership, asking them to officially recognize National Pollinator Week. And it worked!
[00:00:25] The governor of Montana signed a proclamation declaring June 22 through June 28, 2026, Montana Pollinator Week. And here's why I think it's worth a few minutes of your time, even if you don't live anywhere near Montana. Most people, when they picture a pollinator worth protecting, they picture one insect.
[00:00:47] But Montana alone is home to roughly 450 documented native bee species, and 28 of those are bumblebees, which you all know are my favorite. More bumblebee species than any other state in the country. And most of them you've never heard of. Most of them don't make headlines. A proclamation like this is small. It's an official nod that those species, not just the famous ones, matter enough to name.
[00:01:17] And this isn't a one-state thing. Pollinator Partnership runs National Pollinator Week every year, and any state can do exactly what mine just did. So here's the actual call to action. Find your own governor's office contact page. It takes a few minutes. And then mention Pollinator Partnership's National Pollinator Week. Ask for a proclamation recognizing it in your state.
[00:01:45] Governor's office contact. Governor's office contact. Governor's office is issued more often than people realize, and it just usually takes someone just asking the question, could you do this? If your state already has one, well, that's even better. And that's worth knowing, too.
[00:02:00] And that's it. Short and sweet. So I'll see you next week on Secret Pollinators. And again, I really appreciate you listening. Until next time, keep watching those native bees because you know they're watching you back.