The Buzz on MN Pollinators


During the 2017 Minnesota legislative session, CURE and our partners fought hard to keep pollinator protections on the radar.  Even though legislative leadership worked to kill the pollinator provisions early in the session, pollinators and pesticides stayed in the mix until the end.  The Department of Ag, Governor Dayton, and countless citizens that made their voices heard on this issue are to thank for that.  Even Senator Torrey Westrom — one of our strongest opponents on pollinator/pesticide issues — gave a floor speech where he mentioned how many people were calling and emailing him and other Senators about pollinator issues.

The outcome:

“The current agriculture bill includes a few small advances. MN Department of Agriculture is authorized to work on research to minimize the impacts of pesticides on pollinators, but unfortunately language intending to undermine a new “verification of need” program also passed, narrowing the agency’s authority to make science-based decisions on pesticide policy.

And in a bait-and-switch move, legislators removed funding for the pollinator protection account and substituted research at the University of Minnesota, which focuses primarily on habitat. This research will likely generate good information about on-farm pollinator habitat, but it leaves a major research gap the state previously identified on pest thresholds for key Minnesota crops — including integrated pest management (IPM) research on pollinator-friendly approaches to keeping crop yields and farm incomes strong.”

For more information on pollinator action in the legislature and what it means for the future of pollinators in Minnesota, check out our partner at Pesticide Action Network (PAN), Lex Horan’s blog post.

Whether you made a phone call, wrote a letter to the editor, testified at a hearing, or posted on social media, we thank you for working to help keep this issue front and center.  Take a look at a recent letter to the editor submitted by CURE staffer, Peg Furshong.  We encourage citizens to continue making their voices heard on this issue — let your legislators know that pollinator protections are important to you and we need to #ActOnMNPollinators now!

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Kelsey Olson

Kelsey Olson

Director of Environmental Stewardship

Kelsey Olson (she/her) joined CURE in 2025 as its Director of Environmental Stewardship. As a skilled environmental naturalist, Kelsey’s work focuses broadly on environmental education and advocacy with a keen focus on rural land use and how that use impacts our environment and climate. Working Lands, how land is used to support agriculture and forestry, is a key focus of her work. She brings 15 years’ experience in public communication, environmental education, and rural community engagement – strong communication strategies are core in her work. This includes two terms of service with AmeriCorps in the VISTA program in Oregon and Maryland and a nearly 10-year career as a naturalist followed. She recently worked on communications and marketing for rural economic development.

Kelsey lives in New London, MN, with her young children, husband, dog, and two cats. They enjoy spending time together outside and finding small treasures in nature. Visits to Minneapolis often include visits to one of their favorite historical museums, the Minnesota Swedish Institute. Kelsey enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, whether this is canning local produce, making kombucha, or other treats!