NM Pollinator Plate
The New “Protect Pollinators” License Plate
by Laurie McGrath
During the 2019 session of the New Mexico legislature, participants in the Wild Friends program of the University of New Mexico (UNM) law school achieved passage of Senate Bill 234, which was signed into law by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham that April. The bill creates a special license plate with proceeds going to the Department of Transportation (DOT) to fund the planting of native flowers and grasses along state highways. In addition, DOT will create pollinator-friendly demonstration gardens at rest stops that will include informational signage.
Who are the Wild Friends? They are students in grades 4 through 12 from schools across the state. Partnered with UNM’s School of Law and Institute of Public Law, the program provides civics education on government and public service. Teachers, law students, and volunteers help engage the students in projects to learn about wildlife and habitat issues, which they themselves choose by ballot. More than twelve thousand students have been involved since 1991.
Pollinator plants have often been a focus of their activities at the legislature. In 2010 they helped pass a native-pollinators memorial urging state agencies and schools to plant pollinator-friendly plants. In 2016 a “Bee Aware Day” memorial was passed, and in 2017 a joint memorial was passed creating a voluntary plant-labelling program at nurseries to identify pollinator-friendly plants. As a result, they [Laurie: I changed the sentence from passive to active voice; but who is “they” here? Was it the Wild Friends themselves?] spent 2018 developing a plant guide and plant stakes that were distributed to 20 nurseries in nine locales across the state.
It’s heartening to know that New Mexico students are being effective advocates for our environment. “I always say one of the most powerful lobbying groups that we have in the state of New Mexico are our Wild Friends,” comments Lieutenant Governor Howie Morales on their website. As teacher Jennifer Chavez-Miller points out, “Students get to see in real time how powerful advocacy and civic engagement are, and how they too have a voice in making change.” To read more about the accomplishments of Wild Friends, visit their website.
According to Sue George, director of the Wild Friends program, the plates will be available through MVD starting this month. They can be purchased in person at MVD offices. [Laurie: As far as I can tell from the MVD website, these and other special plates cannot be purchased online; you have to go in person: https://eservices.mvd.newmexico.gov/eTapestry/_/#2] The cost is $25 for the first year and $15 to renew annually.
Note: The artwork on the license plate was created by Albuquerque Sign Language Academy 6th grader Jazlyn Smith.