Saturday, April 15 at 1:30pm at the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden, Dr. Bill Irwin, Professor of Biology at Florida Keys Community College, will give a presentation on “GMOs, Neonics and Pollinators: separating fact from fear.”

Meet at the Chapel in the KWTF&BG on College Road – turn at the light on U.S. 1. Free for members and students; $5 for non-members. Call 305-296-1504 or visit kwbgs.org.

As the human population continues to grow, efficient food production becomes increasingly important. Fortunately, the agriculture industry has created ways to bring more food to the market through the use of pesticides, herbicides and genetically modified crops. However, there is mounting evidence that some of these methods may be having catastrophic effects on the natural environment, human health and even our ability to sustainably produce enough food to feed the world.

Dr. Irwin will discuss the data that link neonicotinoid “treated” seeds with colony collapse disorder (CCD) in honey bees and herbicide-“ready” plants with the decline of monarch butterfly populations. He will also discuss recent studies that suggest that some genetically-modified foods may pose a risk to human health and development.