The buzz around Carson City as designated Bee City No. 76
You might have heard that Carson City is now a Bee City. But what does that mean, how did it happen, and how can you help?
What happened is that a small group of committed beekeepers decided to approach the city with the idea, and then worked tirelessly for two years with Carson City Board of Supervisors and Mayor Bob Crowell to develop an organization committed to protecting pollinator habitat within the city boundaries.
Great Basin Beekeepers of Nevada is the parent organization that paid the membership dues for the originating charter and Carson City provides limited staff time to support the standing committee.
In October 2018, Carson City became Bee City USA No. 76, an affiliate of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a national nonprofit organization with the mission to galvanize communities to sustain pollinators by providing them with healthy habitat, rich in a variety of native plants and free to nearly free of pesticides.
Imperiled pollinators like honey bees, bumble bees, butterflies, moths, bats, hummingbirds, and others are responsible for the reproduction of nearly ninety percent of the world's flowering plant species and one in every three bites of food we consume. Pollinators are vital to our lives!
One of the goals of Bee City No. 76 in Carson City is to educate the public about the value of pollinators and expand pollinator habitat. Thanks to our wonderful community that has happened over the past two years in a wonderful and natural way.
First, Carson Tahoe Hospital, the Greenhouse Project, Carson City and Muscle Powered volunteers worked together to develop the Foothill Garden Trail behind the Cancer Center. The project grew, and the Greenhouse Project became a leader in growing pollinator plants, establishing a beautiful pollinator garden complete with clover, penstemon and a myriad of wild flowers for the public to enjoy.
The Carson City Chamber leadership group took the trail to the next level in 2019, building a Bee Hotel, installing information kiosks and further developing the trail. Local businesses, leaders and a myriad of folks contributed to help build the Bee Hotel and the Foothill Trail Gardens were born.
This year the work has continued in a beautiful and magical way. I won’t ruin the surprise, but the 2020 Carson City Chamber leadership group has really stepped up to make the Foothill Garden more complete and beautiful. Stay tuned!
But most importantly all of us in Carson City can help support pollinators in the following ways:
— Don’t use pesticides that hurt bees and other pollinators
— Plant your garden with pollinator species, then sit back and watch lovely butterflies, fat bumble bees, wild bees and even hummingbirds visit.
— Provide shallow basins of water for pollinators to drink, bird baths, shallow dishes with rocks provide critically important water without drowning pollinators.
If you want to learn more about Bee City USA No. 76 here are a few ways:
Visit the Carson City Library Display: Bee City USA No. 76 has a gorgeous display in the lobby about pollinators and the value they bring to our world.
Check out the Carson City Bee City USA No. 76 website: Lots of great images, information and plant ideas that support pollinator habitat.
https://www.carson.org/government/departments-g-z/parks-recreation-open-...
Visit the Xerces Society webpage and learn how to reduce pesticides and build pollinator habitat: https://www.xerces.org/
Visit Bees Count: https://beescount.org/ this is a fun way to participate. Download the World Bee Count app on your cell phone and take pictures of bees in your life. The Pollinator World Map shows all the bees all over the world and is a fun way to learn about the different types of bees and the flowers they love.
Visit the Foothill Garden behind the Cancer Center. You’ll be glad you did!
Join the Bee City USA No. 76 mailing list. Quarterly meetings will return once the Covid-19 pandemic settles down. Email BeeCity USA#76Carson City beecityusa76@gmail.com to learn more.
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