BECAUSE ALL THE POLLINATOR BUZZ’S DIDN’T FIT INTO POLLINATOR WEEK
Bayer Feed a Bee program celebrates National Pollinator Week by kicking off initiative to support forage projects in all 50 states
Research Triangle Park, N.C. (June 19, 2017) – In the spirit of true National Pollinator Week celebration, Bayer today announced the first round of organizations that will receive funding to establish forage for pollinators across the nation. Nearly 100 projects were submitted in response to the request for proposals for the first round of funding, which were reviewed and evaluated by the inaugural Feed a Bee steering committee. Ultimately, 58 projects in more than 30 states and Washington, D.C., have been chosen as the first to receive awards ranging from $1,000 – $5,000.
Earlier this year, Bayer announced its latest Feed a Bee initiative to facilitate forage plantings in every state by the end of 2018 by distributing $500,000 to organizations across the country. These funds were made available to organizations working to combat the issue of limited pollinator forage found throughout the country and to provide a tangible solution to this challenge.
“It’s thrilling to see so much interest around the country in such a short amount of time,” said Dr. Becky Langer, project manager, Bayer North American Bee Care Program. “We’re more than halfway to accomplishing our goal after the first round of proposals with more than a year and a half left in the initiative. It’s rewarding to see organizations across the country come together with one common goal: providing quality nutrients for pollinators. We look forward to seeing all the creative project ideas yet to come!”
The 58 forage projects, which include establishment of new pollinator forage and habitat restoration, will take place throughout the remainder of the year, following the official kick off Saturday, June 17, at the Washington Youth Garden in Washington, D.C. Bayer joined the Garden, a program of the Friends of the National Arboretum; the U.S. Forest Service; the Americas for Conservation and the Arts; the Woodsy Owl Conservation Corps; and Sweet Virginia Foundation, an educational partner of Feed a Bee that provides free honey bee resources to teachers and students around the world, for the first Family Garden Day of 2017. Families of the community gathered to learn about the importance of honey bees and other pollinators and planted the first flowers that will begin the restoration process of the Garden’s Butterfly and Pollinator Garden. After the planting, families explored pollinator health through hands-on learning stations, including investigating the Garden’s two hives, digging in the compost worm bin and running a relay race in beekeeping suits to become true “beeks.”
“The funding provided by Feed a Bee is instrumental in restoring our Butterfly and Pollinator Garden, which serves as a valuable tool to ensure young people who visit our grounds walk away understanding the value of protecting our country’s pollinators,” said Nadia Mercer, Washington Youth Garden program director. “We have been sharing knowledge of butterflies and other pollinators for over forty years and look forward to many more.”
This event served not only as a celebration of National Pollinator Week, but also as recognition of the effort being done across the county in support of the 2015 Pollinator Health Strategic Plan, put in place by the White House Pollinator Health Task Force.
“We are proud to be doing our part in promoting the task force’s goal of restoring or enchaining 7 million acres of forage by 2020,” Langer said. “I’m glad we can aid in implementing the White House strategy coast to coast, beginning in the city that made pollinator heath a national priority.”
Round one of grant recipients include:
Auburn University, Alabama
IVM Partners, Arkansas
Social Advocates for Youth, California
McKeever Family, California
Auburn School Park Community Garden, California
Living Coast Discovery Center, California
Mystic Middle School, Connecticut
The Rotary Club of Cape Coral, Florida
Camp Viola, Georgia
Oglethorpe County Middle School, Georgia
Doc‘s Healing Hives and Honey Incorporation, Georgia
Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Idaho
Friends of Camas National Wildlife Refuge, Idaho
Blackburn College, Illinois
North Central College, Illinois
Wesselman Nature Society, Indiana
Sustainable Communities Network/Ballew Family Farms, LLC, Kentucky
Riverside Municipal Golf Course, Maine
Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Maine
Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery, Massachusetts
Alice Ferguson Foundation, Maryland
IVM Partners, Maryland
Macomb Community College Bee Club, Michigan
Bay Midland Pheasants Forever, Michigan
Shooting Star Native Seeds, Minnesota
Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center, Minnesota
Missouri Prairie Foundation, Missouri
Lakewood Hills Homeowner Association, Missouri
Hickory Hollow Farmstead, Missouri
Farmyard Education Foundation, New Jersey
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service/Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands, New York
Bethpage State Park, New York
SUNY Delhi, New York
Hurd Orchards, New York
Columbus Elementary School, New York
Jack Britt High School, North Carolina
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina
Columbus County Beekeepers Association, North Carolina
United Prairie Foundation, North Dakota
Little Miami Conservancy, Ohio
The Ohio State University, Ohio
St. Benedict Catholic Church, Oklahoma
Equinox Agribusiness, LCC, Oregon
Loyalhanna Watershed Association, Inc., Pennsylvania
The Land Trust for Tennessee, Tennessee
IVM Partners, Inc., Tennessee
Borderlands Research Institute, Texas
City of New Braunfels PARD, Texas
Gideon Lincecum Chapter – Texas Master Naturalists, Texas
Utah State University Extension, Utah
Belmont Ridge Middle School, Virginia
Downriver Golf Course/City of Spokane, Washington
Washington Youth Garden/Friends of the National Arboretum, Washington, D.C.
The Outdoor Education Center of For Love of Children, West Virginia
Iowa County Recreation and Prairie Restoration, Wisconsin
Woodland Dunes Nature Center and Preserve, Wisconsin
Red Mountain Ranch, Wisconsin
Town/County of Menominee, Wisconsin
Feed a Bee is one of several programs sponsored by Bayer’s Bee Care Program, continuing its nearly 30 years of supporting bee health. For more information on Bayer’s bee health initiatives, please visit: http://beehealth.bayer.us. You can also follow and share with us on Twitter @BayerBeeCare, on Facebook at facebook.com/BayerBeeCareCenter and view photos on Flickr.
