Austin, Official Bee City!

A resolution supporting Austin’s certification as an official Bee City USA affiliate was just passed earlier this month after two years of planning to meet the Xerces Society’s program requirements. The goal of these efforts is to protect and provide healthy native habitats to pollinators on public and private lands, with bee pollinator gardens already being installed at locations such as the Austin Nature & Science Center.

Me & the Bees Lemonade and Healthy Hive Foundation are proud to be a part of this certification effort that supports conservation, raises awareness for protecting our pollinators, and reminds us that pollinators are essential to a healthy ecology and to our survival. For example, did you know that native and honey bees, as well as other pollinators, are responsible for the production of around 90% flowering plants? This helps plants produce the foods that we rely on including fruits, nuts, and vegetables!

In this vital effort, we are joined by other amazing staff from Pollinate Austin, Travis County Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, Bat Conservation International, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service among many others. This is an important milestone to remind us of our local responsibility to protect our bee populations as they have been declining due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change. We can’t wait to see and be a part of the progress that is made!