Mount Vernon Certified as a Bee City USA

Affiliation allows for grants, partnerships to improve pollinator habitat

MOUNT VERNON, October 21, 2022 – The City of Mount Vernon has just become a more hospitable place for pollinators, starting with the well-known honey bee (Apis mellifera). There are more than 3,600 bee species in the U.S., however, while butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, and even some flies, wasps and bats also help to pollinate nearly all of our flowering plants and most of our crops. They’re officially welcome here now as well.

During the summer of 2020, the Mount Vernon City Council adopted a resolution designating the City’s Shade Tree and Beautification Commission as the City’s Bee City USA sponsor, among other things. Earlier this month, the City was notified that it met the standards for certification as an affiliate of Bee City USA, an initiative of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. The certification comes with a number of responsibilities.

As a Bee City USA affiliate, the City shall host at least one educational event or pollinator habitat planting or restoration annually that showcases the City’s commitment to raising awareness of pollinator conservation and expanding pollinator health and habitat.

It’s been well-documented that about 40 percent of the planet’s bees and other pollinators are at risk of extinction from habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change.

In addition, as part of this new affiliation, the City will inventory and identify City property that can be enhanced with pollinator-friendly plantings, and must adopt an integrated pest management plan that reduces pesticide use and expands the use of non-chemical pest management methods.

Also, the City will erect 10 Bee City USA signs around the City, in the same locations where its Tree City USA signage is placed. The City will need to apply for renewal of its Bee City USA designation each February. Mount Vernon is one of 12 Bee City USA communities in Ohio, including the city of Shelby in Richland County and the Delaware County village of Galena. There are seven Bee Campuses in Ohio, including Kenyon College in Gambier.

Mount Vernon’s Bee City USA affiliation opens many doors for grants and partnerships designed to help the City meet its program commitments. The City has also established a Bee City Committee that is charged with upholding these commitments and raising awareness of pollinator conservation.

The Bee City Committee is looking for volunteers, to either help with seed collection and educational events, or to serve on the committee itself. Anyone interested can reach out by email to BeeCity@mountvernonohio.org. You may also follow “Bee City USA – Mount Vernon OH” on Facebook to stay up to date.

 

Information courtesy of the City of Mount Vernon