See the attached file for suggested content for the Florida-Orchard Pollinator Signage.
This document includes information about plants, animals, and pollinators related to the prairie.
Sara Mason, Chantelle Hicks, and Morgan White discussed revisions to the Bee Campus USA web presence. For ease of maintenance, the iCAP Portal seems to be a more friendly process for providing updates and keeping the web content current and active. Sara could do the entries this year, and future students could do entries in the future years. The updates can also be shared on other websites, when requested. Sara will bring this idea back to the student committee, for a decision.
This meeting is open to anyone on campus interested in supporting local pollinators.
We are meeting tomorrow from 1:30-2:30 at F&S with both advisors and students from the Bee Campus USA committee. Chantelle sent the invite, but there are more people than can fit in the room she sent, so please join us in the Garage and Car Pool building conference room. This is in the building at the southwest corner of Oak and Kirby.
Our agenda is as follows:
The students on the Bee Campus committee met to discuss their plans for this year.
Join us on Monday, July 22 at noon at the Champaign Ext. This seminar is part of our Lunch with an Expert series with Maddy Kangas, a master's student from NRES, as our expert on native bees. There will be a short presentation on native bees in East-Central Illinois followed by your photos and questions. Do you need help with identification or more information? Bring your questions and your lunch.
Amanda Christenson . Cooperative Extension Service
Champaign County Master Gardeners present Children's Intro to Butterflies on Sat., July 20, 9:15 or 10:30 a.m., at the Idea Garden on S. Lincoln Ave. in Urbana. Ages 5-9. Limited to 24 per session. We will begin with a short educational lesson on butterfly anatomy, metamorphosis, and identification. They will then paint a flower pot to take home. https://go.illinois.edu/ButterflyProgram
Tabitha Elder . Cooperative Extension Service
This Pollinator Map is provided through the support of the University of Illinois Bee Campus USA Committee. It is intended to identify areas on campus that support our local and migratory pollinator populations. This information supports campus master planning.
From: White, Morgan
Sent: Wednesday, April 3, 2019 7:47 PM
To: bee-campus@lists.illinois.edu
Subject: [bee-campus] Bee Committee meetings
Hello Bee Committee,
The student chairperson, Sara Mason, met with me, Brent Lewis, and Vince Spagnola today. We talked about the signage plans, committee meetings, funding options, potential events, and tracking progress (such as meeting notes) on the iCAP Portal.
We also set up this email list, so Sara can let the faculty and staff members know when a committee meeting is planned. Next time she calls a meeting, she will send it to this list.
Thanks!
Morgan
The Fall 2018 semester was used as a planning stage for the Bee Campus signage project. On November 15th, the Bee Campus USA committee met to discuss the content and design on each of the permanent signs. Additionally, we discussed locations to consider for placing the signage. During Spring 2019, I plan to have the locations of the signage approved by March. Purchasing and orders should be completed by April.
We have bought the bees and hives, installed the bees, and built the fence around the hives. The bees were not established enough to take much honey from them so we stayed on the safe side and allowed the bees to keep all their honey for overwintering. Recently we bought two more hives and are hoping to split our current hives to have a total of 4 hives at the sustainable farm. As the bees now have foundation built up they should start producing more honey and brood than last year, and we are expecting to be able to harvest ample honey next Fall.
The exterior Integrated Pest Management program has been in place for several years, and recently the program was formalized and adopted by F&S Grounds. This helps meet iCAP objective 7.2 and supports the student-led efforts to achieve Bee Campus USA recognition.
The current Bee Campus committee at the U of I is working to develop a University Habitat Plan and official web page this semester (Spring 2018). In addition, with funding from the SSC, we will be installing pollinator signage on campus this year. A goal is set to submit our first application for certification by June 2018.
The Student Sustainability Committee allocated $40,000 to the Southern Arboretum Woodlands (SAW) to enhance learning opportunities and continue management efforts..
This proposal directly funds:
The campus recognizes that we need to support the pollinator population on campus. Potential solutions include creating "Pollinator Pockets" in strategic locations throughout the campus grounds, and encouraging the use of native plants in appropriate landscape locations.
The F&S Landscape Architect is working with campus stakeholders and subject matter experts to develop sustainable landscape solutions that support pollinator populations.
As a new student organization on campus, the Beekeeping Club will install and maintain two new bee hives located at the Sustainable Student Farm (SSF). Any honey produced will get sold at the SSF weekly stand on campus. Students will learn beekeeping skills as well as an appreciation for honey production. In addition, having the bees located at SSF will increase crop output, bettering local food production. The allocated funding will go towards the bee hive installation as well as the bees.
This proposal directly funds:
This student-led project provides awareness about pollinators around the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign campus. Students will design and install signage inside and outside of campus buildings, giving facts about native plants and pollinators. This signage will be approved by the University Board as well as Facilities & Services. This project contributes to the campus goal of becoming Bee Campus USA certified and meets Illinois Climate Action Plan objectives. Students will learn more about pollinators and pollinator efforts on campus. The allocated funding will go towards the signage costs.
This proposal directly funds:
Sustainability staff asked Lesley Deem at the Pollinatarium if the proposed pollinator pockets should be within a specific distance of each other, such as every half mile. Ms. Deem replied, “I think if we put them in the best spots available there will be enough coverage. For example, honey bees can fly for a few miles to find food. They use up less of their energy if it is closer but they should be able to find it even it is a mile or two away.”
The Lincoln Avenue Residence Hall Sustainability Living Learning Community Intern, Rachel Daughtridge, called a team meeting with various stakeholders to discuss the process for becoming an official Bee Campus USA.
