Bee City USA December 2019 E-News
THREE LESSONS FROM ONE BEE CITY USA AFFILIATE'S EXPERIENCE: FORT BRAGG, CA
Volunteers at a recent workday at the Fort Bragg Bee City garden. Photo: Cornelia Reynolds
By Cornelia Reynolds, Chair, Bee City USA - Fort Bragg Committee

In 2016, Fort Bragg became the first city in California to become certified as a Bee City USA affiliate. As a small city of 7,300 in a rural county, everything we know about being a successful Bee City USA, we learned in retrospect. Recognizing our successes and weaknesses has helped us improve our conservation efforts, and we hope that other Bee Cities and Bee Campuses may learn from our experience. Here’s what worked for us.

  1. Focus on a Specific Goal
  2. Don’t Organize, Inspire
  3. Involve your Community in Fundraising 
MAKE YOUR HOLIDAY PARTY REALLY BUZZ!
Party for pollinator advocates in Asheville, North Carolina. Photo: Rebecca Robertson
By Phyllis Stiles, Bee City USA Founder & Pollinator Champion. Xerces Society

At Bee City USA, we are frequently asked how to find funds for pollinator conservation. Here's a fun and easy idea.

A friend hosted a birthday party for her husband earlier this year and used an online invitation service that offers the option of making a charitable donation. Just by naming the local Bee City USA leader, Asheville GreenWorks , as their charity of choice, they raised twelve gifts totaling $485. It also stimulated another $10,000 gift paid directly to GreenWorks.
BEE CITY USA BEGINS NEW CHAPTER
Bee City USA founder Phyllis Stiles, left, is passing the torch to Xerces' new Bee City USA Coordinator, Molly Martin, right. Photo: Kristina Lefever
Xerces Society Blog By Scott Hoffman Black

After founding Bee City USA in 2012, adding Bee Campus USA in 2015, joining forces with the Xerces Society in 2018, and tirelessly advocating for pollinators through it all, Phyllis Stiles is now moving on to a well-deserved retirement. 

Although Phyllis will be sorely missed, we are pleased to announce that we have hired Molly Martin to continue the work of growing and supporting our network of city and campus affiliates. Molly has a background in studying native bees and teaching science -- and like Phyllis, a passion for engaging people in conserving pollinators. She looks forward to working with all of you.
XERCES PRESENTATIONS & EVENTS NEAR YOU
Xerces staff literally criss-cross the country making presentations about pollinator conservation.

Check Xerces' Events page for a full list of events.
Western Monarch Count

Join us! This year the Western Monarch count runs from Saturday November 16th through Sunday December 8th, 2019 & the New Year’s Count: Saturday December 28, 2019 through Sunday January 12, 2020.
Photo: Candace Fallon / Xerces Society
NOTEWORTHY NEWS FROM AFFILIATES
OUR NETWORK IS GROWING!
The best part of the Bee City USA network is that we are teaching and learning from one another how to mobilize our communities for pollinator conservation. After eight years of working with communities to conserve pollinators, Bee City USA has officially certified 100 cities! We are so excited to celebrate this landmark with all of the wonderful people whose hard work has brought us to this point.

Check the current Bee City and Bee Campus pages to see the most up-to-date lists of our combined 189 city and campus affiliates in 41 states.

Welcome to the most recent affiliates to join our network:

  • Hampton, Virginia
  • University of Michigan-Dearborn, Michigan
  • Berea College, Kentucky
  • Hanover College, Indiana
  • Southwestern University, Texas
  • Washtenaw Community College, Michigan
Bee City USA is an initiative of the Xerces Society. Our conservation work is powered by our donors. Your  tax deductible donation  will help us to protect the life that sustains us.
Bee City USA, An Initiative of the Xerces Society | 503-232-6639 X. 127 | beecityusa@xerces.org | www.beecityusa.org