This spring, Bee City USA piloted its first Certified Pollinator Advocate Course for volunteers leading pollinator conservation efforts for Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA affiliates in North Carolina. By the end of the residential four-day course, 23 advocates were certified representing ten afiliates.
Bottom Row L-R: Phyllis Simon (Hillsborough), Pam Hay (Davidson), Christine Brown (Asheville), Erin Victor (Durham), Sarah Meadows (Hillsborough), Phyllis Stiles (faculty), Nancy Adamson (faculty) Middle Row, L-R: Katia Griffin-Jakymec (Durham), Christine Lisiewski (Davidson), Jackie Hamstead (UNC Asheville), Libbie Dobbs (NC Arboretum), Daphne Traywick (Matthews), Kelly Blair (Carrboro), Tania Dautlick (Durham) Top Row, L-R: Brandon Phillippie (Carrboro), Kim Bailey (faculty), Gretchen Reid (Matthews), Alex Lapidus (Hendersonville), Steve Smith (Whiteville), Britt Huggins (Durham), Patrick Dwyer (Whiteville), Sonia Marcus (UNC Asheville), Jonathan Marchal (NC Arboretum), Rick Carpenter (Asheville) Absent: Ashley & Shanan Stephenson (Wilmington)
Dr. Nancy Adamson of the Xerces Society and Environmental Educator Kim Bailey, joined Bee City USA director Phyllis Stiles as the lead faculty. The experiential curriculum covered everything from using stories, art and event tabling to introduce the public to pollinators, to the ecosystem services pollinators provide and why they are imperiled, the role of citizen science in pollinator conservation, the basics of healthy pollinator habitat, pesticides and pollinators, to managing a Bee City USA or Bee Campus USA affiliate with the help of volunteers.
This course would not have been possible without a grant from the Duke Energy Foundation. We were especially happy to have Duke Energy Natural Resources Manager Scott Fletcher share the many ways that Duke Energy is enhancing habitat for pollinators under utility lines.
