Kids preparing to plant seeds in Talent, Oregon.
“The front lines of the battle for nature are not in the Amazon rain forest or in the Alaskan wilderness; the front lines are our backyards, medians, parking lots, and elementary schools. The ecological warriors of the future won’t be just scientists and engineers, but gardeners, horticulturists, land managers, landscape architects, transportation department staff, elementary school teachers, and community association board members. This book is dedicated to anyone who can influence a small patch of land.” From Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West
To a great extent, this quote sums up the philosophy of Bee City USA. The program’s goal is to welcome pollinators into our downtowns and our backyards (and front yards!). Across America, cities, towns, townships, and even counties are completing their applications to become Bee City USA affiliates because they recognize that we need the pollinators, and right now, the pollinators need us.
Please enjoy the annual reports for 2015 from the pioneers in this movement. These reports reflect the commitment, passion, and optimism of countless individuals who decided to do something to change the course of history for each of their communities, and who knows? The world?
