Title
Bee City USA Initiative
Action
Action:
Adopt a resolution to designate the City of Charlotte as a Bee City USA affiliate to demonstrate the city's support for sustaining native bees and other pollinators in a healthy local ecosystem.
Body
Staff Resource(s):
Shawn Heath, Housing and Neighborhood Services
Jonathan Hill, Housing and Neighborhood Services
Erin Oliverio, General Services
Explanation
* Bee City USA is an initiative of the Xerces Society, an international nonprofit organization that protects the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates like bees and other pollinators.
* Pollinators are a vital part of a healthy ecosystem and are responsible for the reproduction of almost 90 percent of all flowering plant species, including important food sources such as fruit, nut, and vegetable plants.
* Pollinators have experienced population declines due to a combination of habitat loss, poor nutrition, pesticides, diseases, and changes in climate.
* Bee City USA helps communities raise awareness of the contribution of native bees and other pollinators by providing a framework for communities to come together to conserve native pollinators through healthy, pollinator-friendly habitats.
* The city currently supports pollinators and healthy pollinator habitats by providing educational materials and opportunities to the community through volunteer partnerships, and through the installation and maintenance of pollinator gardens on city-owned property such as Historic Elmwood Cemetery, Old City Hall, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, and various CMPD locations.
* As a Bee City USA affiliate, the city, facilitated by the Keep Charlotte Beautiful Committee, will join over 150 municipalities and universities across the country working to support pollinators.
* The resolution designates staff to work with community partners to advance the Bee City affiliation commitments including:
* Publicizing the Bee City USA program,
* Hosting edu...
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