VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Virginia Beach City Council unanimously voted on October 20, 2020, to become a Bee City USA®, joining many other cities and campuses across the country united in improving their landscapes for pollinators. The Council's action is the culmination of months of effort by the Council of Garden Clubs of Virginia Beach and Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation to accomplish this certification. The certification not only supports bees, but all native pollinators.
"We appreciate that our City leadership understands the importance of sustaining pollinators, and wants to make the city more pollinator friendly," said Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation Director, Michael Kirschman. "We are grateful to Betty Ann DesRoches from the Council of Garden Clubs for bringing the opportunity to our attention."
Bee City USA is an initiative of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon, with offices across the country. Bee City USA's mission is to galvanize communities to sustain pollinators by providing them with healthy habitat, rich in a variety of native plants and free of insecticides. Pollinators like bumble bees, sweat bees, mason bees, honey bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, hummingbirds, and many others are responsible for the reproduction of almost ninety percent of the world's flowering plant species and one in every three bites of food we consume.
Virginia Beach also exemplifies commitment to the environment by being named a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation for 40 consecutive years.
For more information about Bee City USA, visit https://www.beecityusa.org/
For information about four simple ways to help pollinators, visit https://xerces.org/bringbackthepollinators/
About Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation
Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation strives to promote healthy lifestyles and protect the City's coastal environment, as well as to ensure all residents – regardless of their physical, social and economic circumstances – can access Parks & Recreation programs. The department's vision is to be the national leader in providing enriching and memorable lifelong experiences. Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation is accredited by CAPRA, the certifying agency of the National Recreation and Park Association. For more information, visit VBgov.com/parks or call (757) 385-1100 (TTY: 757-711 Virginia Relay). Sign up for Parks & Rec email newsletters at VBgov.com/eNews. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/VBparksrec.
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