We are expanding within our own community!
Spring is here and during the winter months, we have been anything but dormant!
Rosewood Nature Study Area
Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation (TMPF) was awarded a 30-year lease to the former Rosewood Lakes Golf Course, for the purpose of restoring the property to its
natural wetlands, preserving open space, and creating a nature study area
for public benefit. This 220-acre parcel lies next to Steamboat Creek and is
a natural habitat for waterfowl, native bees, fish, and amphibians.
Since 2015, when Veterans Parkway was built down the middle of the golf course, the area has been abandoned and overrun with invasive weeds. With the help of a grant from AmeriCorps, and community volunteers, TMPF is removing the invasive species plants and replacing them with
native and pollinator-friendly plantings, building and improving hiking trails, and will install interpretive signs
and exhibits to educate the public. For more information about the Rosewood Nature Study area, visit
.
Help Save the Bees Foundation has partnered with TMPF to install and monitor 4 native bee habitats to
learn about the species of bees and pollinators that inhabit the area
. We will be working with TMPF for interpretive trail signs that
inform about the importance of pollinators and how we can protect them
. We envision the old Rosewood Clubhouse to eventually become a
natural history learning center
with busloads of school kids arriving to see the static exhibits and learn about ecology, literally about the birds and the bees. Help Save the Bees Foundation is thrilled to be a part of this transformation.
Be sure to visit the Community Projects page in the Biggest Little Bee City USA website for a photo tour of the Native Bee Habitat installation and other community projects helping our pollinators.
Air Bee 'n Bee
To help support stressed native Bee populations, Help Save The Bees Foundation has embarked on a project to provide housing for these hardworking friends. With over 4,000 native Bee species in the United States, and several hundred in the Great Basin area and Reno alone, we decided to provide safe shelter for native Bees to lay their eggs and establish and grow their dwindling populations.
These Bee Houses, or Air BEE ‘n BEEs as we call them, are constructed of a small wooden box (similar to a birdhouse) and open on one end, with small tubes placed inside where Bees can lay their eggs. The tubes vary in size to accommodate different species of Bees. The Air BEE ’n BEEs are placed on posts about 5-6 feet above the ground, which Bees prefer as it provides protection from ground animals. The openings are oriented to face East-Northeast to capture the morning sun warmth, yet shaded from the hot afternoon sun. The team at Help Save The Bees Foundation installed 3 of these Air BEE ’n BEEs in April 2021 at the Rosewood Nature Study Area in Reno to see if we can get some real-time Bee Bookings. Usually, it takes a year or so for Bees to find and use this resource. Our goal is to study the native Bee populations and learn how the population responds to the wetlands restoration there. Three primary species of Bees we hope to attract thrive during different seasons - the Mason Bees in Spring, the Leaf Cutter Bees in Summer, and the Carpenter Bees. The bees make several small chambers in each tube. After laying an egg and adding nectar-moistened pollen, the Mason Bees close each cell with mud (thus the mason reference), the Leaf Cutter Bees use pieces of leaves and plant material, and the Carpenter Bees use cellulose and sawdust.We look forward to seeing how the Bees enjoy their new homes and we’ll keep you posted.
We are on a campaign to become the Biggest Little Bee City, USA!
The Bee City USA national initiative of the Xerces Society is a network of 135 communities across the US that share the goals of
reduced dependency on pesticides, improved pollinator habitat, and support for public education about the importance of pollinators.
Carson City became the first Bee City USA affiliate in Nevada in 2018, and Reno will be the second.
To become a Bee City USA affiliate, cities draft a resolution, ratified by the City Council, that proclaims membership and commits to activities throughout the year that promote pollinator health.
The draft resolution for Reno City Council has been approved by the Xerces Society
, and the next step is to get it on the agenda for Reno City Council approval.
Master Gardener Barb Fenne initiated the campaign to enlist the City of Reno in the Bee City USA network, and she is now the Chairperson of the Biggest Little Bee City USA Committee.
Barb has this to say:
We welcome the collaboration between Biggest Little Bee City USA and Help Save the Bees Foundation.The Foundation has helped procure funding for our first year and we look forward to our future combined projects. We are also networking with Bee City Campus at Truckee Meadows Community College and have a liaison with the city of Reno Parks Department. In weekly meetings over the past several months, we have become more informed by guest speakers from TMCC Bee City Campus, Native Nevada Plant Society, Fish and Wildlife Service (UNR Pollinator Pathways), and the UNR Bee Lab.There is such a wealth of entities who are coming together to share information and resource to keep our bees healthy and our community informed and inspired, including a Pollinator Parade sometime this summer with the help of Artown!
Barb Fenne
Biggest Little Bee City USA, Chairperson
For more information about BLBC you can visit their website at
From the Apiary...
Harvesting honey has its seasons and as the first harvest of the year approaches you may be wondering, how much should I buy so I know I have pure, locally sourced honey on hand? If I want to store some for future use does it go bad?Planning ahead is always a good idea and honey is a wonderful thing to store. It obviously is a delicious treat but also can have medicinal applications.Always store in an air-tight container, ideally around 80 degrees and it can last for decades! Yes, decades - or even longer. Archeologists have found crocs of honey, buried in ruins, that were hundreds of years old, still perfectly edible.
Help Save the Bees Foundation facilitates people, bees, and produce thriving in a balanced and mutually harmonious relationship, through education and collaboration both locally and nationally.
We want to give a shout-out to our banking folks at Greater Nevada Credit Union (GCNU) . Not only have they pledged over $24, 000 for
in 2021, but also have raised $24,000 for
from fundraising at the 2021 Tahoe Polar Plunge.
about GNCU’s community activities.
Board of Directors:
President: Robert AltenSecretary: Laurie YarboroughTreasurer: Ray HopperDirector: David DuffieDirector: Dan Rider
A huge thank you to all who have contributed to the Help Save The Bees Foundation. As we expand our outreach, please consider making a donation.To make a donation please click
here.
We are now registered on
Amazon Smile.
You can select Help Save the Bees Foundation as your favorite charity, and Amazon will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to them.
Click below to get started.
