Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission (APRC) is pleased to report that Bee City USA® has renewed Ashland’s certification for 2018, following a rigorous renewal application process. Bee City USA Ashland, a subcommittee of APRC, looks forward to another year of supporting pollinator conservation and education. 
 
In 2016, the United Nations reported that forty percent of the world’s 350,000 pollinator species were at risk of extinction. Imperiled pollinators include honey bees, bumble bees, butterflies, moths, bats, hummingbirds and other creatures responsible for the reproduction of ninety percent of the world's wild plant species and one in every three bites of food we consume. 
 
Bee City USA is a national nonprofit organization that galvanizes communities to sustain pollinators by providing them with healthy habitat, rich in a variety of native plants and free to nearly-free of pesticides. Mayor John Stromberg said, “Our City Council understood the importance of sustaining pollinators when we voted to become a Bee City USA affiliate in 2015. We commend Bee City USA Ashland for the work they did last year to help raise awareness about the importance of pollinators and getting more people involved in the mission to save the pollinators.”
 
According to Kristina Lefever, chair of Bee City USA Ashland, “We could not have accomplished what we did last year without the assistance and commitment of our community volunteers and Ashland Parks and Rec. Working together, our first annual pollinator garden tour was a great success, with 135 people joining to visit established gardens throughout our town.  The first pollinator garden installed at The Grove on City property serves as a model for future projects.” 
 
A new year brings new opportunities for raising awareness of the vital role that pollinators play in supporting our food systems and the planet in general. Bee City USA Ashland meets quarterly at North Mountain Park. All residents of Ashland are welcome to attend and offer ideas for pollinator-friendly initiatives. The more people and organizations involved, the sooner pollinator declines will be reversed.
 
To see Ashland’s annual report as well as other Bee City USA affiliates’ annual reports visit reports.beecityusa.org. For more information about the Bee City USA organization visit beecityusa.org or email Director Phyllis Stiles at beecityusa@gmail.com. For more information about Ashland Bee City USA, visit ashland.or.us/beecity or contact Libby VanWyhe at 541.488.6606 or libby.vanwyhe@ashland.or.us.