National Pollinator Week event

[eri]

Haven't seen anything posted about National Pollinator Week, so I'm sharing this local event information to demonstrate an effort to educate the public. It worked for me -- I happened to be there last year and it jump-started my interest in beekeeping. Until a few days ago they had nixed the bee cage because the food co-op would have to pay extra insurance (bees, oh my!) but the property owner got wind of the problem and was so keen on having it he agreed to pay the cost. These people are passionate about bees. Come if you can!

Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:15:36 -0400
From: "Debbie Roos" [email protected]
Subject: more information about pollinator celebration on Saturday!

We have added a bee cage to the program which allows participants to
observe an expert beekeeper working a live hive. Also stop by Chatham
Marketplace this week and look for the bee signs on products throughout
the store that rely on pollinators - everything from produce and herbs
to cooking oils to coffee to chocolate to juice and much more!

The updated program schedule is below. The fun starts at 10:00 am this
Saturday June 28 on The Lawn at Chatham Mills in Pittsboro. We hope to
see you there! - Debbie

Come join the Chatham County Center of North Carolina Cooperative
Extension and the Chatham County Beekeepers' Association for a very
special celebration of National Pollinator Week on Saturday, June 28,
from 10:00 am til 2:00 pm.

This event is sponsored by Chatham Mills Development Corporation (see
http://www.chathammillscenter.com/pages/newhomepage.html) and hosted by
Chatham Marketplace (http://www.chathammarketplace.coop/) at The Lawn at
Chatham Mills in Pittsboro, NC.

This is the second annual National Pollinator Week, initially proclaimed
by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and a unanimous vote of the U.S.
Senate in 2007. The purpose of Pollinator Week is to teach
pollinator-friendly practices and raise public awareness of the
importance of the bees, beetles, butterflies, moths, flies, birds, and
bats that are needed to produce 80 percent of our flowering plants and
one third of our human food crops. The National Academy of Sciences has
reported that there is direct evidence of the decline of some pollinator
species in North America. And, recently, Colony Collapse Disorder of
honey bees has alarmed the agricultural industry.

We have a great program planned for folks of all ages at our local event
here in Pittsboro:

You can hear presentations about bees and beekeeping (for both kids and
adults) and learn how to attract and protect pollinators.

Watch expert beekeepers work an actual hive inside a bee cage (bees
inside, participants outside!), see honey bees up close and personal,
and get your burning beekeeping questions answered.

Participate in a pollinator-themed Scavenger Hunt for kids!

You can watch "Bee TV" - park yourself in front of a sealed observation
hive and watch the worker bees attending the queen. It's mesmerizing!

Meet our local Chatham County beekeepers and learn all about what it
takes to produce the nutritious and delicious local honey available at
Chatham Marketplace. We will have beekeeping equipment and products from
the hive for "show and tell".

Visit Chatham Marketplace to learn which products depend on bees for
pollination (hint: look for the bee signs!).

Pick up some educational literature to further your knowledge about
honey bees, beekeeping, pollinators, and pollinator conservation.

Learn about the Chatham County Beekeepers' Association and how you can
get involved with this fabulously friendly group through monthly
meetings and field days and even an email listserv - we welcome members
of all skill levels: from never-tried-it (but always wanted to) to
beginner to experienced!

Enjoy a pollinator-friendly local lunch at Chatham Marketplace during
the program! (Did you know that worldwide, approximately 1,000 plants
grown for food, beverages, spices, fiber, and medicine require
pollination by animals?)

Program schedule for Saturday, June 28:

(programs will be on The Lawn at Chatham Mills in front of Chatham
Marketplace in Pittsboro)

10:00-10:30 am - Beekeeping Demo in Bee Cage - Don Hopkins, Apiary
Inspector Supervisor, North Carolina Department of Agriculture &
Consumer Services

10:30-11:00 am - Kids and Bees - Colleen Kendrick, Chatham County
Beekeepers' Association

11:00-11:30 am - Kids' Pollinator Scavenger Hunt

11:30 am-12:00 pm - Beekeeping Demo in Bee Cage - Michael Almond,
Chatham County Beekeepers' Association

12:00-12:30 pm - Basics of Beekeeping - Jim Williams, Chatham County
Beekeepers' Association

12:30-1:00 pm - Beekeeping Demo in Bee Cage - Don Hopkins, North
Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services

1:00-1:30 pm - Pollinator Conservation: How to Attract and Protect
Pollinators - Debbie Roos, North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Chatham
County Center

From 10:00 am-2:00 pm, feel free to visit the display tables and talk
with local beekeepers!!

All Pollinator Week Events are free and open to the public. This event
will be held rain or shine. For directions, go to
http://www.chathammarketplace.coop/about/directions.shtml

For more information about pollinator conservation, visit Cooperative
Extension's Growing Small Farms website at
http://www.growingsmallfarms.org and type "pollinator" into the search
engine.

Visit the Chatham Beekeepers' Association website at
http://www.chathambeekeepers.org.

For more information about this event, contact Debbie Roos at
919-542-8202 or [email protected].

I hope to see you there!

Debbie


Debbie Roos
Agricultural Extension Agent
Organic and Sustainable Agriculture
North Carolina State University
North Carolina Cooperative Extension
Chatham County Center
Growing Small Farms Website:
http://www.growingsmallfarms.org
Post Office Box 279
Pittsboro, NC 27312
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 919.542.8202    Fax: 919.542.8246