WCC hosts ‘bee-friendly’ event

A honeybee getting nectar and pollen from goldenrod flowers. WCC was certified as a Bee Campus USA in 2019 by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Photo: Steve Burt

By Debra Destefani
Deputy Editor

Washtenaw Community College will host a webinar to teach students about the value of pollinators and bees Tuesday, Oct. 20. The event, “Bee Friendly: Fall 2020,” is free to all WCC students.

Sandy McCarthy, a library faculty member who also serves on the WCC sustainability council, will host the online event.

“Even if you’re not a gardener you can easily grab a bag of pollinator friendly seeds that can grow flowers that attract them,” said McCarthy. “It’s not just about the issue, but hopefully people can realize they can play a part in this at their level.

“We’re hoping that they realize that WCC is playing its part and a piece of it is playing your part, too.”

Bee populations have fallen sharply in recent years, leading to concern about the ecosystem and loss of important pollinators for food and other crops.

Emily Thompson and David Wooten of the biology department, Kimberly Hill-Edwards of the environmental sciences department, Monica Milla of WCC Community Enrichment and Holly Herman of the college’s landscape and grounds department will be the speakers.

The focus of the webinar is to teach students about bee ecology, bee gardens and the college’s efforts to create a pollinator-friendly campus.

The webinar will cover other topics including bee houses, bee friendly pesticides and what native bee and plant species can be found in Michigan.

WCC is a Bee Campus USA, a designation it received in 2019 from The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. The college is one of three in Michigan to be given the title.

The webinar will begin at 4 p.m. on Oct. 20. The Zoom link to the webinar can be found here.

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