BEEutiful Partnership for Pollinators and Our Ecosystems

Did you know that UNH and Durham are collaborating to ensure?sustainable and pollinator-friendly landscapes?

And did you know that the city of Durham is a registered Bee City and has been for four years? Durham, NH was actually the first city in New England to be certified! A Bee City is a certification founded by the Xerces Society that recognizes and encourages urbanized areas¡¯ efforts of pollinator conservation. It is extremely important to protect our pollinators because they are responsible for the transfer of pollen, which enhances and sustains vegetation diversity across ecosystems.

Durham is classified as an Eastern Broadleaf Forest, where the most common pollinators are bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, bats and birds. However, bees exist as the main pollinators. In fact, Durham is home to over 200 species of native bees!

As part of their internship, Sustainability Institute Ecosystem Interns and COLSA students, Brooke Healy '23 (Wildlife and Conservation Biology major) and Julie Bobyock ¡®23 (Environmental Science major), have been working with James Malo from UNH Facilities¡¯ Grounds & Events?and Lee Alexander, the chairman of the Bee City subcommittee for the Town of Durham to understand how to encourage native vegetation growth throughout campus to benefit the pollinators.?Julie emphasizes:

¡°As urban development rapidly advances and enhances environmental disturbances such as habitat loss and fragmentation, pesticides, degradation of land and air quality, and climate change, developing initiatives to protect bees and their habitat quality is becoming increasingly important - especially for developed areas such as university campuses and cities.¡±?

UNH has sustainable landscape management and ecosystem practices?in place?to ensure they are healthy, adaptive and resilient.?Students on campus who are looking to get involved can advocate for sustainable land use practices that stray from pesticides, herbicides, or other chemicals that harm the health and abundance of local pollinators. It is extremely important to protect our ecosystems and raise awareness against disturbing them. Small actions such as walking through plant beds hurt the pollinators of our community. Additionally, be on the lookout for updates from the Ecosystem Interns on their awareness campaign and progress moving UNH toward becoming a Bee Certified Campus.?Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the native vegetation and can start by walking our diverse college woods trails!