Outreach Report: Smith River Fest

    

Our most recent display at the Smith River Fest  on August 21^st  was buzzing with activity! From 10 am to 4 pm, the passing crowds were lured over with fun activities like finding the queen bee (Apis mellifera ) in a living honeybee hive and exploring information about pollinator gardens, Virginia wildlife, and the harmful spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) . Many people signed up to receive information about how to enroll in training to become a Virginia Master Naturalist.

Elizabeth Bailey invited  Keith Whitlock  of  Whitlock Family Apiaries  to share our tent. Together, we were promoting the Virginia Master Naturalist program, bee keeping, pollinators and  Martinsville’s Bee City Initiative . Guests visiting our tent were invited to find the queen bee under the glass-enclosed honeycomb. Keith had marked the queen with a small spot of white paint on her back (thorax) earlier that morning to make it easier to find her. We would like to congratulate Keith, who just became a certified journeyman state beekeeper in October.

Did you know that on July 8th, Martinsville became a certified Bee City USA Affiliate? Cindy Edgerton, representing our two local garden clubs, asked the Martinsville city council to make a commitment to preserving the natural population of bees by making application to become a Bee City. That application was approved, and volunteers will serve on the Martinsvillle Bee City working committee. Here's the link to the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BeeCityMartinsville . For more information about how our community benefits by becoming a Bee City, visit https://beecityusa.org/benefits/

“While a single person or small group can create immense change they can only do so with the support of others. Creating pollinator habitat and reducing pesticide use in your own yard or neighborhood park is a great place to start, but to have a significant impact you must inspire others to take similar steps to protect and support pollinators. Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA encourage individuals to create change in their own sphere while also educating, engaging, and inspiring others to do the same. Collaborative community efforts are required to support the ecological communities with which our lives are intertwined, and the first step is education and outreach.”

Thanks to Christy Deatherage, Education Manager at VMNH, who gathered up our chapter’s trifold display, educational materials, and free handouts. These included an alert sheet and stickers on the spotted lanternfly, and Virginia map state wildlife coloring poster, and our chapter information brochures.

Thanks to Elizabeth Bailey for once again setting up our tent and table to promote the Southwestern Piedmont Master Naturalists and promoting and organizing our training classes. Please consider signing up to volunteer when we set up future displays. Engage, educate and inspire others to promote healthy communities!