Franklin Matters: bees

Showing posts with label bees. Show all posts

Friday, February 2, 2024

Fwd: Don't Forget to Register for the Backyard Ecosystem Education (BEE) Program!

Don't Forget to Register for the Backyard Ecosystem Education (BEE) Program!

Registration Closes February 29, 2024

The Backyard Ecosystem Education (BEE) Program is an interactive program for Franklin residents and business owners to design and create a native, biologically diverse habitat at their property. The BEE Program consists of five themed workshops and one field day giving residents and business owners the skills to:

Attract wildlife and plant life to their habitat;
Support their habitat through climate change and other ecological stressors;
Plan and design their backyard habitat with professional practitioners; and
Be considered a Backyard Ecosystem Advocate

Upon successful completion and attendance of the BEE Program, participants will be considered a "Backyard Ecosystem Advocate" and their habitats, once established, will have the opportunity to become "Certified Wildlife Habitats" through the National Wildlife Federation. Register with the QR code above or by visiting https://BIT.LY/BEEPROGRAM.

Registration is on a first come, first serve basis. Registration closes February 29, 2024. Registration is available to all residents regardless of ownership/rental status or living situation, all Franklin business owners, and up to five FPS high school students. The Conservation Department is currently collaborating with FPS - STEM to excuse up to five students for the scheduled field day, so students - please apply if you are interested!

Join the Backyard Ecosystem Education (BEE) Program in 2024

Workshop descriptions are listed below. Questions? Email bgoodlander@franklinma.gov.

Workshop Title	Date, Time, and Location	Description
Wildlife	Wednesday, April 3, 2024 4p - 6p Location TBD	Residents will learn common wildlife species that they may find in their backyard habitats and/or how to attract these wildlife species to their habitats.
Plant Life	Wednesday, April 10, 2024 4p - 6p Location TBD	Residents will learn common native and wildlife friendly plants and common invasive plants they may plant and/or find in their backyard habitats.
Landscapes and Regional Context	Wednesday, April 17, 2024 4p - 6p Location TBD	Residents will learn to identify what landscape they live in, its regional context, and how to design a habitat suitable for their surroundings.
Climate and Other Ecological Stressors	Wednesday, April 24, 2024 4p - 6p Location TBD	Residents will learn how to plan their habitat for climate change, design their habitat considering climate resilience, and mitigate future environmental stressors and disturbance events.
Planning and Design	Wednesday, May 1, 2024 4p - 6p Location TBD	Residents will be able to sit down in small groups with professional practitioners to design their own specific backyard habitat applying all lessons learned in previous workshops.
Field Day and Graduation Luncheon	Friday, May 10 10a - 2p Location TBD	Residents will be bussed around Town for a tour of raingardens, biodiversity areas, turtle nesting habitats, regenerative forests, gardens, and more. Lunch and a graduation ceremony will be provided.

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/conservation/news/dont-forget-register-backyard-ecosystem-education-bee-program

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Register for the Backyard Ecosystem Education (BEE) Program Today

Registration Open Until February 29, 2024

Attract wildlife and plant life to their habitat;
Support their habitat through climate change and other ecological stressors;
Plan and design their backyard habitat with professional practitioners; and
Be considered a Backyard Ecosystem Advocate

Workshop descriptions are listed below. Questions? Email bgoodlander@franklinma.gov.

Workshop Title	Date, Time, and Location	Description
Wildlife	Wednesday, April 3, 2024 4p - 6p Location TBD	Residents will learn common wildlife species that they may find in their backyard habitats and/or how to attract these wildlife species to their habitats.
Plant Life	Wednesday, April 10, 2024 4p - 6p Location TBD	Residents will learn common native and wildlife friendly plants and common invasive plants they may plant and/or find in their backyard habitats.
Landscapes and Regional Context	Wednesday, April 17, 2024 4p - 6p Location TBD	Residents will learn to identify what landscape they live in, its regional context, and how to design a habitat suitable for their surroundings.
Climate and Other Ecological Stressors	Wednesday, April 24, 2024 4p - 6p Location TBD	Residents will learn how to plan their habitat for climate change, design their habitat considering climate resilience, and mitigate future environmental stressors and disturbance events.
Planning and Design	Wednesday, May 1, 2024 4p - 6p Location TBD	Residents will be able to sit down in small groups with professional practitioners to design their own specific backyard habitat applying all lessons learned in previous workshops.
Field Day and Graduation Luncheon	Friday, May 10 10a - 2p Location TBD	Residents will be bussed around Town for a tour of raingardens, biodiversity areas, turtle nesting habitats, regenerative forests, gardens, and more. Lunch and a graduation ceremony will be provided.

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/conservation/news/register-backyard-ecosystem-education-bee-program-today

Register for the Backyard Ecosystem Education (BEE) Program Today

Saturday, November 23, 2019

"Neonicotinoids aren’t the only threat that the legislation addresses"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Legislation designed to restrict the use of a popular pesticide that is harming the state’s bee population is moving forward after a successful Statehouse hearing.

The Legislature’s Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture voted this week to advance “An Act to Protect Pollinators” following the hearing last week.

Legislation was introduced in January and is sponsored by state Rep. Carolyn Dykema, D-Holliston. One key feature of the bill is more restrictions on neonicotinoid use, especially by those who are not professionals.

Neonicotinoids, or neonics, are insecticides that are chemically related to nicotine and are applied either to the soil or sprayed on plants. The insecticide gained traction due to its effectiveness, as well as the low toxicity to vertebrates."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20191122/dykema-bill-to-protect-mass-pollinators-advances

And from December 2016, some may recall this post:

via Ed Szymanski

"Collapse", the Chronicle show about honey bees (yes, I'm in it) will be re-aired this Friday night, Ch. 5, 7:30 PM.

It's a great show talking about the troubles bees face and what is being done.

Not just saying that because I'm part of it."

Part 1

https://www.wcvb.com/article/chronicle-why-are-the-bees-dying/8110549

Part 2

https://www.wcvb.com/article/chronicle-theyll-take-care-of-your-backyard-bees/8110634

Part 3

https://www.wcvb.com/article/chronicle-make-your-garden-bee-friendly/8110590

Part 4

https://www.wcvb.com/article/chronicle-eat-candy-save-the-bees/8110476

screen grab of the Chronicle intro

Sunday, June 16, 2019

“It’s like the foundation of a building. If you remove the foundation, the whole building is going to fall down”

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"It’s estimated there are about 200,000 species throughout the world that are considered pollinators - animals that transfer pollen grains from one flower to another. Pollination leads to the production of fruits that people eat, and seeds that will create more plants.

From the plump bumblebee to the chirpy hummingbird, the delicate monarch butterfly to the wide-eyed fruit bat, pollinators of all kinds play an important role in helping maintain the Earth’s biodiversity and agricultural systems.

It’s estimated there are about 200,000 species throughout the world that are considered pollinators - creatures that transfer pollen grains from one flower to another. Pollination leads to the production of fruits that people eat, and seeds that will create more plants."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190615/pollinator-week-in-massachusetts-time-to-celebrate---and-protect---animals-and-plants-that-fuel-biodiversity

The Franklin Agricultural Commission has recently created a "pollinator pasture" at Dacey Fields:

Pollination Tips to help Horace
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/uploads/pollinator_pastures_with_horace_-_untitled_page.pdf

a "pollinator pasture" at Dacey Fields

Thursday, October 5, 2017

In the News: BFCCPS 4th graders at Gillette; legislative hearing on neonicotinoids

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

“Breaking out the big guns, here we go,” said Kevin Flaherty over the public address system at Gillette Stadium. “I like what I see here; let’s go, 20 more seconds.”

Flaherty is the senior staff coach at the Revolution Academy, but on Wednesday he was the director of fourth grade fitness, guiding students from Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, and nine others, though a set of soccer stretches and exercises.

The turf field at Gillette was filled with about 1,200 fourth graders from Massachusetts and Rhode Island all doing lunges and mountain-climbers in unison.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20171004/franklin-fourth-graders-hit-gillette-turf

"Beekeepers, scientists and horticulturalists swarmed lawmakers Tuesday, bearing studies, anecdotes and dire warnings that a popular pesticide is killing off pollinators essential to the food supply, but a farm group warned their proposed cure might lead to worse outcomes for the bees.

Bees pollinate the key Bay State crops of apples, cranberries and corn, and pollinators have a role in about a third of the food that people eat, according to Rep. Carolyn Dykema, D-Holliston.

Scientific studies have found bees are put in danger by neonicotinoids, a class of pesticides that entomologist Richard Callahan said were developed from the addictive chemical found in tobacco and gained popularity in the early 1990s.

Legislation (H 2113) filed by Dykema would require people to be licensed or certified to use neonicotinoids. She said Maryland and Connecticut have passed legislation to restrict neonicotinoids and major retailers are limiting access to those products, too."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20171004/pesticide-targeted-in-bid-to-preserve-dwindling-bee-colonies

From the archives

Chronicle did a series on bee collapse disorder

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2017/02/the-chemicals-pose-serious-risk-of-harm.html

screen grab of the Chronicle intro

Saturday, February 25, 2017

"the chemicals pose a serious risk of harm to honey bees and other pollinators"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"A type of pesticide many beekeepers blame for mass bee die-offs would come under tighter regulation under a bill filed in the Massachusetts legislature in January.

"I believe this is a responsible attempt to limit the amount of these pesticides in the environment, while recognizing the need to use these chemicals responsibly in agriculture," said state Rep. Carolyn Dykema, D-Holliston, the bill's main sponsor. "When they're used judiciously and properly, we can mitigate the impact on pollinators."

Over the past decade, pesticides containing a classification of chemicals called neonicotinoids have come under mounting suspicion by beekeepers, who have reported high death rates among their honeybees. Nationally, annual honey bee losses have averaged around 30 percent over the past 10 years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170224/lawmakers-considering-pesticide-restrictions-to-limit-bee-die-offs