City of Cambridge and community partners look to achieve Bee City designation

Yesterday, Cambridge City Council gave their endorsement for a group of Cambridge community organizations to seek formal designation from Bee City Canada.

The community organizations behind the application have been dedicated to pollinator education, habitat creation, and project monitoring for almost two decades. Achieving this designation will recognize past accomplishments in enhancing biodiversity and creating educational opportunities while setting the stage for collaboration on future projects.

Cambridge has an exceptional history of individuals and organizations dedicated to biodiversity, habitat enhancement, monitoring and education. The Bee City Canada designation builds on this tradition and will make Cambridge a more sustainable place to live for residents and native pollinators alike.

The Bee City application provides a snapshot of the accomplishments of the City and community organizations involved in biodiversity, community outreach, food security, and pollinator health and monitoring. There are many other organizations in Cambridge including schools, farms, businesses and individuals who are also pursuing projects beneficial to pollinators. The designation will bring together these organizations in collaborative partnerships and set the stage to also work the local Waterloo Bee Region municipalities on annual events and educational projects.

Past accomplishments include:

• A Butterfly Loop walking trail with interpretive signage specific pollinators (rare Charitable Research Reserve)
• The establishment of the Cambridge Pollinator Preserve, on two acres of flood plain along the Grand River in Riverbluffs Park (Ancient Mariners Canoe Club)
• The creation of a community seed library (Idea Exchange)
• Five local, pollinator-friendly gardens to serve the vulnerable (Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank)
• Planting of more than 12,000 native trees, wildflowers and shrubs at 30 sites across the city (Cambridge City Green and community partners)
• Commitment to City beds and gardens that use pollinator-friendly plants and areas to encourage bee and butterfly habitats (City of Cambridge)

The following community organizations and their pollinator-friendly initiatives are noted in the Bee City Council Report.

Idea Exchange
Ancient Mariners Canoe Club / Cambridge Pollinator Preserve
Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank
rare Charitable Research Reserve
Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory
Seeds of Diversity
Cambridge City Green
City of Cambridge