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View larger image

Katie Payne ’18 demonstrates how the bee boxes at Appalachian’s Roots Garden, located on Howard Street, are structured. During summer months, each hive can contain between 20,000 and 50,000 honeybees, that work hard to pollenate the garden and surrounding areas. Photo by Leila Jackson

‘Beefriending’ pollinators

Appalachian named one of nation’s 61 Bee Campuses

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Appalachian is one of 61 Bee Campuses across the nation providing safe, sustainable habitats for pollinators. Appalachian received the designation from the The Xerces Society. Illustration courtesy of The Xerces Society Inc.

“The more I researched and learned about bees, the more I fell in love with them. We depend so heavily on them … Education about their role is so important.”

Hallie Graves ’18, one of two Appalachian alumnae who brought the Bee Campus USA initiative to Appalachian’s campus.

By Jessica Stump
Posted Jan. 3, 2019 at 10 a.m.

BOONE, N.C. — The Xerces Society has recognized Appalachian State University for providing a safe campus with sustainable habitats for some of its smallest, and one might say, most productive black and gold members — bees.

For its commitment to both protecting and providing education on bees and other pollinators, Appalachian has earned the society’s title of Bee Campus USA.

This annual certification affirms that Appalachian agrees to host pollinator workshops, awareness events and utilize a committee for spreading awareness about bees. The certification also ensures Appalachian does not use bee-harming pesticides on campus and that a publicized list of the campus pollinator plants is made available.

View larger image

Appalachian is one of 61 Bee Campuses across the nation providing safe, sustainable habitats for pollinators. Appalachian received the designation from the The Xerces Society. Illustration courtesy of The Xerces Society Inc.

As of January, Appalachian is one of 61 Bee Campuses across the U.S. and one of only six higher education institutions in North Carolina named to the list. The North Carolina Arboretum was also named a Bee Campus.

“College students, faculty, administrators and staff have long been among the nation’s most stalwart champions for sustainable environmental practices,” The Xerces Society’s Bee Campus USA website states.

Dr. Lee F. Ball, Appalachian’s chief sustainability officer, said protecting pollinators and their habitats is important for Boone and the High Country “because it is a way for us to help ensure that we continue to have thriving ecosystems in the southern Appalachian region, and it really helps to increase the biodiversity of the ecological communities. It’s our way of contributing.”

Additionally, Ball said Appalachian’s application for the Bee Campus USA initiative “was 100 percent student-driven.”

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May 2018 graduates Hallie Graves, left, and Katie Payne started the Appalachian Beekeeping Club in 2016 and worked hard to secure Bee Campus USA certification for campus. Photo by Leila Jackson

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Bees visit the sunflowers planted around “Aspire” — a sculpture by artist Jon Hair located on Appalachian’s campus, in front of Sanford Mall. North Carolina business leader and university benefactor Irwin “Ike” Belk gifted the sculpture to Appalachian. Photo submitted

Xerces Society’s four steps to ‘Bring Back the Pollinators’
  • Plant pollinator-friendly flowers.
  • Provide homes for pollinators.
  • Avoid the use of pesticides and herbicides.
  • Display a pollinator habitat sign.
Learn more
Pollinators in Appalachian’s campus gardens
  • Bee balm.
  • Black-eyed Susan.
  • Comfrey.
  • Goldenrod.
  • Jerusalem artichoke.
  • Lamb’s ear.
  • Lavender.
  • Red clover.
  • Stevia.
  • Sunflower.
  • And more.
View the complete list

“The more I researched and learned about bees, the more I fell in love with them. We depend so heavily on them … Education about their role is so important.”

Hallie Graves ’18, one of two Appalachian alumnae who brought the Bee Campus USA initiative to Appalachian’s campus.

Katie Payne ’18 and Hallie Graves ’18, both May 2018 graduates of Appalachian’s sustainable development program, founded the university’s Beekeeping Club in 2016 and brought the Bee Campus USA initiative to Appalachian’s campus.

“The more I researched and learned about bees, the more I fell in love with them. We depend so heavily on them, and the role they play is huge. Education about their role is so important,” Graves said.

“Landscape Services thinks about pollinators with their landscaping practices. They’re not just planting pretty plants on campus — they definitely are thinking about bees,” Ball said. “It’s something Chris (Erickson) and his team really care about.” Erickson, a certified arborist, is facilities superintendent for Appalachian’s Landscape Services, which is housed in the Physical Plant.

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a U.S.-based, nonprofit international environmental advocacy group, one in every three bites of the world’s consumed food is courtesy of the cross-pollination that bees and other pollinator species — such as flies, beetles, moths, butterflies, wasps, ants, birds and bats — provide. Additionally, 90 percent of the planet’s wild plants thrive due to cross-pollination.

“The easiest thing to do to help bees in decline is to support local beekeepers. Buying honey at your local farmers market helps support both the local economy and the bees,” Graves said.

Appalachian’s Bee Campus USA designation became official in spring 2018, when Chancellor Sheri Everts signed and approved the certification.

For more information about Bee City USA, visit https://www.beecityusa.org, and to learn more about the Xerces Society, visit https://xerces.org.

Xerces Society’s four steps to ‘Bring Back the Pollinators’
  • Plant pollinator-friendly flowers.
  • Provide homes for pollinators.
  • Avoid the use of pesticides and herbicides.
  • Display a pollinator habitat sign.
Learn more
Pollinators in Appalachian’s campus gardens
  • Bee balm.
  • Black-eyed Susan.
  • Comfrey.
  • Goldenrod.
  • Jerusalem artichoke.
  • Lamb’s ear.
  • Lavender.
  • Red clover.
  • Stevia.
  • Sunflower.
  • And more.
View the complete list
‘Bee’ part of Appalachian’s honeybee monitoring system research
‘Bee’ part of Appalachian’s honeybee monitoring system research

The local community is invited to view and submit observations of the Department of Computer Science’s Beemon system

July 17, 2018

Beemon — a honeybee hive monitoring system created by faculty and students in Appalachian’s Department of Computer Science — is being used by beekeepers and researchers to assess/monitor the health of local hives.

Read the story
Saving the bees
Saving the bees

Appalachian student and faculty researchers seek to recover declining honeybee population

July 13, 2017

There’s hope for declining honeybee populations thanks to Appalachian student and faculty research and special projects.

Read the story
Appalachian State University students help bees in decline
Appalachian State University students help bees in decline
University Sustainability
July 17, 2018

The “Save the Bees” movement has sparked the desire for many to learn more about how to help bees in decline and raise awareness about the issue, including students at Appalachian.

Read the story
Appalachian professor studies the interactions between plants and pollinators
Appalachian professor studies the interactions between plants and pollinators
Oct. 13, 2015

Worker bumble bees only live a couple of weeks, but it’s that short life span that has enabled researchers to identify changes that are occurring to the species because of climate change in Colorado’s Pennsylvania Mountain Natural Area’s flower diversity.

Read the story

Related links

  • Bee Campus USA initiative at Appalachian
  • App State Gardens

About the Bee Campus USA initiative

Bee Campus USA is an initiative of the Xerces Society, which has been working to protect invertebrates and their habitats since 1971. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is an international nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats. The society’s programs focus on habitat conservation and restoration, species conservation, protecting pollinators, contributing to watershed health, and reducing harm to invertebrates from pesticide use. Learn more at https://www.beecityusa.org/what-is-a-bee-campus.html.

About Sustainability at Appalachian

Appalachian State University’s leadership in sustainability is known nationally. The university’s holistic, three-branched approach considers sustainability economically, environmentally and equitably in relationship to the planet’s co-inhabitants. The university is an active steward of the state’s interconnected financial, cultural and natural resources and challenges students and others think critically and creatively about sustainability and what it means from the smallest individual action to the most broad-based applications. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate academic degree programs that focus on sustainability. In addition, 100 percent of Appalachian’s academic departments offer at least one sustainability course or course that includes sustainability, and all students graduate from programs that have adopted at least one sustainability learning outcome. Learn more at https://appstate.edu/sustainability.

About Appalachian’s Facilities Operations

Facilities Operations at Appalachian State University manages operations of campus buildings, systems and utilities, as well as water treatment and steam plants that serve the campus. Services provided by Facilities Operations include housekeeping, landscaping, moving furniture and other items, and managing motor pool fleet rentals. The campus unit employees over 275 skilled technicians — including engineers, locksmiths, electricians, painters, plumbers, carpenters, roofers, welders, controls programmers, housekeepers, landscapers, mechanics and HVAC technicians. Learn more at https://facilitiesoperations.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

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View larger image

Appalachian is one of 61 Bee Campuses across the nation providing safe, sustainable habitats for pollinators. Appalachian received the designation from the The Xerces Society. Illustration courtesy of The Xerces Society Inc.

Xerces Society’s four steps to ‘Bring Back the Pollinators’
  • Plant pollinator-friendly flowers.
  • Provide homes for pollinators.
  • Avoid the use of pesticides and herbicides.
  • Display a pollinator habitat sign.
Learn more
Pollinators in Appalachian’s campus gardens
  • Bee balm.
  • Black-eyed Susan.
  • Comfrey.
  • Goldenrod.
  • Jerusalem artichoke.
  • Lamb’s ear.
  • Lavender.
  • Red clover.
  • Stevia.
  • Sunflower.
  • And more.
View the complete list

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

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Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian

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Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian
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