Background/Discussion
Over the last couple years the Parks and Recreation Department has focused on increasing the pollinator habitat in the City and within Parks. A pollinator habitat was created through a Department of Natural Resources Resource Enhancement and Protection grant, native plant species that attract bees and butterflies have been added to our planting list and are being incorporated into park landscapes. Also, locations within parks for additional native planting areas is being assessed.
In addition, the Community Development Department is working with the 712 Initiative (712) on an agreement for 712 to use city property as an urban prairie in order to diversify habitat and promote pollinators. The City Library intends to plant pollinator demonstration gardens at the Library site and bring attention and education to pollinators and what the City is doing to promote and support pollinator habitats.
The City Library staff initiated the conversation about becoming a bee city and a meeting was held among city staff and Pottawattamie Conservation to consider the potential of obtaining a designation. After discussion, it was clear, the City is aligned with the principles and commitments for becoming a bee city. The requirements to maintain the designation are also aligned with the direction the Parks and Recreation Department is moving towards.
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is an international nonprofit organization that protects the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats. The society is a science-based conservation organization, working with diverse partners that include scientists, land managers, educators, policymakers, farmers, and communities. BEE CITY USA is an initiative of the Xerces Society.
When Council Bluffs obtains a BEE CITY USA designation, Bee City USA, we will be known as an affiliate and affiliates make commitments to conserve native pollinators, laid out in a resolution adopted by the local city council. This commitment includes:
a. Hosting at least one educational event or pollinator habitat planting or restoration each year to showcase our commitment to raising awareness of pollinator conservation and expanding pollinator health and habitat.
b. Install and maintain at least one authorized BEE CITY USA street sign in a prominent location, and create and maintain a webpage on our website which includes, at minimum a copy of this resolution and links to the national BEE CITY USA website; contact information for your BEE CITY USA Liaison and Committee; reports of the pollinator-friendly activities the community has accomplished the previous year(s); and your recommended native plant species list and integrated pest management plan (explained below).
c. Develop and implement a program to create or expand pollinator-friendly habitat on public and private land, which includes, but is not limited to, Identifying and inventorying our real property that can be enhanced with pollinator-friendly plantings; creating a recommended locally native plant list to include wildflowers, grasses, vines, shrubs, and trees and a list of local suppliers for those species; and, tracking (by square footage and/or acreage) annual area of pollinator habitat created or enhanced.
d. Create and adopt an integrated pest management (IPM) plan designed to prevent pest problems, reduce pesticide use, and expand the use of non-chemical pest management methods.
e. Establish a policy in our Comprehensive Plan to acknowledge and commit to the BEE CITY USA designation and review the Plan and other relevant documents to consider improvements to pest management policies and practices as they relate to pollinator conservation, identify appropriate locations for pollinator-friendly plantings, and consider other appropriate measures.
f. After completing the first calendar year as a BEE CITY USA affiliate, each February, apply for renewal of our BEE CITY USA designation following the format provided by BEE CITY USA, including a report of the previous year’s BEE CITY USA activities, and paying the renewal fee based on the City’s population.
The is only one other bee city in Iowa and that is Mount Vernon. Bellevue, Nebraska is designated a bee city. There are three bee city campuses in Iowa and they include Luther College in Decorah, St. Ambrose University in Davenport, and Central College in Pella.
There are multiple departments in the City already either promoting or supporting pollinator habitats and the additional commitment to receive a BEE CITY USA designation does not appear to be beyond the direction the City is moving towards already. Increasing the diversity of habitat and sustaining pollinators is in the interest and benefit of our community.