HomeMy WebLinkAboutWaka Okuda - Bee City Conservation Department ArticleLexington, a Certified Bee City
Waka Okuda, LHS senior and co-president of the LHS Bee Club
Thanks to the efforts of local Master Beekeeper Alix Bartsch, Citizens for Lexington
Conservation, the Lexington Field and Garden Club,the Tree Commission, the Conservation
Department, and many more local individuals and organizations,Lexington has become a
certified Bee City as of November 2020! As an initiative of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate
Conservation, a Bee City Affiliate commits to a Resolution to fund events, awareness, and
pesticide policy reform to conserve a pollinator-friendly environment. While we work to fulfill
these tenets over the coming year, Lexington will generate an annual report to showcase our
conservation efforts to maintain our Bee City status.With joint dedication and efforts across
Lexington residents who care for pollinator conservation,Lexington will surely remain a Bee
City for many years to come!
Lexington resident Alix Bartsch is just one of three Eastern Apicultural Society certified
Master Beekeepers in Massachusetts, and has kept bees in Lexington since the ‘70s. Now, she
cares for millions of bees across town in community gardens, farms, and private clients with the
help of Lexington High School’s Bee Club. The current Bee Club leaders, myself and fellow
senior Sophie Gregoretti, have continued the club after previous leader and founder Ms.
Bartsch’s daughter, Anastasia, graduated from LHS.After Ms. Bartsch first brought the idea of
registering Lexington as a Bee City to us, Bee Club prepared a presentation for approval of the
Bee City Resolution, and we were able to present at a Lexington Select Board meeting in
October. Approved 4 to 0, Lexington is now the first Bee City in Massachusetts, and third in
New England!
In the past few years, Bee Club has assisted Ms. Bartsch by harvesting honey supers
(honeycomb that contains honey), extracting honey,and hosting workshops to involve more
peers in the movement. Some of our workshops include beeswax candle making, planting
flowers, annual hive excursions, and making “hive covers” out of repurposed freezer bags to
insulate bee hives during the winter. In addition to our weekly meetings where we learn about
beekeeping and bees, the Bee Club is currently working with LPS’ Science Department to
introduce the importance of pollinators to elementary schoolers across Lexington.
As bees are absolutely fundamental to life as we know it, we hope that Lexington
residents continue their enthusiasm to conserve pollinators and their habitat, and proudly
maintain our Bee City status.