Bee City USA

ABOUT BEE CITY USA

Bee City USA is an initiative of The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. As an affiliate of Bee City USA, Sandy is committed to enacting policies and programs to support pollinator species in the city. These policies include adopting an integrated pest management program, planting pollinator habitat on public land, and using public engagement tools to provide education and resources on pollinator preservation. Sandy became a Bee City USA affiliate in April of 2021 through a resolution passed by City Council. 

Learn more about how forest fires affect our environment this October!

Join us October 10th from 6-7pm at the Sandy Community Center to hear a presentation by Dr. Graham Frank on the impacts of wildfires to our forest ecosystems. Discover how fire and smoke affect our local pollinators, with ample opportunity to ask questions!  Dr. Graham Frank is a forest ecologist at Oregon State University. 

If you have further questions about the event, please call Amy Lytle at the Sandy Community Center at (503) 668 5569.

APPLY NOW TO JOIN THE BEE CITY WORK GROUP

The Bee City work group meets once quarterly to discuss ongoing and upcoming projects. We are always looking for new members.

Click this link to apply today!

CHECK OUT THE CITY'S INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT PLAN

The City of Sandy Parks and Recreation Department follows an Integrated Pest Management Policy adopted by the City of Sandy Parks and Recreation Department. The IPM process first determines if a pest needs to be managed, and if so, how best to do it. Key elements are information gathering, decision making, management action, and monitoring of results. IPM uses effective, low-risk strategies and practices. Management actions include cultural, physical, mechanical, manual, biological, and pesticidal. Licensed and trained Parks Maintenance professionals often select a combination of methods (pesticide applications being the method of last resort) to manage specific pest populations on a case-by-case basis, with a goal of reducing reliance on pesticides. Methods employed conform to recognized standards established and endorsed by state and federal regulatory agencies, state educational institutions, and organizations such as the Western Integrated Pest Management Center and National Pesticide Information Center.

Check out the entire plan in the "supporting documents" section of this page. 

SANDY LIBRARY'S POLLINATOR BOOK LIST

The Sandy Library has 13 pollinator specific books available for any aspiring gardener or researcher. Check out the list below in the "supporting documents" section of this page and contact the Sandy Library at (503) 668 5537 to see if these texts are available. 

PAST PROJECTS

• Curating honey bee swarm removal services. We are looked for local beekeepers who offer swarm removal services to include in our resources list. Please see the link in the "supporting documents" section of this page for current resources.
• Installation of mason and leaf cutter bee houses in the community gardens. Installation occurred March 2023. Mason bee cocoons were placed in the houses April 2023 and leaf cutter cocoons will be placed in the houses June 2023. More bees will be installed in the houses in 2024.
• Adopt a Flower Box! Sponsors helped fund flower boxes that were installed at the Sandy Community Gardens to assist the new Mason and Leaf cutter bees. Oregon, pollinator friendly flowers will be planted in flower boxes around the new beehouses.
• Celebrated International Bat Week with the Installation of a Bat House at Sandy Bluff Park. We debuted Sandy’s first bat house at Sandy Bluff Park, with a special presentation from City Councilor, Carl Exner, and Sandy Recreation Coordinator, Amy Lytle in October 2023. Most people associate pollination with bees and birds but often forget the work of their furry colleagues: bats. Bats take the night shift, playing a major role in pollinating crops and spreading seeds, with over 500 plant species relying on bats to pollinate their flowers! Bat also help ecosystems by keeping many insect species in balance - which is especially vital in managing invasive insect species that threaten to disrupt the balance! Bat Week is an international, annual celebration designed to raise awareness about the need for bat conservation and you can learn more about International Bat Week here: batweek.org
• Celebrated National Learn About Butterflies Day on March 14, 2024 with a Panel of Experts on Pollinators. Four local experts shared their knowledge and answered some very inquisitive and thoughtful questions from the audience. We would like to extend a HUGE thank you to Suzi from Clackamas SWCD, Renee from Echo Valley Natives, Marek from Estacada's Bee City Action group, and Heather from Iris Healing Arts for being willing to share their valuable time and knowledge with the people of Sandy and to help us celebrate National Learn About Butterflies Day.
• Celebrated World Bee Day in May by hosting a FREE screening of "My Garden of a Thousand Bees" at the Sandy Cinema! 
  World Bee Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to our ecosystem. "My Garden of a Thousand Bees" follows acclaimed wildlife filmmaker Martin Dohrn, who, locked down by coronavirus, turns his lenses on the surprising and spectacular bees living in his own urban garden in Bristol, England. Big thank you to Sandy Cinema for their discounted pricing for this event, HHMI Tangled Studios for providing the film and the Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District for sponsoring this event!