Evansville adopted Bee City USA resolution; parks department to serve as city sponsor

The Evansville Common Council voted unanimously Sept. 22 to designate the city a Bee City USA affiliate, a voluntary program of the Xerces Society that promotes pollinator conservation through habitat creation, reduced pesticide use and public education.

Nick Yaccarino, executive director of Keep Evansville Beautiful, said the organization will collaborate with the parks department and other partners to coordinate plantings and public outreach. "The opportunity to promote pollinators and native plants across this community...is paramount to the health of our community," Yaccarino told the council.

Edith Hardcastle described the Bee City USA framework and highlighted that Indiana is home to roughly 400 wild bee species; she said Evansville has already taken steps such as updating the city’s weed ordinance to allow native plantings and planting native species in parks. Paul Balsman, deputy director of Evansville Parks and Recreation, told the council the department is "willing, but very excited to be the city sponsor" for the Bee City USA program and cited multiple existing pollinator projects in local parks.

The resolution was adopted by roll call, 8 ayes and 0 nays. The council did not designate a specific line-item budget in the meeting for Bee City activities; presenters described the designation as a framework for coordination between city departments, nonprofits and schools, and as a way to publicize and expand existing pollinator-friendly work.

Ending: Parks staff and Keep Evansville Beautiful plan to inventory existing projects and proceed with the Bee City USA application process as the city sponsor.