~ BURGH BEES COMMUNITY APIARY ~: G R A C I A S . . . by Roberta Jones

Sunday, April 18, 2010

G R A C I A S . . . by Roberta Jones

It has been a busy spring for Burgh Bees. We have successfully put together a Community Apiary video on the website http://www.kickstarter.com/ and have raised to date $2,115 of our $3,500 goal. I would like to thank Mary Grace Hensel, my friend and amateur videographer, for putting up with me all day and shooting video all over Pittsburgh. And thanks to Meredith Meyer Grelli for cutting and pasting the video to kickstarter.

Donations are also starting to come in from local organizations and Garden Clubs. Goose Creek Gardens donated many herbs to plant in the apiary's pollinator garden, and Allegheny County Garden Club donated $100, to name just two. We will publish the names of all our benefactors at the end of this first fundraising campaign. We appreciate everything you all are doing for the apiary and Burgh Bees. ~ Roberta Jones

Check out Roberta's video on kickstarter by clicking on the link below:
http://www.kickstarter.com/e/2X6we/projects/meyergrelli/a-community-apiary-in-pittsburgh

And here's the background on our fundraising project, also from the kickstarter site:

About us

Burgh Bees was established in 2008 with the simple mission of promoting bees and beekeeping in Pittsburgh. Since founding, we have trained 90 new beekeepers and established 4 demonstration apiaries throughout the city. Our long-time dream has been to establish the country's first community apiary, where city dwellers without yards can keep hives of their own and where we'll continue to teach classes. We're raising money for this apiary and an accompanying pollinator garden.

About this project

The world's pollinators, including honeybees, are dying at an alarming rate. And this not only has an effect on the flora and fauna in our environments, but also on our food supply. One of the best ways to counteract the effects of a dwindling honeybee population is to increase the number of beekeepers. In 2008, a group of backyard beekeepers established Burgh Bees to promote honey bees, beekeeping and the creative reuse of neglected urban land in Pittsburgh. Since our founding, the volunteers of Burgh Bees have:

• Established four demonstration apiaries in urban neighborhoods throughout the city in partnership with local urban farming organizations as well as the Pittsburgh Zoo;
• Trained 90 new beekeepers
• Initiated a monthly meet up for urban beekeepers to share their knowledge with each other and build a beekeeping community in the city; and
• Hosted dozens of open apiary visits and educational programs to Pittsburgh residents.

We are getting the word out about the challenges honeybees face, the benefits of honey bees in urban settings and the delights of local honey. Burgh Bees is also reclaiming abandoned urban lots and reactivating these areas with productive, positive energy and attention.

Over half of our class members live in dense urban neighborhoods, making it difficult for them to install “backyard beehives.” In response, Burgh Bees has worked with the City of Pittsburgh to secure a suitable lot for a community apiary and demonstration pollinator garden. At this site, those who have completed training will be able to place a hive of their own, under the auspices of Burgh Bees—utilizing our insurance, shared equipment, and knowledge.

We're raising funds for plants, signage, equipment, and first pollinator plants. The site will be developed using all volunteer labor from our committed community of pollinator enthusiasts!

Upcoming Events:

Thursday, April 22 . . . . . . . . . . Earth Day
Saturday, April 24 . . . . . . . Apiary Workday 2
Monday, April 26 . . . . . . . . . . . .BVABA Meeting
Tuesday, April 27 . . . . . . . . . . . Burgh Bees Beekeeper Meetup
Sunday, May 2 . . . . . . . . . . Apiary Neighborhood Honey Tasting
Sunday, May 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . National Wildflower Week
Friday, May 14 . . . . . . . . . . Apiary Ribbon Cutting with Mayor Ravenstahl - 3 PM
Saturday, June 5 . . . . . . . . . . . United Nations World Environment Day: Pittsburgh 2010 Host City
Sunday, June 13 . . . . . . . . .Apiary Warming Party
Monday, June 21 . . . . . . . . . . . .National Pollinator Week
Monday, June 28 . . . . . . . . . . . .BVABA Meeting

PHOTO PROGRESSION: JANUARY / FEBRUARY / MARCH / APRIL: MOVING DAY

JANUARY 31 2010

FEBRUARY 28 2010

MARCH 31 2010

APRIL 9 2010: MOVING DAY

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OUR COLUMNISTS

Linda Rathburn ~ Linda set up the original Burgh Bees Community Apiary Blog and served as its first general editor, from March through July of 2010, and as one of the contributing columnists and photographers. She also worked with Mary Anne Watson to produce the monthly Bee’s Eye View Kids' Page. "I've done time as a college English instructor, an art school librarian, and a public school teacher. I've been a paralegal, paraprofessional, and now, in the spirit of quasi-ness, a parablogger. Among my favorite educational experiences are substitute teaching a welding class and learning to start a backfire in a wildlife management class (ahh - playing with fire). I've taught online and onground, GED and GRE prep, Remedial Math to Alcosan employees and the relevance of Orwell to college students. I've never taught my cats a thing. My current goals in life are to open The Bigass Hardware Store (where my husband and I sell really BIG items like BIG snow shovels and BIG self-watering flowerpots) and to publish at least one of my books before I die. And - to get the hang - really the hang - of beekeeping.

Roberta Jones ~ Roberta has taken on the daunting task of coordinating fundraising efforts for the apiary - and for writing the monthly G R A C I A S column to provide members and donors with feedback on fundraising and events. Roberta will also be lending Burgh Bees her video and podcasting skills to get the word out about Pittsburgh's newest green venture. Roberta received her BSN from Carlow College and currently works as an Operating Room Registered Nurse. She worked her way through nursing school painting, wallpapering, and refinishing decks; past jobs include working as a Coating Sales Rep. She became interested in bees through her father, who has a small farm in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, and registered her father, herself, and her brother for Burgh Bees' original 2009 beekeeper's class. Roberta's dad has been diagnosed with the first stages of Alzheimer's: "Beekeeping is keeping his mind sharp. I was impressed with the dynamic nature of Burgh Bees and jumped in - LOVE it."

Vivienne Shaffer and Frank Carr ~ Viv and Frank are currently residents of North Point Breeze and will be featuring newsworthy events and personalities, and their impact on our Homewood/Point Breeze neighborhood, in their monthly column, Neighborhood Buzz. Frank graduated from Pitt in 1982, and has worked as a community organizer, an editor, and a political organizer. Vivienne has a BS in Music Education from IUP and an MS Ed in museum leadership from Bank Street College. As a full-time homeschool mom, Viv is having a great time exploring new worlds, like the world of beekeeping, with her son. She has worked as an educator and museum director, and she currently volunteers at the Heinz History Center and at The First Tee of Pittsburgh. She is a Commonwealth Speaker for the PA Humanities Council, with a talk entitled "Rachel Carson, Pennsylvania, and the Nature Discovery Treasure Chest." An enthusiastic gardener, she is looking forward to welcoming the Burgh bees that will be buzzing across the busway to visit her yard.

Woody Shaffer Carr ~ Woody will be assisting Viv and Frank as a contributing reporter for the Neighborhood Buzz column. Woody is beginning his last year of high school in the fall of 2010 and works as a volunteer at Creative Nonfiction; among his interests are golf, ringing church bells, recycling, and of course, bees: "There's a lot of happiness in bees."

Mary Anne Watson ~ Mary Anne writes the monthly Bee's Eye View Kids' Page. She is a member of Burgh Bees' original 2009 beekeeper's class. As a second grade teacher at Fairless Elementary in Braddock, Mary Anne is uniquely positioned to deliver interesting and instructional mini-lessons to kids, and to understand the inner workings of bee behavior. Mary Anne also keeps two of her own hives in the backyard of her home in Wilkins Township and will be serving as one of the apiary's mentors to beginning beekeepers. "Every time I open my hive, I learn something new about bees. Every time I sit and observe bee behavior, I learn something new about myself."

~ BURGH BEES COMMUNITY APIARY ~

Sunday, April 18, 2010

G R A C I A S . . . by Roberta Jones

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MONTHLY COLUMNS

POLLINATOR PERISCOPE

NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ

GRACIAS

BEE'S EYE VIEW

LINKS TO POLLINATOR GARDEN RESOURCES

FOLLOWERS

BLOG ARCHIVE

OUR COLUMNISTS

ABOUT US