We Need Bees Committee Members:

Fauquier County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted on February 10, 2022 to become a Bee City USA®, joining many other cities and campuses across the country united in improving their landscapes for pollinators. The Board of Supervisors action is the culmination of months of effort by The Warrenton Garden Club and Fauquier County Parks & Recreation Department to accomplish this affiliation.

Bee City USA is an initiative of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon, with offices across the country. Bee City USA’s mission is to galvanize communities to sustain pollinators by providing them with healthy habitat, rich in a variety of native plants and free of insecticides. Pollinators like bumble bees, sweat bees, mason bees, honey bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, hummingbirds, and many others are responsible for the reproduction of almost ninety percent of the world's flowering plant species and one in every three bites of food we consume.

The Fauquier County Board of Supervisors vote was made after a presentation by Gary Rzepecki of Fauquier County Parks & Recreation, to Fauquier County Board of Supervisors members.

Supervisor Mary Leigh McDaniel said, “Our Board of Supervisors let it be known that we understand the importance of sustaining pollinators and want to make the county more pollinator friendly. We are grateful to the Warrenton Garden Club for bringing the opportunity to our attention.”

“We are thrilled that the Board of Supervisors shared our vision for Fauquier County to join the Bee City USA movement,” said Heather McDaniel-Neff, who played a leading role in the campaign.

According to Supervisor McDaniel, during the process of applying for the affiliation, a number of organizations were brought into the discussions including The Clifton Institute, Piedmont Environmental Council, VDOT, Warrenton Garden Club, Quail Forever and Natural Resources Conservation Services, and former Environmental Science/Research Managers.

“The program aspires to make people more PC—pollinator conscious, that is,” said Scott Hoffman Black, Xerces’ executive director. “If lots of individuals and communities begin planting native, pesticide-free flowering trees, shrubs and perennials, it will create large-scale change for many, many species of pollinators.”

“How each city completes the steps to conserve pollinators is up to them,” said Bee City USA Coordinator Laura Rost. “To maintain their affiliation, each affiliate is expected to report on their achievements and celebrate being a Bee City USA affiliate every year.”

Each affiliate should hold public awareness activities; publicly acknowledge the commitment to the program through a standing committee, signage and web links; and prepare an annual report on habitat enhancement activities. Bee City USA especially encourages school gardens and educational programs for children.

Fauquier County has designated “We Need Bees” the facilitating committee for the Fauquier County Parks & Recreation Departments efforts to engage the community in promoting pollinator conservation. The “We need Bees” committee will develop a regular meeting schedule and location to meet and invites all residents of Fauquier County to offer their ideas for pollinator-friendly initiatives. The more people and organizations involved, the sooner pollinator declines will be reversed.