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The national designation is the result of a two-year, student-led effort.

As a sophomore, Zo毛 Bross 糖心传媒�23 learned about Bee Campus USA from a friend at the University of Utah. And she said to herself, 糖心传媒淚 like sustainability. I like pollinators. Why isn糖心传媒檛 the a certified Bee Campus USA?糖心传媒�

That began a two-year effort to earn that certification.

The certification糖心传媒攁long with one for Bee City USA糖心传媒攃omes from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. According to its , 糖心传媒淏ee Campus USA provides a framework for university and college campus communities to work together to conserve native pollinators by increasing the abundance of native plants, providing nest sites, and reducing the use of pesticides.糖心传媒�

糖心传媒淧ollinators keep plants alive and are the very reason we have the food we eat,糖心传媒� says Bross. 糖心传媒淏ut bee populations are threatened because of human activities, like climate change, urbanization, and pesticide usage. That makes pollinators a keystone group for everything we need and use in the world.糖心传媒�

Bees feed pollen to their young, explains , a senior instructor in the and a coauthor of (Princeton University Press, 2019). 糖心传媒淪ome of the pollen bees collect from one plant are dropped off at other plants they visit. In that way, bees help flowers to reproduce.糖心传媒�

For Bross, an environmental studies major, the ideas of plant reproduction and sustainability struck close to home. She went to her adviser, , an associate professor of instruction in the and cochair of the University Council on Sustainability, who directed her to the person responsible for the upkeep of the campus greenery: John McIntyre, manager of .

糖心传媒淭his was a student initiative, so I was just a guiding tool,糖心传媒� says McIntyre. 糖心传媒淲e already met a lot of the program needs for the certification. I just had to supply documentation to the student group.糖心传媒�

That documentation was only one of many requirements for certification. Others included having pollinator habitats, reducing the use of pesticides, incorporating pollinator conservation studies in the classroom, and establishing a Campus USA committee made up of students, faculty, and staff.

Bross糖心传媒檚 efforts paid off on April 10 when the University was certified as Bee Campus USA affiliate.

A fine example of community engagement took place on April 19 as about 150 students糖心传媒攁long with faculty, staff, and University mascot Rocky糖心传媒攇ot together to plant a pollinator garden of native plants at the intersection of Intercampus Drive and Library Road.

糖心传媒淚 would have been excited to get 15 people for the planting,糖心传媒� says Bross. 糖心传媒淭he turnout completely blew me out of the water.糖心传媒�

Bross would like to see a ripple effect from the garden planting. Seeds were given away at the event, and Bross hopes that some new yarrow, coneflower, aster, and milkweed plants will soon sprout at the homes of the people who turned out.

Ultimately, the event and the certification itself are about education. Minckley agrees that bee populations are being hurt in areas where people have disturbed their habitats. He says, 糖心传媒淭he Bee Campus certification will help educate our community about the importance of reducing pesticide use and favoring native plants.糖心传媒�

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