Pollinator Friendly Campus
Pollinator Committee Overview
The Pollinator Friendly Campus Committee (PFCC) formed in May 2017 to discuss pollinator friendly initiatives on campus. In July 2017, the committee was approved as an official subcommittee of the President’s Sustainability Commission. The Pollinator Committee has participation from CSU students, academic and research experts, Facilities Management, Environmental Health Services, Extension and more. Our objectives in promoting pollinators align with Bee Campus USA goals, including: create and implement pollinator friendly habitat plan; plan and develop pollinator friendly gardens across campus; offer pollinator education and engagement opportunities; and post educational stories and signage about the benefits of supporting local pollinators.
Recent accomplishments:
- With the installation of the new extension of the Mountain Loop bike trail on campus (between chemistry and visual arts), we implemented a new pollinator garden. The design of this was reviewed by the committee last year and we were able to implement it as part of the project. We continue to look for opportunities to include these types of installations on campus whenever possible.
- The apiculture club received funding from ASCSU to install interpretive signage at their bee hives on south campus. Working with the students, Facilities Management assisted in developing signage concepts and getting it installed so that visitors can learn more about the activities of the club and what is happening in general with the hives.
Active Members
Cate Collins, Director of Environmental Affairs, ASCSU
Colleen Duncan, Professor for Dept. of Microbiology, Immunology & Pathology
Grace Wright, Director of Sustainability College of Business, Co-Chair President’s Sustainability Commission
Jeannine Riess, Public Health Administrator, Environmental Health Services
Jennifer Bousselot, Assistant Professor Horticulture & Landscape Architecture
Jim Graham, Director of Environmental Health Services
John Mola, Assistant Professor Forest and Rangeland Stewardship (PFCC Co-Chair)
Julia Innes, Program Assistant, Facilities Management (PFCC Co-Chair)
Kyle Ruszkowski/Laura Lukens/Sophia Gulutzo/Hannah Burke, Graduate Students in Ecology, Dept. of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship
Laila Paluszek, President of CSU Student Apiculture Club
Lisa Mason (Arapahoe Extension) /Deryn Davidson (Boulder Extension), CSU Extension
Rodney Gillespie, Operations Manager for Outdoor Services Facilities Management
TBD, Horticulture Crew Supervisor, Outdoor Services Facilities Management
Bee Campus USA
CSU is Bee Campus USA certified since January 2018. During the spring semester in 2018, the President’s Sustainability Commission recognized the Pollinator Friendly Campus Committee for its outstanding sustainability leadership that resulted in CSU becoming the first certified Bee Campus USA institution in Colorado! Our Bee Campus USA designation is part of a larger campus-wide initiative to transform our physical campus into a learning laboratory for the campus community and visitors.
Bee Campus USA commitments include:
- Establish a standing Bee Campus USA committee to advocate for pollinators.
- Create and enhance pollinator habitat on campus.
- Create and adopt an integrated pest management (IPM) plan.
- Offer courses or continuing education opportunities that incorporate pollinator conservation.
- Offer service-learning projects to enhance pollinator habitat.
- Display signage focused on pollinator conservation.
- Maintain an online presence for your Bee Campus USA activities.
- Pay an initial application fee and annual renewal fee.
- Annually apply for renewal and report on the previous year’s activities.
9 news – CSU Bee Campus USA (April 2018)
Through association with our Bee Campus USA status, we have also gained an international partner to support our goals of creating more beneficial habitat on CSU’s campus. Over the summer of 2018, Bee City USA became an official initiative of the Xerces Society. “The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is an international nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats.”
Bee City USA joins Xerces Society (June 2018)
Pollinator Friendly Gardens
Native pollinator populations throughout the world have been experiencing critical threats to their survival with issues ranging from food insecurity to habitat loss. Considering the critical role pollinators play in our surrounding ecosystem, CSU has made a commitment to make our campus more welcoming to these essential creatures.
In fall 2017 we began planting more intentional spaces on campus, designed to support pollinators by providing consistent food sources and safe spaces for nesting. For example, flowerbeds provide pollinator-attracting plants such as catmint, agastache blue boa, lavender, primrose, spirea, and beebalm. Along with flowers, we have signage in certain locations to educate the campus community about pollinators.
Visit our pollinator gardens! Find all the locations listed on the CSU interactive map. We have intentionally designed a number of campus locations with consideration for pollinators, including:
Weed Research Pollinator Beds
Computer Science Memorial Garden
Rec Center Patio
Housing Services Center
Vet Teaching Hospital (south campus)
Foothills Campus (various locations)
Main CSU entrance on Laurel by Engineering Parking Lot
Pitkin Island
Natural Resource Bed
Laurel St. Beds
Lory Student Center – North and South
Center and Lake
Painter and Pathology
Health & Medical Center
Tiley House
Outdoor Service Beds
Parmelee
Lake Street Parking Garage Sign and East Bed
CSU starts initiative to bee friendly to pollinators (September 2017)
Swarm Response
In addition to enhancing pollinator activity on campus, the university has a response plan for swarming or nuisance insects. Anyone concerned about bee swarms, which are more common starting in February through spring, or nuisance bees, wasps or hornets, should contact Environmental Health Services (EHS). Environmental Health Services will manage next steps, including calling beekeepers for assistance in removing a bee swarm from campus and safely relocating it. Contact EHS at (970) 491-6745.
Sting Response
What to do if stung? Remove the stinger as soon as possible. Localized swelling, pain, and itching are all normal reactions. Cool lotions or compresses can help relieve the pain and swelling. If you have a prescription for an Epinephrine autoinjector due to allergic reactions, administer it immediately after you are stung. If you have hypersensitivity reactions to either bee or wasp venom, contact your physician immediately. You can also contact the CSU Health and Medical Center with any concerns at (970) 491-7121.
Get Involved!
There are a variety of options for students, employees, and community members to get involved and learn about pollinators. Participate in one or more of the opportunities listed below.
Pollinator Friendly Campus Committee
To find out about meetings, please contact us. We generally meet once during the fall semester and once during the spring semester.
Citizen Science Opportunities
Native Bee Watch is a citizen science project monitoring bee diversity and abundance in Colorado. CSU participated in Native Bee Watch at the Clark pollinator garden in 2020, 2021 & 2022. We recommend signing up for their newsletter to learn about opportunities for citizen involvement.
- Native Bee Watch interactive data dashboard (2021 data)
- SOURCE article about Native Bee Watch (May 14, 2021)
Reach out to Native Bee Watch directly for either of these guides:
- Native Bee Watch: A Colorado Citizen Science Field Guide, Lisa Mason, Boris Kondratieff, Arathi H. S.
- NEW Beginner Field Guide to Identifying Bees, L. Mason, Brooke Sayre-Chavez, Colton O’Brien, Arathi Seshadri
CSU Apiculture Club
The Colorado State University Apiculture Club is a platform for students and those interested in bees to get involved in beekeeping. The club educates people on the importance of bees and beekeeping in the community, as well as provides a learning outlet for hands on beekeeping experience. The organization hopes to reach as many people on campus and in the community to help form an understanding and appreciation for bees and beekeeping. To get involved or ask questions, contact the President of the CSU Apiculture Club, Laila Paluszek, at csuapicultureclub@gmail.com. Follow them on Instagram @csuapicultureclub.
- Bees on Campus (April 2020)
- TEDxCSU: Forever a Bee Student (April 2019)
- What Happens to Bees in Winter? (December 2018)
- Students Buzzing with Activity in Beekeeping (April 2018)
Resources
CSU SOURCE articles
From flowers to foothills: Searching for the hidden homes of native bumblebees (Nov. 2024)
Research to protect native pollinators (July 2024)
Pollinator health study leads to Colorado law protecting pollinators, rare plants (July 2024)
Rusty-patched bumblebee’s struggle for survival found in its genes (April 2024)
CSU contributes to report assessing health of Colorado pollinators (January 2024)
Webinars
- CSU Extension Gardening Series (free, virtual webinars, and recordings posted on a variety of topics)
- Habitat Restoration & Management Webinar Series from Pollinator Partnership
Reading Recommendations
- Attracting Native Bees to Your Landscape, H.S. Arathi, D. Davidson and L. Mason, CSU Extension.
- Attracting Butterflies to the Garden, P.A. Opler and W.S. Cranshaw, CSU Extension.
- Bee Health Community & Management Practices, Cooperative Extension USDA.
- Creating Pollinator Habitat, H.S. Arathi, D. Davidson and L. Mason.
- 100 Plants to Feed the Bees, The Xerces Society.
- Your Pollinator Book List: Ideas to Read this Winter and in 2021, Lisa Mason
Local, National, & International Resources
- The Mola Lab
The Mola Lab in the CSU Forest and Rangeland Stewardship Department conducts a variety of work mostly centered on pollinator and pollination ecology and conservation. - Native Bee Watch
A citizen science project monitoring bee diversity and abundance in Fort Collins, Colorado. Sign up for their newsletter for more information! - Nature in the City
Programs provide residents with easy access to nature by creating and enhancing natural spaces in Fort Collins, Colorado. - The Gardens on Spring Creek
18-acre botanical garden within walking distance of the CSU Campus in Fort Collins, Colorado. Excellent educational and visual resource for building pollinator friendly spaces. - Northern Colorado Beekeepers Association
An organization of both hobbyist and commercial beekeepers that provides a forum for education in beekeeping to NCBA members and the general public. - Colorado Beekeepers Association
The Colorado Beekeepers Association aims to produce better beekeeping methods, better beekeepers, and a more unified system of apicultural work in Colorado. - Bee City USA
Bee City USA works to foster awareness of the role pollinators play in our communities and what each of us can do to provide them with healthy habitat. - Monarch Joint Venture
A partnership of federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, and academic programs that support efforts to protect the monarch migration across the lower 48 United States. - The Xerces Society
An international nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats. - Pollinator Partnership
An international nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the health of pollinators, critical to food and ecosystems, through conservation, education, and research.