Nate’s Notes: Bees thrive in Puget Sound’s marginal lands, Pierce County seeks input on agritourism, organic seed conference nears.
Finding places to help bees, Pierce County works on agritourism, organic seed conference approaches.
Here are event reminders, research items, agriculture news stories that I’ve noticed while covering Puget Sound agriculture.
Research finds overlooked pockets in Puget Sound where bees thrive
To the casual observer, it’s nothing more than an abandoned golf course.
But the land, along with other weedy, minimally maintained “marginal lands” in the Puget Sound area, is home to scores of wild bee species, including many never found before in Snohomish and King counties, according to a seven-year study by Washington State University researchers and others.
The survey of bees at three plots of land near airports and beneath power lines adds to the evidence that small corners of largely untended land can sustain bee populations amid the concrete and asphalt landscape of cities — even more effectively than parks and farms managed for hosting bees, according to a story posted on WSU Insider.
“Someone looking from the outside would say this is a junky old golf course that has been left to rot,” said David Crowder, a professor and researcher in WSU’s Department of Entomology who was the corresponding author of the new paper. “But it has 118 bee species in it, some that have never been seen before in our state.”
Pierce County needs input on agritourism
Pierce County farm officials are looking for help to better identify what agritourism should looks like. They are hosting a series of in-person events in December to explore the types of activities that support Pierce County’s rural areas while preserving the character of agricultural lands. Input gained from the events will help county employees define what agritourism will look like.
Scheduled meetings are:
• 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 3, at Buckley Library, 123 S. River Ave.
• 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 10, Sumner Library, 1116 Fryer Ave.
• 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 11, Eatonville Community Center, 305 Center St. W.
An online form can be filled out for residents who aren’t able to attend the public events. Click here to access the form and comment on the future of agritourism in Pierce County.
Organic Seed Summit takes place in Portland
Pacific Northwest Organic Seed Summit takes place Saturday, Dec. 6 at Tabor Event Space, 5441 SE Belmont St. in Portland. Summit goes from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Summit is a gathering for Pacific Northwest-based specialty seed growers to network, exchange knowledge and develop actions to build sustainable, profitable, and resilient seed systems in the state. Susana Cabrera-Mariz of the Organic Seed Alliance and others are scheduled to speak.
To register, go to https://secure.everyaction.com/ahKRSOSJcEq47C1P8WQ-Ig2?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
