Pollinator Project
With four European Honey Bee beehives and our native pollinator garden at the Good Ground Heritage Garden, we are looking to transform the western shore of Tiana Bay into a safe haven for bees and butterflies. According to our head beekeeper, Christopher Kelly, our current operations support a peak summertime population of about 250,000 bees! And our work is not just good for the pollinators; we use our hives and gardens as educational tools in our work with local schools and other community organizations, spreading knowledge about how to support the health of our local ecosystem.
Bees pollinate 75 percent of the fruits, nuts and vegetables grown in the United States, but the increased use of pesticides and fungicides has caused a sharp nationwide decline in bee populations and other pollinators. Nearly 50% of all commercial beehives across the U.S. failed to survive the winter in 2023. We plan to help rebuild and nurture the local population one hive at a time.
SPONSOR A HIVE PROGRAM
Every year ECI raises funds to support the Pollinator Project.
You can help by sponsoring a beehive • $500 per hive
For each year that you sponsor a hive, you will receive 10 lbs. of ECI's Good Ground Honey in late July. You will also be invited to participate in beehive classes to be led by ECI Master Beekeeper Chris Kelly and ECI President/Agro-Ecology Director Rachel Stephens.
The initial costs for our pollinator project were sponsored by a generous donation from the Leo S. Walsh Foundation, and proceeds from our Organic Farm-to-Table Dinners. We are also grateful to Dora Hughes, the former manager of the Good Ground Heritage Garden, who installed the Monarch Waystation as a tribute to her late friend Joan, who shared a love for butterflies 🦋
Plants growing in our native pollinator garden:
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syrica)
Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)
Blazing Star (Liatris scarlosa)
Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus)
Joe-Pye-Weed (Eutrochium purpureum)
New York Aster (Symphyotrichum novi-belgii)
New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novi-angliae)
Seaside Goldenrod (Solidago sempervlrens)
Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)
The native pollinator garden includes a Monarch Waystation
The Pollinator Project also includes film screenings of the award-winning documentary More Than Honey. Learn more from our Film Screenings & Community Forums page.