The City of Barrie is hoping to make this year’s Pollinator Week fun and educational with prizes for those who participate.
Pollinator Week runs from June 21-27 and is celebrated across the world in support of pollinator health.
Barrie became the 30th Bee City in Canada in July 2019. This designation is awarded to cities, towns, municipalities, schools, campuses, businesses and organizations that publicly declare to protect pollinators and their habitat through co-ordinated and collaborative actions that align with the Bee City program.
City of Barrie parks program co-ordinator Stephanie Wideman was at the Eastview community garden on Tuesday to help launch the pollinator program.
“As a Bee City, we really believe in supporting our pollinators not just through providing habitat, but also in providing education to people on how to support pollinators,” Wideman told BarrieToday. “One way that pollinators support all of us is through food production.
"Our community gardens are an important piece of the puzzle in supporting them as they help to support us," she added.
Community gardens are outdoor spaces on designated public land where residents meet to grow and care for vegetables and flowers. Gardeners pay a small annual fee to the city to rent their own plot and maintain it.
There are currently four community gardens in Barrie.
While the bee is talked about mainly when speaking of pollinators, Wideman says there are many pollinators to celebrate this week.
“There are so many different ones, from butterflies, beetles, snakes and bats, they’re all pollinators,” said Wideman.
The city is offering a few programs for some virtual activities for the 2021 Pollinator Week, including a Pic-A-Pollinator photo contest, which invites residents to submit a picture of a pollinator at work in Barrie. The winner will receive a butterfly house and their winning photo featured on the city’s website and social media channels
A Pollinator Week survey also asks community members to identify concerns and share their opinions regarding pollinators and their declining population, and what they may be willing to do to help.
Also available are a variety of pollinator-related activities for all ages, including webinars, tip sheets and resources. The activities are provided by the Barrie Public Library, Forests Ontario, Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, Living Green Barrie, Pollinator Partnership, and Wild Birds Unlimited Barrie.
Visit the city’s pollinator week website for details, resources and how you can get involved in annual event.
