UC Merced has long been a place where students can thrive.
Now the university has been recognized for its commitment to increase the abundance of native and other pollinators.
The campus has become an affiliate of the Bee Campus USA program, joining other cities and campuses across the country in a united effort to improve their landscapes for pollinators.
Department of Life and Environmental Sciences Professor Marilia Palumbo Gaiarsa, supported by a Seed Award from the Equitable Climate Solutions Center, is leading a team effort to implement nature-based solutions to increase the diversity and abundance of native bees and other pollinators around the UC Merced campus.
Working closely with campus facilities, UC Merced Natural Reserve System and the campus integrated pest management plan committee, Gaiarsa and the bee campus team, comprising more than 20 staff, graduate students and undergraduates, worked to get the campus certified this fall.
They are now working to identify areas on campus and nearby lands where they can enhance native plant habitats and nesting resources essential for pollinator survival. These efforts include education outreach, supporting undergraduate research on pollinator species at the Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve, and prioritizing pollinator-friendly, sustainable practices within the campus IPM plan.
The program encourages participants to raise awareness about the importance of pollinators, develop or improve pollinator habitats and nesting resources on campus each year, and establish an integrated pest management plan that reduces pesticide use and promotes non-chemical pest control methods.
"The Central Valley is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, but it can also be a tough place for pollinators such as bees, butterflies and even hummingbirds," Gaiarsa said. "By becoming a Bee Campus, UC Merced shows that it's possible to create spaces for native pollinators here in the Central Valley, leading by example through science, education and community engagement."
Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA are initiatives of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a nonprofit organization based in Portland, Ore., with offices across the country. Pollinators such as bumblebees, sweat bees, mason bees, honey bees, butterflies, moths, flies, hummingbirds and many others are responsible for the reproduction of almost 90% of the world's flowering plant species and one in every three bites of food people consume, according to Bee City USA. In California alone, pollinator-dependent crops - such as almonds, melons, berries and many vegetables - are worth billions of dollars each year, making the health of pollinators essential not just for ecosystems, but for the state's agricultural economy.
UC Merced's first event is planned for Nov. 13, when a pollinator garden will be planted at the university's Experimental Smart Farm. Updates will be posted on the university's Bee Campus website.
More events will be planned, and pollinator-themed signage will be erected across campus. Organizers promise opportunities to get involved as UC Merced strengthens its commitment to biodiversity and sustainability.
UC Merced is one of 216 affiliates in the United States, which include eight of the nine undergraduate University of California campuses.
"How each city or campus completes the steps to conserve pollinators is up to them," Bee Campus USA coordinator Laura Rost said. "Affiliates play to their own strengths, designing pesticide reduction plans, improving habitat, and holding events ranging from garden tours to native plant giveaways to bee trivia nights. Each campus must renew its affiliation each year and report on accomplishments from the previous year."
Learn more about the Bee City USA designation at the organization's website.
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