Savannah abuzz with excitement to join bee conservation network of cities nationwide

Credit: Rene Mensen / Creative Commons

The Savannah City Council has voted to join a nationwide network of municipalities dedicated to the protection of pollinators.

At their last meeting of the year, councilmembers voted unanimously to initiate the process of becoming an affiliate of Bee City USA, a program run by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

The Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit has provided a framework for more than 200 cities, towns and counties in the U.S. to help conserve roughly 3,600 species of bees through habitat restoration and pesticide reduction, among other measures.

The specifics of Savannah's program have yet to be finalized, but the resolution passed by councilmembers calls for the city to partner with Foster Beelief, an HBCU student-led honeybee charity founded by a Savannah State University graduate.

Mayor Van Johnson, himself a Savannah State alumnus, said at the meeting that he is "excited" for Georgia's oldest city to join Bee City USA.

Savannah Park and Tree Department director Gordon Denney wrote in a memo shared with councilmembers that his office has discussed the formation of a Savannah Pollinator Preservation Committee, which would include a mix of volunteers and city staff.

If Savannah's application is approved by the Xerces Society, the city would become the first coastal Georgia affiliate of Bee City USA, and would join the 15 municipalities across the Peach State that currently belong to the network, including Atlanta, Warner Robins and Rome, among others.