The City of Belleville’s Green Task Force Committee is hosting a special event at Market Square Saturday morning (June 18) which will highlight the importance of pollinators.
Committee Chair, Councillor Chris Malette says the family-friendly Pollinator Event celebrates Belleville being recognized as a “Bee City” and their efforts to protect pollinators.
“Pollinators are under threat for various reasons, climate change not the least of them. But pollinators are so important to the, the food chain and the survival of people on the planet. So this is more of an awareness event where people can learn how they might do things right in their own back yard.”
The event will feature several speakers from groups like Quinte Conservation, the Quinte Field Naturalists Association and Pollinator Partnership Canada.
“We have a speaker from the David Suzuki Butterfly Project. Butterflies are important pollinators as well. And Carson Arthur, of course, many people know Carson. He’ll be giving a presentation on the importance of plantings and things like that, that will help pollinators.”
There will also be native plant and wildflower giveaways, flower pot making crafts for kids and garden sign giveaways for pollinator gardens.
Mallette is very proud of the work the city is doing to maintain its status as a Bee City including planting pollinator friendly plants on public land.
“We’re actually working on ways to bring in bee hives in some of our public park lands. An area that would be fenced off but, I mean, we could have real hives in a public area that, you know, would be safe for people.”
Saturday’s free Pollinator Event will run alongside the Farmers’ Market from 9:30 a.m. to noon.
Belleville was declared a “Bee City” by Bee City Canada in 2021.
June 20 to 26 is International Pollinator Week.
