ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke is now officially a Bee City USA affiliate city — vowing to protect bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
A kickoff event to announce the designation was held today in Vic Thomas Park.
It got a lot of buzz.
The goal is to promote healthy, sustainable, pesticide-free habitats to help these species thrive.
“If we want to provide an ecosystem that is healthy for ourselves, our children, our parents, our grandchildren, then we have to protect our ecosystems,” Katherine Knopf, a member of the Roanoke Valley Garden Club said. “Currently, bees are in decline right now, and that’s the big concern for all the garden clubs in the state.”
Through educational programming and sound landscape practices, the city will work to improve and develop more pollinator-friendly habitats.