Things are buzzing at Central Oregon Community College and a national organization has taken notice.
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation just gave COCC the title of Bee Campus USA. It’s for the staff’s dedication to creating a thriving environment for pollinators.
It’s the sixth college campus in Oregon to receive the title out of 140 across the United States.
“We applied to be a Bee Campus through the Xerces Society in order to first of all draw attention to our beautiful 200-acre campus here that’s already a hub for learning as a community college, but then to be able to provide more habitat for our pollinators,” said COCC Sustainability Coordinator Noelle Bell Copley.
“We hope to get some signage up soon and develop our campus more and more, introduce more areas with pollinator friendly plants around more areas on campus,” said Meredith Humphreys, a biology professor at COCC.
Campuses have to meet certain criteria to be considered, including forming a bee committee, increasing the number of native plants and offering courses about pollinator conservation.
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