Members from the VIU peace garden educational ecosystem celebrate their bee campus designation, given to them by Bee City Canada. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

bee plus

VIU peace garden abuzz with bee achievement

Oct 16, 2019 | 10:56 PM

NANAIMO — A small section of Vancouver Island University’s Nanaimo campus is being recognized for its impact on local biodiversity.

VIU is the first “Bee Campus” in B.C., as designated by the organization Bee City Canada. It was earned for student’s work creating a diverse garden space and educating others on the importance of pollinators in the eco-system.

Becoming a Bee Campus centers around the Peace Garden Educational Ecosystem, run by the Master of Community Planning program and the peace garden student club.

Garden programmer Margot Thomaidis told NanaimoNewsNOW the project has come a long way in 12 months.

“This time last year it was just dirt and gravel. We’ve had 100 different species added to this one little piece of land and if it’s possible here, it’s possible all over campus and Nanaimo.”

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They’re the second Nanaimo-based group to achieve the designation. John Barsby Secondary was the first “Bee School” listed in B.C. in 2018.

VIU garden club president Christopher “Farmer” Brown said the work to transform an area of campus was extensive.

“We’ve bought in several truck loads of wood chips on a hillside that was once gravel and we’ve created this ecosystem. Where there was nothing, now there’s full biodiversity.”

Brown said they’ll look to make plant and tree additions in the coming year. However, the focus will be on increasing membership and education.

Club members plan to host workshops to educate the public on pollinator-friendly options for their gardens. It’s also branching out into edible options, including fruit trees.

The university’s Sustainability Advisory Committee and Faculty of Education each donated $1,000 to aid the efforts.

“The designation means we have a responsibility to educate people about the importance of pollinators,” Brown said. “We also have to take action on the ground by actively increasing pollinator habitat.”

Thomaidis said healthy pollinators are critical for stable food supplies.

“They’re such an important thing, but they’re also one of the smallest thing so they need a little bit of an extra level of awareness because you don’t always see them or see what they’re doing.”

alex.rawnsley@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley