Petition Tag - beekeeping

Large cities such as Vancouver, Burnaby, New York and San Francisco have amended their bylaws to welcome the honeybee into backyards. The Kelowna bylaw is old and antiquated.

Beekeeping is a vital practice, one essential to the health of our urban environment and has tremendous potential as a vehicle for economic development and education efforts everywhere.

I propose that the City of Kelowna amend the bylaw and allow hobby beekeeping in our community as a sustainability effort to help support the urban agricultural movement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIUo3STj6tw
http://www.helpthehoneybees.com/#tv

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Domestic honey bees pollinate our fruit trees and vegetables and are an important and permanent part of our local ecosystem. They also produce local honey that contains the pollen of local flowers and is sought out by local residents and restaurants.

Recognizing the existence of bees and the necessity of trained beekeepers to provide safe homes for bees, cities around the United States have legalized beekeeping, including Long Beach, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills Estates, Atlanta, Chicago, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, the city of Orange and most recently New York City and Santa Monica.

Finally, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have publicly affirmed the importance of bees to home gardens by placing two bee hives conspicuously in the middle of their garden in South Lawn of the White House.

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Rescue Ngerengere River

Geographical location of Ngerengere River. The source of Ngerengere River is Uluguru Mountains in Morogoro. The river passes in more than 20 villages in Morogoro and Pwani regions.

The River is the major water source to thousands of people, Cattle, Wild animals etc. The situation at Ngerengere River is worse, due to human activities.
The nature has been deteriorated due to excessive tree cutting, illegal charcoal trading, farming along the river banks, mining into the river, illegal fishing by using poison, Water source pollution, poaching etc.

The Mission is to create new jobs and reduce poverty rates into the communities through introduction of sustainable projects such as – Eco tourism by establishing eco camp sites, introduce beekeeping, gardening, poultry establishment, Fish farming establishment, sustainable grazing, Sustainable charcoal production, tree nurseries establishment, etc.
Vision is to secure alternative means of income, to improve the life standard and eradicate poverty among the communities around the River.

The vision is to retain the nature of River and change negative altitude about environment among the people to improve the wellbeing.

Other measures are:-
 Create awareness into the communities on the importance of sustainable use of natural resources around them.
 Build capacity in the communities around
 Identify and formulate new sustainable means of income.
 Identify the most affected river locations
 Identify local hunters (poachers).
 Establish environmental clubs.
 Establish local hunters clubs.
 Establish training program.
 Create new jobs through conservation.

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Question:

Why have the municipalities of Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Burnaby, Delta and New Westminster amended their antiquated beekeeping bylaws and Pitt Meadows has not?

I propose that the City of Pitt Meadows should allow hobby bee keeping in our community as a sustainability effort to help support the urban agricultural movement.

Allowing beekeeping is one of the many things that the City can do to help in developing a resilient local food practice.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/decline-of-honey-bees-now-a-global-phenomenon-says-united-nations-2237541.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIUo3STj6tw

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Boise Zoning enforcement has declared that beekeeping on vacant lots in Boise is not an allowed use.

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When entire bee populations disappear or die out or are exterminated in large numbers, the ramifications are serious. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about one-third of the human diet is derived directly or indirectly from honeybee pollinated crops. Unless measures are taken to protect honeybees, many fruits and vegetables may disappear from the food chain.

Here in California honeybees are responsible for nearly half of our state’s $18 billion agricultural industry, pollinating 47 different nut, fruit, vegetable and forage seed crops. The American Beekeeping Federation estimates that about 50 percent of the honeybee colonies in California have been killed or severely weakened. Just to pollinate the current California almond crop (which accounts for 80% of almonds worldwide) requires HALF the United State’s bee population be trucked in. The number of managed hives in California has dropped to around 400,000 hives, so many farmers are resorting to importing bees from Australia at tremendous cost.

With the crisis of Colony Collapse Disorder, it’s never been so important for all communities—urban and rural—to promote beekeeping, and preserve those survivor stocks of our own honey bees. Legal in cities throughout the country—including Yorba Linda, Laguna Woods,CA. San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Minneapolis, Portland, Cleveland, Detroit, and Tulsa, beekeeping promotes the natural pollination of plant installations by both citizens and governments. Cities have recognized that honey bees are not only essential to a thriving natural environment that includes farmland, orchards, urban vegetable gardens and city parks, but a key part in providing food security to all citizens. The swarming of a honeybee colony is a natural process of reproduction.† Feral, or unintended, swarming is common worldwide.† Normally, a swarm collector is called (from a local list or 911 operator) and the bees are safely removed from unsuitable locations and into the care of nearby beekeeper.† Even government sites such as Laguna Woods, CA. City hall's roof and Chicago’s City Hall and the White House’s South Lawn have honeybee hives!

The purpose of O.C. Honeybee Rescue ;

The County & City’s current policy of exterminating feral bees on city property goes directly against Orange County's & Anaheim's push toward sustainability and greater environmental responsibility.

In response to the current honeybee crisis, a honeybee rescue in the city would kill two birds with one stone by providing humane removal of feral “nuisance” swarms / Hives for urban dwellers, while supplying healthy survivor-stock colonies to surrounding farmers in desperate need of more pollinators.

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CAMPAIGN UPDATE (MARCH 16, 2010)

Success!!! The Board of Health voted today in favor of lifting the ban on honeybee-keeping in NYC!! Thanks and congrats to all who supported the campaign! ~ Nadia

ARCHIVED BACKGROUND

Question: What do cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver have that NYC does not?

Answer: Legalized beekeeping.

Bee keeping is currently illegal in New York City. The New York City Health Code under Section 161.01 prohibits the possession, keeping, harboring and selling of “wild animals.” This ban, in it’s listing of “all venomous insects” includes bees and in doing so outlaws beekeeping.

Honeybees are garden heroes! Honeybees help gardens grow more fruit and vegetables and produce sweet honey. They are nature’s best pollinators and contribute to productive harvests in community gardens, public parks and nature centers.

In order to improve the health and well-being of our urban environment and populace, Just Food proposes that honeybees be removed or exempted from Health Code 161.01.

To find out more about the benefits of legalized beekeeping, read our honeybee fact sheet at: http://justfood.org/issues/

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