Bee Campus USA
UNT is dedicated to providing habitat for pollinators and educating the community about the importance of pollinators to healthy ecosystems. These commitments have earned UNT the honor of being named the 1st Bee Campus USA institution in Texas and the 12th in the nation!
Learn what the buzz is all about!
As a Bee Campus USA institution, UNT is committed to:
- Developing a campus habitat plan
- Hosting events, workshops, or presentations
- Sponsoring service-learning projects
- Offering pollinator-focused curriculum or continuing education
- Educating campus and the broader community
Join UNT in "beeing" a safe environment for our bee population! UNT hosts many opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to get involved with maintaining a bee-friendly environment. Many of these opportunities are student ideas that blossomed into ongoing campus projects that make UNT an even more environmentally friendly campus. Through the We Mean Green Fund, students, faculty, and staff developed these pollinator-friendly spaces that promote hands-on education and volunteerism.
Pollinative Prairie: Located at Discovery Park, the prairie serves as a pollinator habitat and features native grasses, wildflowers, and habitat spaces to protect, preserve, and promote native pollinator populations. Students have contributed over 500 service hours in their partnership with the Department of Biological Sciences. If interested, please contact Dr. Jaime Baxter-Slye at slye@unt.edu.
UNT Community Garden: Among many gardens across campus, this garden is a place for students, faculty, and staff to learn about organic gardening practices. Frequent garden workdays and workshops provide the perfect opportunity for UNT community members to learn about the importance of pollinators. Contact CommunityGarden@unt.edu for information about volunteerism or free membership.
UNT Bee Campus USA Committee Accomplishments
- UNT's Integrated Pest Management Plan sets standards to manage pests in the best possible way for pollinator protection
UNT's Integrated Pest Management Plan
- UNT's Preferred Native Plant List helps guide pollinator-friendly planting on campus
UNT's Preferred Native Plant List
- Over 740 service learning hours have been completed by students in support of pollinators
- Over 2 acres of Discovery Park's Pollinative Prairie has been seeded with native flowers and grasses
- Native landscaping has been added at the UNT Community Garden
- Seed Ball event at EarthFest 2017 added pollinator-friendly plants to the low maintenance area by Willis Library
- Look for signage on campus and more service learning to come!
How does “beeing” a Bee Campus USA institution benefit UNT?
- Provides learning opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to see firsthand the positive impact that they can have on the environment
- Holds us to a higher standard of environmental accountability
- Helps protect bees and other pollinators that contribute to a healthy native ecosystem
- Furthers our commitment to being an eco-conscious campus
