West Virginia University is the first new Bee Campus USA designee in 2024, recognition for work the University does to support pollinators on the WVU Morgantown Campus. (WVU Photo/Jennifer Shephard)
West Virginia University is being recognized as a certified affiliate of the Bee Campus USA program for its buzzworthy efforts to support pollinators on campus by increasing native plants and providing nest sites.
With an understanding of the benefits bees and other insects have for the environment, the WVU Office of Sustainability has worked on several initiatives on the WVU Morgantown Campus to reverse declines in native pollinators and the benefits of that work are reflected in the national designation.
“This recognition highlights our commitment to sustainability at WVU,” said Traci Knabenshue, director of the WVU Office of Sustainability. “We are committed to operating in a way that protects the environment while enriching the time our students, faculty and staff spend on campus.”
In an effort to add more native plant species to campus and reduce mowing maintenance and emissions, the WVU Roads and Grounds team planted the first pollinator garden in 2022, located between the Life Sciences Building and Field Hall.
“This first garden showed we can improve the look of parts of campus while also doing something advantageous for pollinators, and with reduced maintenance, it’s a triple win,” said Stephanie Toothman, conservation specialist in the WVU Office of Sustainability.
After the successful implementation of the pollinator garden, the Sustainable Landscapes Committee was formed in early 2023 to further these efforts and work to reduce and manage invasive plant species.
The committee is currently redeveloping a “cattail garden” below Evansdale Crossing to serve as a pollinator area. Student volunteers joined the group to plant more than 100 pollinator and water-loving species last fall.
In the coming months, the group will introduce its newest pollinator area located in a greenspace within the Personal Rapid Transit tracks near the Towers station. This pollinator area will mark the second of its kind within the PRT tracks, joining an existing pollinator garden in the same area.
“This recognition from Bee Campus USA further demonstrates our commitment to thinking creatively about how to use campus acreage as a benefit to bees, bugs and birds,” Toothman said. “We are thrilled to be an affiliate of this program and to continue refining our management practices to plant more native plants and minimize our use of pesticides.”
Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA — both initiatives of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation — focus on encouraging the longevity of pollinators by providing them with healthy habitats, rich in a variety of native plants and free of pesticides.
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