Bee City USA

Bee City USA Committee November 8, 2023 7:00pm Term Exp. Members Present Absent 6/30/2026 Maria Ulloa-Bustos X 6/30/2025 Anahi Espindola X 6/30/2025 Ariela Haber X 6/30/2024 Marc Pound X 6/30/2025 Terra Virsilas X 6/30/2026 Jennifer Lindstrom X 6/30/2026 Frank Cifaldi X 6/30/2026 Sally Wood X Staff Liaison Brenda Alexander X Also present: Michel Ellis, UMD; Sheryl DeWalt, contract secretary. The Bee City Committee meeting was called to order by Ms. Ulloa-Bustos at 7:05 pm. 1. Review and approval of agenda Mr. Pound motioned to accept the agenda and Mr. Cifaldi seconded. Motion carries 5-0-0. 2. October 2023 minutes Mr. Pound motioned to accept the October 11, 2023 minutes with amended changes. Ms. Lindstrom seconded. Motion carries 5-0-0. 3. City Activities:  Plantings continue at James Adams Park with plants from the Bee Lab.  Duvall Field will also have more plantings in the near future.  DPW staff watered the plants at Calvert Hills playground.  There are plants leftover from Good Neighbor Day. If anyone wants any plants, contact Ms. Alexander.  Ms. Alexander’s last day is November 30, 2023. There is a luncheon at the Parish House on November 30, and she invited the committee to attend. 4. Bee Lab Seed Germination List Ms. Ulloa-Bustos has been working on the list, adapting the one given by Ms. Espindola and sorting it by season. Once completed, it will be uploaded onto the City website on the Bee City page. 5. Good Neighbor Day  Calvert Hills playground went very well.  Muskogee playground – not all volunteers showed up. The suggestion was made that projects that sound “flowery” need to have better descriptions to ensure volunteers will show up. 1   American Legion went very well.  Permaculture Garden was well attended but could use some more plants.  VFW wants some more plants.  The Cherokee Garden needs to have volunteers to help water it.  Cherokee Lane Elementary School should have had the soil tilled ahead of the event.  It was suggested that for the future it would be advantageous to prepare the planting areas in advance with tilling and/or composting to make the planting easier on Good Neighbor Day.  A watering plan needs to be developed. A weeding and mulching plan needs to be developed.  There is a follow-up meeting concerning Good Neighbor Day scheduled for the following week. 6. Municipal Scene Ms. Ulloa-Bustos will be developing a 2024 spreadsheet so committee members can take a month to do an article for the Municipal Scene. The subject area should be associated with the season/time of the year. It is generally due the 3rd week of the previous month (e.g., January’s article will be due around December 17, February’s article will be due around January 17, etc.) 7. Bee City Certification Renewal The Xerces Society renewal is due in February. The annual report for the City Council does not have to be done by Bee City. All activities completed through the year need to be mentioned, update previous information, and pictures. Some items mentioned were:  Bee Lab work – how often are you there, pictures needed  Additional Bee City signage  No Mow April is a ongoing City initiative  Pollinator Week  Parade – picture needed  Additional bee hotels  Girl Scouts work  College Park Day  Good Neighbor Day  Summer Event at UMD Ms. DeWalt volunteered to go through the 2023 minutes and send a list of activities to the members. 8. Mayor’s Monarch Pledge The pledge is due in December. The committee will need to work with the new staff liaison to ensure this is completed and turned in on time. 9. Lake Artemesia The committee would like to have an update on plantings around Lake Artemesia from the MNCPPC. Mr. Ellis will reach out to the park ranger and try to obtain information. 2 9. Next Meeting The next meeting is scheduled for December 13, 2023, at 7:00pm as a Zoom meeting. Mr. Cifaldi motioned, and Ms. Lindstrom seconded to adjourn the meeting at 8:00pm. Motion carries 5-0-0. Respectfully submitted by Sheryl DeWalt, contract secretary. 3