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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWork Session- Beekeeping Urban Agriculture: The Role of Beekeeping in the City Heidi Hetzel, Erika Lechner, and Kailey Wood University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Environmental Studies Senior Project Professor Jim Feldman 1 February, 2016 - 13 May, 2016 Hetzel, Lechner, and Wood Urban Agriculture - Beekeeping 1 Executive Summary At this time, our group is proposing a beekeeping ordinance in the city of Oshkosh that would allow Oshkosh citizens to have beehives on their property under regulated guidelines. The passing of a beekeeping ordinance in Oshkosh would serve as a gateway to a community integrated with urban agricultural practices. In the future we hope that this segway will lead to a more sound and sustainable city structure. Throughout evolution honey bees have been responsible for pollination of selected flowering plant species, which humans have benefitted from for several centuries. Honey bees are responsible for pollinating one third of the human diet on a daily basis, including fruits, vegetables, and crops that feed cattle. With the rapid decline in bee populations in 2006 and continuing currently, these foods will become less readily available and much more expensive. This will lead to increased importation of produce locally and globally. Ultimately, honey bee populations must be stabilized in order for Oshkosh to be an adaptable and sustainable city. If the range of urban beekeeping expands, it may make a difference in the way that Oshkosh sources its food, since most local grocers do not have an adaptable system in place. The presence of bees will enhance the productivity of local gardens, as well as reduce the community dependence on commercial grocery stores, as well as provide affordable and healthy options. Aside from increased food production, bees can be used as a highly effective educational tool for children, as well as adults, engaging all members of the community in learning. Interacting with bees in the city will not only teach people about food, but about the ecosystem and the idea that nature is everywhere, not just a distant place outside of the city limits. Conclusively, we hope that urban beekeeping would promote awareness for healthy and ethical food, as well as awareness for the environment. Hetzel, Lechner, and Wood Urban Agriculture - Beekeeping 2 Problem Identification The current opportunities regarding urban agriculture in Oshkosh are relatively abundant, but several of these opportunities have not yet been expanded upon. There are plenty of urban gardens throughout the city, and ordinances that allow chickens on urban properties, proving that urban agriculture is a fast and growing trend here. However, the city of Oshkosh is lagging behind many other cities in Wisconsin regarding urban beekeeping. The idea of urban beekeeping has been proposed in recent years, but was not well received by council members at the time. We as a group have created an outline for an ordinance that the city council members and sustainability advisory board members can review and hopefully act on. If this urban beekeeping ordinance passes, it has the potential to benefit the local economy, environment, and society in a growing city. What we hope to gain from urban beekeeping is the social cohesion many other cities have experienced from urban agriculture. Whether it be beekeeping or urban gardens, these activities bring people together in an environment that they may not experience otherwise. Urban beekeeping will have a great environmental impact, because bees pollinate specific plants that other pollinators do not. With the lack of bees in urban settings this could lead to decreased plant diversity needed for human welfare. The city of Oshkosh up until recently has been on the fence about urban beekeeping. The urban beekeeping ordinance was put forth last year, but was unsuccessful. Recently Lori Palmeri was voted into city council, and she worked alongside and directed us on the path to drafting an ordinance. The help from Lori and the determination of our group to get our beekeeping Hetzel, Lechner, and Wood Urban Agriculture - Beekeeping 3 ordinance approved poses a valuable opportunity for future generations to expand on urban agriculture. Another important aspect of urban agriculture is food justice, especially here in Oshkosh. Food justice is the idea of local movements working toward economical, healthy, and locally sourced produce, while engaging the community. Another issue mentioned by Lori is that not enough stores are selling produce at a cheap price, making it unavailable to people in the lower class bracket, and less feasible for people to eat healthily in the middle class. At the current time, most people in Oshkosh shop commercial grocery stores such as Walmart and Pic ‘n Save; but, poverty in Oshkosh is a growing issue and leaves many families needing food assistance from the government. This situation will only get worse if outsourced food pollination becomes more expensive for these large corporations. Urban farm Growing Oshkosh founder, Dani Stolley, explained that “Half of the 10,000 students in the Oshkosh Area School District are on free or reduced lunch, meaning very low income. Overall, 20% of households in Oshkosh receive food assistance and/or benefits” (Stolley 2016). This shows that the current struggle to maintain food security by local families will only worsen if honey bee populations decline. Urban agriculture, with a focus on urban beekeeping, will help decrease the dependence on commercial grocers and put an emphasis on locally sourced products. Honey bees are responsible for pollinating 80% of our plants, which produce desired edible and nonedible products. We would lose produce such as broccoli, avocados, strawberries, peaches, and alfalfa - which consists of the majority of beef and dairy cattle’s diets, would be no longer available locally. Without alfalfa, the production of dairy products would be greatly decreased (Jacobsen, 2008). In addition, the loss of dairy and beef production would be detrimental to the Wisconsin economy and livelihoods of many farmers across the state. Hetzel, Lechner, and Wood Urban Agriculture - Beekeeping 4 Decreased honey bee pollination will increase the cost of food, other valuable non- agricultural products, and increase unemployment, increasing the gap even more between the rich and the poor (Bauer, 2010). Currently, 1 in 9 households in Wisconsin are food insecure, and this number is slowly rising (Canto, N.d.), because many of these families face diabetes and obesity due to the availability of cheap and limited unhealthy options at affordable prices (Food, 2012). This shows that Wisconsin, and more specifically Oshkosh, would benefit from a beekeeping ordinance that could support a healthy population. Pollination is the key benefit of honey bees that is essential to human health, but they also hold numerous economic benefits as well. Honey bees also produce honey, which is a staple in many homes, used for cooking, baking, spreads, etc. The wax honey bees produce is also used from a range of products like health and beauty aids to candles. Honey bee pollen is used as a supplement for asthma, increasing immune function, skin irritation relief, weight management, etc. The royal jelly is used as a supplement for poor digestion, stomach ulcers, insomnia, high cholesterol, etc. Propolis has antimicrobial properties, used in minor wounds, and being researched on beneficial effects on cancerous cells. Without these trades, many industries would go bankrupt. If we do not address the situation and incorporate bees into our plan for the solution, 80% of our food supply could be depleted and our economy would be greatly affected, causing an even deeper recession that would be felt locally the greatest due to the loss in crops and dairy cattle (Jacobsen, 2008). Stakeholder Identification Throughout our research, we identified two key stakeholders in regards to the passing of a beekeeping ordinance in the city of Oshkosh; they include city council member Lori Palmeri Hetzel, Lechner, and Wood Urban Agriculture - Beekeeping 5 and university student Leeah R., who is allergic to bees. Firstly, we came across Lori Palmeri’s article from last spring about urban beekeeping in the Scene magazine, in which she explained the importance of honey bees in an urban setting and the benefits it could pose for the Oshkosh community. Lori had a lot of information that she shared, such as the importance of collecting of signatures, submission of a petition to the clerk of courts, and how to get on the agenda for the Sustainability Advisory Board meeting, which promotes sustainable program initiatives in Oshkosh. Secondly, Leeah is an additional key stakeholder that we have identified. She is a student at UW Oshkosh and has expressed that she is allergic to various different things, including grass and bees. Therefore, since childhood, she had to be careful doing anything outdoors, and she paid special attention to avoiding any type of bees. If beekeeping were introduced in Oshkosh, she expressed that she would constantly be afraid of being stung and would not be in favor of passing the ordinance. Her experiences as a child may have formed her fears and dislike of bees that she holds today, explaining her opposition to a beekeeping ordinance. While we do understand her fears, and the fear of other people with bee allergies, studies have found that honeybees are actually one of the least aggressive stinging insects that humans encounter. Although honeybees are generally not aggressive, people are still afraid because they have not learned otherwise. This is a problem in which education needs to be addressed, especially at young ages. Today, many children are unsure of the source of their food. If they knew that bees were responsible for over a third of the food they consumed every day, they might be more accepting of honeybees. Perspectives of people who are afraid of or allergic to honey bees, like Leeah, are important to include when discussing urban beekeeping. If their Hetzel, Lechner, and Wood Urban Agriculture - Beekeeping 6 viewpoint is not part of the conversation, it will end up being more difficult to implement beekeeping into urban landscapes. Ultimately, the fact the Leeah is against urban beekeeping does not mean that she does not care about the environment or welfare of bees, but that she has had negative experiences in the past that have shaped her opinion as an adult. Therefore, it seems important that children should be provided with the opportunity to have good experiences with honey bees. This does not have to happen in an educational setting, however, if children can connect positive experiences with learning outcomes, their opinion of honey bees in the future will be less fearful and more memorable like other childhood memories. Although this approach would be most effective with children, creating positive experiences for adults is also important, since adults fear honey bees just as much, if not more, than children. Benchmarking Our first benchmarking example is found in the city of Appleton with the lone beekeeper, Larry Cain. Larry provided a lot of insight on the Appleton beekeeping ordinance, along with all of the different actors involved in its creation. Larry explained that the Appleton ordinance originally required neighbors within 200 yards of the potential hive be notified and given the option to oppose Larry’s beehive. If 20% of those neighbors opposed, he would not be able to have his hive. After the ordinance was passed, the Appleton Department of Health advisor extended the radius to 400 yards. Unfortunately, 20% of Larry’s neighbors opposed. Larry went to appeal the ruling on the morning of March 8th, 2016, but he has several speculations as to why his neighbors opposed his request. Larry explained that when neighbors in Appleton were notified of a beekeeping request, the language the city used in the notification came across as a warning, rather than an offer of Hetzel, Lechner, and Wood Urban Agriculture - Beekeeping 7 acceptance. Without proper education in beekeeping, many neighbors were afraid of beekeeping and opposed it before they know more about it. Larry believes this was due to a lack of understanding for honey bees in general, since the species very rarely stings or swarms (when the queen bee relocates with many worker bees). Such fear leads to Larry’s notion that if Appleton residents knew more about honeybees, especially the benefits, that they would not feel so threatened by their presence. In conclusion, Larry does not feel that the Appleton beekeeping ordinance has been successful, but hopes that it can be improved in the future through education and better communication. The second benchmarking example our group studied was the Fond du Lac urban beekeeping ordinance. This ordinance passed quickly due to no opposition to the proposal and the fact that a city council member, Catherine Block, who is allergic to honey bees and lived in a household for 11-12 years with her father who was a beekeeper, was only stung once. This showed her fellow city council members that honey bees are not an aggressive species that should be feared. The other reason the Fond du Lac beekeeping ordinance passed so quickly was because the union president of the Fond du Lac Fire Department is an experienced beekeeper and trained the fire crew how to handle bee swarms and bee spills if they ever happened. Bee swarms only occur when a colony following the queen evacuate the old hive in search of a new one. This can be intimidating to neighbors because one swarm can contain up to 20,000 honeybees; however, swarms are very docile and it takes a large disruption to cause the swarm to attack, since their sole focus is finding a new hive (Shippee). Bee spills are when honey bees are being transported by semi, and there is an accident, causing the bees to fly out in disarray. There are not many individuals with the ability to control bee swarms and bee spills that occur occasionally, so having the whole fire department trained in this area eases the fear Hetzel, Lechner, and Wood Urban Agriculture - Beekeeping 8 that urban beekeeping can create. With the Fire Department in place to handle any incidents that could arise from beekeeping, the city of Fond du Lac’s fear of urban beekeeping was lessened. Another major benefit to those that struggle with bee allergies is that a prospective beekeeper needs the approval of all surrounding neighbors. If the neighbor adjacent to the owner has medically documented proof of their allergy to show that having bees close to their property is detrimental to their health, they can object to this owner having bees. The examples taken from the city of Fond du Lac can be put into place in the city of Oshkosh since the major barrier in Oshkosh is the fear of bees. Once the public is educationally informed that honey bees are docile and not to be mistaken for hornets/African Killing bees than that can put their fears at ease. If the Oshkosh Fire Department was trained in how to handle bee swarms and bee spills, it will lessen the level of fear the local public will have on urban beekeeping. The third and final benchmarking example that our group studied takes place in Madison, WI. We did not get the chance to speak with anyone in the Madison area, but we did look at an article published in Edge Effects, a digital magazine produced by graduate students at the Center for Culture, History and Environment (CHE) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The article looks at pollinator protection within the city, and covers a section on urban beekeeping that involves a local business called Mad Urban Bees. Founder of Mad Urban Bees, Nathan Clarke, is a Madison beekeeper who is involved in the Madison Food Policy Council and the Pollinator Protection Task Force. Mr. Clarke’s case is particularly interesting considering he has formed a successful business focusing on beekeeping alone. In regards to his business, Clarke structured Mad Urban Bees so that local community members could pay a fee to “host” a Mad Bee hive in exchange for maintenance and honey. This year, Clarke received 60 applications for the 10 openings he had available, which were in Hetzel, Lechner, and Wood Urban Agriculture - Beekeeping 9 addition to the 90 hives that already had host homes in Madison (Pfeiffer, 2016). Through his business, Clarke not only makes earns money, but protects bee populations while also engaging the community. Although Madison is a larger city than Oshkosh, the idea can be implemented in almost any urban setting regardless of size. With the addition of beekeeping classes and interest from Appleton and Fond du Lac, such a model could be implemented in the Winnebago area. Although Clarke’s beekeeping model has potential for the Winnebago area, it will not be possible unless a beekeeping ordinance is passed in Oshkosh. In the article, Clarke expresses that “Before the 2012 [Madison] ordinance protecting urban beekeeping under specific guidelines, complaints could endanger precious investments by urban apiarists if bees were viewed as a nuisance” (Pfeiffer, 2016). In order to avoid this problem, two things must happen in Oshkosh. Firstly, if an ordinance is passed, it must protect not only community members but beekeepers as well; otherwise, hosting a hive will not be desirable. Secondly, the stigma of honey bees must be addressed through education and awareness. Lifting the stigma of honey bees has been mentioned many times throughout our project analysis, but it is the most influential barrier and if it can be overcome, Oshkosh may be able to implement programs such as Mad Urban Bees. Recommendations We are recommending that a bee ordinance be accepted to allow locals to have up to two hives on their property, providing they follow the proper rules and regulations. In our ordinance we address some of the barriers that other local communities have stressed when implementing this type of ordinance. First, we are asking in our draft ordinance that was sent to the Oshkosh Sustainability Advisory Board, for only acceptance from the neighbors and not permission. If a neighbor does not wish to have the beehives in such close proximity they need to write a letter that is supported by their doctor on how the bees will have a direct negative impact on their health. We are stressing the importance of needing bees and beekeeping, which play vital roles Hetzel, Lechner, and Wood Urban Agriculture - Beekeeping 10 in our daily lives. Secondly we require that each person complete a seven hour training course provided through the UW Fond du Lac College and purchase a permit. Bees are delicate creatures and they require very specific conditions to thrive. If the proper conditions are not met they can perish as a colony, or swarm to find a better environment. We are also using this project and ordinance as a gateway to more educational and community opportunities. If the ordinance passes there will be more opportunities for those passionate about beekeeping and urban agriculture to share their knowledge and experiences with the general public. We are also hoping that this ordinance will promote educational units in schools, because another one of the barriers to overcome is the negative stigma bees have. It is important to teach people of all ages about the vital role bees play in our environment, providing food for us, a wide range of products, and supplemental/steady economic benefits. Many people fear bees because they can sting if the bee senses endangerment, which can have severe negative health effects for those individuals who are allergic. The general public is also concerned with the swarming of bees. The genetic strand we have of bees that are bred around here are not aggressive, therefore limiting the chances of stings while swarming. We also are preventing swarms from happening by requiring certain procedures and environmental factors that will reduce the likeness of swarming to happen. Such requirements include having a moving water source on the lot, a six foot minimum barrier around the fence for the “fly away zone”, only allowing two hives per lot, etc. If Oshkosh’s Fire Department can become trained on how to handle bee swarms if they do get out of hand is another way to ease the fear of local community members. Considerable amounts of work have been applied to make this ordinance as safe and beneficial as possible. The next step is to have the Oshkosh City Council members review our ordinance and proposal. Hopefully they will accept it and do little changing of the ordinance that Hetzel, Lechner, and Wood Urban Agriculture - Beekeeping 11 requires the many pieces to come together as one functional entity. The Sustainability Advisory Board currently has our proposal and draft ordinance and will be reviewing it and making the necessary changes to bring up this issue to the council with the most success. If the city council accepts the plan, they will draft an official ordinance. From there it is dependent on the desires of the community members. Fond du Lac who has passed a similar ordinance only has one beekeeper in practice and then one pending permit. The ordinance alone is not enough, the educational aspect is key. Costs In relation to our project, costs are almost non-existent. The passing of a beekeeping ordinance would not cost the city of Oshkosh any money; the only costs would be to the beekeepers themselves for equipment, inspections, and maintenance. Listed in our draft ordinance, we recommend that the initial beekeeping license in the city of Oshkosh should cost approximately $59 and the annual inspection will cost $145. These prices are comparable to benchmarked examples close to Oshkosh, such as Appleton and Fond du Lac. Ultimately, beekeepers will be responsible for all costs and the city will oversee to guarantee that all regulations are being followed. Barriers Barriers to our proposal stem from four main areas: human fear, education, interest in beekeeping, and neighbor acceptance. Firstly, human fear has been the most difficult obstacle due to the fact that people do not want to get stung or have their children get stung. Many people feel that honey bees in such close proximity to their home will pose a threat, especially for those that are allergic. Explaining that most honey bees are not aggressive stingers is difficult because many stinging insects resemble the honey bee, and consequently, honey bees get grouped with Hetzel, Lechner, and Wood Urban Agriculture - Beekeeping 12 hornets, wasps, or more aggressive strains of bee species. Breaking the stigma of honey bees will take a widespread effort that would be most effective coming from an educational establishment. Incorporating honey bees into our educational system is the next biggest obstacle, largely due to a lack of funding. Beekeeping is not a cheap activity and, therefore, is difficult to convince school programs that lessons on honey bees and beekeeping would be beneficial despite the cost. In addition to youth education, a seven hour course is required in order to get a beekeeping license. Unfortunately, Oshkosh does not offer an equivalent course and people would have to travel to Fond du Lac or Appleton for the beekeeping class. Adding such a class at UW Oshkosh would be most ideal, but it would take a lot of planning and funding that may not be available at this time. Following the lack of education, another obstacle is a shortage of interest in being a beekeeper. Although ordinances have been passed in both Fond du Lac and Appleton, each city only has one beekeeper. Our goal in passing an ordinance is to make beekeeping more accessible and more easily done for the common citizen. We cannot see Oshkosh having a beehive on every block, but our hope is that having a hive here and there would increase awareness for animals, food, and the environment. If awareness in these areas can be improved, enhancement of the urban agriculture scene in Oshkosh has a greater chance at success. In other words, urban beekeeping can serve as a gateway activity to a community that is more engaged in local food production. The final barrier to passing a beekeeping ordinance in the city of Oshkosh is the way that the community is approached about beekeeping. Beekeeper Larry Cain expressed that his request got denied because he felt that the neighbor notification from the city of Appleton came across as granting permission, rather than asking for acceptance. When people already fear bees, the way Hetzel, Lechner, and Wood Urban Agriculture - Beekeeping 13 in which they are approached is important because if beekeeping is made to sound threatening, neighbors will be more likely to object to the request. This challenge must be taken on by the city in the language that they use around beekeeping; but if this change can be made, the stigma around beekeeping may be lessened, especially for future generations. Significance for Sustainability In an analysis of the Oshkosh Sustainability Plan, there is a section that addresses local food efforts in the community, with categories such as community and neighborhood gardens, municipal code revisions, farmer’s markets, grocery stores, and food education. Our hope is that the implementation of a beekeeping ordinance would contribute to all of these sectors, but most specifically municipal code revisions. The plan states that the city would like to “Review small animal ordinances for non-slaughter food production in residential and other districts” (City of Oshkosh Sustainability Plan, 2012). This plan ties directly into the passing of a beekeeping ordinance in which honey bees produce honey, as well as pollinate vegetables crops in local gardens. Beekeeping also fits the model of residential districts because it does not take up large amounts of space that other urban animals might require. Ultimately, the beekeeping ordinance we have proposed is a small stepping stone within urban agriculture that adds to the overall plan for sustainability of the Oshkosh community. Urban beekeeping is one sector of urban agriculture that ties directly into the three pillars of sustainability: environment, society, and economics. Environmentally, urban beekeeping offers pollination, biodiversity, and bees are an indicator species of environmental health. Socially, urban beekeeping provides educational opportunities, social cohesion, a sense of meaning and connection to the landscape, and health benefits from nutritional food sources. Hetzel, Lechner, and Wood Urban Agriculture - Beekeeping 14 Economically, pollinators are not a key component of the human diet, but they provide economic benefits through products such as beeswax, pollen, propolis, royal jelly, and honey that can be sold by vendors and small businesses, which can enhance the local economy in Oshkosh. Overall, urban beekeeping serves as a gateway into the formation of a community integrated with urban agriculture. Summary In conclusion, the passing of a beekeeping ordinance will provide multiple environmental, social, and economic benefits to the Oshkosh community. With the option of urban beekeeping, other aspects of urban agriculture may be more accepted as food security becomes a growing problem across the world. Overall, urban agriculture will allow Oshkosh to be less dependent on outside sources, as well as promote self-reliance. This will become vital as the effects of global climate change become more prevalent and international trade will become less accessible. As the planet continues to change, urban agriculture will provide Oshkosh the ability to be an adaptable and resilient community. Works Cited Hetzel, Lechner, and Wood Urban Agriculture - Beekeeping 15 Bauer, Dana M., and Ian Wing. "Economic Consequences of Pollinator Declines: A Synthesis." Agricultural and Resource Economics Review 39.3 (2010): 368-83. Web. 23 Mar. 2016. Bellows, Anne C., Katherine Brown, and Jac Smith. (2003). Health Benefits of Urban Agriculture. Community Food Security Coalition. Benefits of Honey. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2016. http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/honey- bees.html Brancel, Ben. (2013). The Buzz About Bees: Let's Protect Our Pollinator. Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Cain, Larry. (5 March, 2016). Personal Interview. Canto, Amber. “Ensuring Food Security For Wisconsin Households.” UW-Extension. Web. 23 Mar. 2016. <http://flp.ces.uwex.edu/files/2015/06/FoodSecurity-final.pdf>. Fact Sheet: The Economic Challenge Posed by Declining Pollinator Populations. (2014, June 20). Retrieved March 31, 2016. Food Insecurity in the Wisconsin WIC Population. Publication. Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 2012. Print. Jacobsen, Rowan. Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis. First U.S. edition. Bloomsbury, 2008. Matteson, Kevin C. and Langellotto, Gail A. (2009). Bumble Bee Abundance in New York City Community Gardens: Implications for Urban Agriculture. Cities and the Environment. 2(1): 1-12. Peters, Kathryn A. (2012). Keeping Bees in the City? 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