ENGLEWOOD, N,J.—More than 100 residents and visitors gathered on the front lawn of the Englewood Public Library on Sunday, Aug. 16, for the city’s sixth annual National Honey Bee Day celebration.
Held on its scheduled rain date, the event was hosted by the Englewood Environmental Commission and Green Team in collaboration with the library and with support from the Englewood Health Department and Hackensack Riverkeeper.
Visitors met local beekeepers, sampled honey, learned about pollinators and entered a raffle for prizes.
Environmental Commission members attending included Chair Crystal Brown, Vice Chair Kevin Lake, Daniel Hoey, Jack Silberman and Erin Thomas. Other guests included Third Ward Councilwoman Angela David, former state Assemblyman Arnold E. Brown, former Councilwoman Charlotte Bennett-Schoen, Englewood Rotary Club President Henry Washington, and Englewood Public Schools Interim Superintendent Lamarr Thomas.
The day’s theme was “Bee Part of the Solution.”
“The goal was to demonstrate that everything is connected,” Crystal Brown said. “When we manage stormwater by installing rain gardens and planting pollinator gardens, especially with native plants, we help our pollinators—bees and butterflies—who in turn pollinate the fruits and vegetables that we consume. … Everything we do makes a difference. By managing stormwater, we can help ourselves.”
Washington and Outreach Coordinator Isaiah Leach of Hackensack Riverkeeper distributed information about using rain barrels to manage stormwater and conserve water. They also discussed the organization’s environmental programs and recreational activities.
Hackensack Riverkeeper donated the raffle’s grand prize, a rain barrel, which one attendee took home.
The Englewood Health Department offered health information and giveaways. The Environmental Commission held a honey tasting and distributed raw honey harvested from its hives.
Visitors also received information and sample plans for rain gardens and native plantings suited to different levels of sunlight. At an activity table, participants created take-home projects and contributed to a community bee mural.
Why pollinators matter
About 35% of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Pollinators include honey bees, native bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, birds and bats. They carry pollen between flowers, allowing plants to produce fruits and seeds.
Habitat loss, disease, parasites and environmental contaminants threaten many pollinator species. Planting native flowers can provide them with food and habitat.