Colin Maiwurm – Staff Writer
With finals just around the corner, a change in weather has once again occurred. This time around, though, the weather is fitting for the current season. To complement this change in weather, nature’s pollinators are starting to become active once again. A newly founded club is stepping into action with this seasonal transition, starting off strongly with a list of events. This newly formed club is called the Beekeeping Club.
“The Beekeeping Initiative is an environmental and inter-community relationship-building initiative through the means of Beekeeping,” Senior Madeline Campbell said.
The goal of this club is to spread awareness of the critical role that bees play in the world. Of all the pollinators that play a role in the environment all around the world, bees are among the main pollinators. Bees tend to be overlooked by the populous, which leads to places where bees live and retrieve nourishment being destroyed. Without bees pollinating, the environment would start to suffer. Pollination allows for plants to multiply and spread, but if this were to not happen, plants would stop producing fruits and vegetables and start to die out. This is why it is critical for the Beekeeping Club to spread awareness about the role that bees play in the world.
The Beekeeping Club had just been created this semester and is not yet fully solidified. They have been working hard to form this club and are still facing a few roadblocks that are hindering their progression. They had to build this club from the ground up this semester and yet they have already started hosting events. As the club currently stands, they have yet to establish a set time for club meetings, but they hope to finalize the Beekeeping Club and prepare it for the next school year.
“After being established, they will likely meet at the location once a week when the weather is better and during the winter acts as an educational based group,” Campbell said.
During the Fall and Spring seasons, they plan to host events outdoors and possibly give people, in and outside of the club opportunities to get some hands-on experience. During the Winter, they plan to focus on educating others in the community about what they do and why bees are important to the ecosystem. Splitting their objective between the seasons allows for the Beekeeping Club to remain active throughout the entirety of the Fall semester and Spring semester.
Even with the club not having set meetings for the club, they are still hosting events. They held an info session event this Wednesday, which was on MayDay, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. They will also be having another info session at the Interpretive Center in the Arb this Friday at 2:00 p.m. In addition to these two dates, the Beekeeping Club will also be heading down to the city council to make progress toward protecting the bees within the area:
“The team will be heading to the city council meeting this upcoming Monday, May at 7 p.m. at the government center as well as Monday, May 22 at the same time to work on the ordinance and approval for the bees. We would love the support!” Campbell said.
With these events all happening towards the end of the semester, the Beekeeping Club hopes to be able to maintain a club for the next school year and host more events throughout the entire school year instead of just at the end of the Spring semester. While there is currently no set time for the club’s meetings, people are still welcome to join the club. In order to join the Beekeeping Club, contact the following email and you will be added to the Beekeeping Club alias: jrfloss@gustavus.edu. The Beekeeping Club is welcoming anyone to join and wants to establish a club that is open to a wider St. Peter community. In response to this, they welcome anyone to join them as they go to the St. Peter city council these upcoming weeks, even if they are not part of the club. They welcome anyone and everyone who wants to come and support them in their endeavors.