Pollinator Day is Buzzing
Pollinators are important
Pollinators serve a pivotal role in the Rio Grande Valley’s habitat and environment. As per the National Wildlife Refuge, the Valley serves approximately 1,200 plant species and over 300 butterfly and other pollinator species across Hidalgo, Cameron, Starr, and Willacy counties, respectively. As a testament to preserving wildlife habitat and commitment to sustainability, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley continues its dedication to a Bee Campus USA designation through pollinator education, engagement, awareness, research, and service-learning.
It is estimated that pollinators help generate globally, between $235 - $577 billion worth of annual food production. However, pollinator populations in Texas are falling just as they are worldwide, threatened by habitat loss due to development, intensive use of pesticides, and other threats such as Africanized bees and bee parasites, mites, and diseases. With hopes to consolidate and lead efforts in pollinator research and conservation, UTRGV’s commitment to sustainability is taking the actionable form of protecting, preserving, and increasing the population of local pollinators.
Annual Pollinator Day Commemoration
The Pollinator Day ceremony is an annual event held at the Pollinator Cantina on the Brownsville Campus, hosted by the UTRGV Bee Campus Committee. On this day, we celebrate the critical importance of pollinators by hosting campus activities that the UTRGV body and supporting stakeholders can enjoy.
As part of the commitment towards the Bee Campus USA designation, UTRGV is proud to partner with the City of Brownsville, where the mayor’s office coordinates the proclamation reading as a keepsake to the City's and UTRGV's values.
The activities complimenting Pollinator Day are what truly makes this event special. As a university holder of the Bee Campus USA designation, yearly commemoration activities are rotated through the years for the Pollinator Day ceremony. Some of the activities include; The planting of a pollinator tree to further enhance and enrich the Pollinator Cantina Garden; Tabling with educational workshops and presentations on pollinators and their significance; Vendors from various industries supporting pollinators and local economic growth; Keynote and guest speakers highlighting the importance and conservatism of pollinators in our ecosystem; And a seamless network of engagement opportunities and collaboration with multi-campus and external stakeholders.
Pollinator Day is not just about talking about pollinators; it's about fostering a sense of community, raising awareness while engaging the UTRGV student body..
Pollinator Cantina
UTRGV has established a Bee Campus USA Committee, hosting annual events to raise awareness of pollinators, and educating through formal courses as well as workshops and signage across campus. In addition to UTRGV’s incorporation of native plants into campus landscaping and exclusion of pesticides that are harmful to pollinators, students, staff, faculty, and the community are contributing to conservation efforts with pollinator gardens, among other efforts.
In 2018, Dr. Lucia Carreon Martinez, UTRGV biology lecturer, spearheaded the establishment of the new pollinator garden on the UTRGV Brownsville Campus (The Pollinator Cantina), teaming up with Dr. Alejandro Fierro Cabo (SEEMS faculty), Dr. Julie Mustard (Biology faculty), Sara Black (Biology faculty), and Dr. Rupesh Kariyat (Biology faculty.)
The Brownsville campus is also the home to Dr. Julie Mustard’s bee research lab, where students have the opportunity to handle bees in a research setting. This research includes areas that involve molecular mechanisms of learning and memory and honey bee behavior. Their hive is thriving due to its proximity to The Pollinator Cantina, and the bees’ pollination contributes to the garden growing beautifully.
