This week marked a very small milestone for our city. In fact, it was a bee-sized milestone. City Council took the advice of city staff to allow small scale garden beekeeping in Chestermere. As a backyard beekeeper, I was elated, and so were my honeybees.
Beekeeping is as old as cities. In 2007, archeologists even found remnants of urban beekeeping right in the middle of the ancient Near Eastern city of Tel Rehov. Honeybees represent life for trees and gardens, but they also represent the buzzing, active, and vibrant life of a city. Today beekeeping is allowed in Calgary and they even have beehives on the roof of city hall. From New York to Vancouver, municipalities are realizing that pollinators, like honeybees, play a vital role in creating sustainable, green, dynamic urban ecosystems.
Years ago I was asking someone in Chestermere how their garden grew. They said that they thought the soil wasn’t good, because their berry plants and some vegetables would not produce very well. Some gardeners now wonder if Chestermere may have been missing good pollinators. Today we hope that with gardens will bloom again. Yet honeybees do more than just make gardens produce more fruits and vegetables, they also impact the lives of other plants and animals. They are part of a bigger story that ultimately shape the quality of life that we all share.
Creating healthy neighbourhoods sometimes involves paying attention to the smallest things and putting value on the health of something as apparently insignificant as bees. Neighbourhoods are more than a row of houses along a paved street, they are the combined efforts of everyone to create the best possible place to live and flourish. When we pay attention to the small things, from children playing in the park to the health of our gardens, from birds to those who are lonely or ill, we create more than a healthy neighbourhood, we create a quality city.
If honeybees have taught me anything, it’s that small acts create a big difference. As the flowers bloom in spring, thousands of honeybees will travel about playing their ancient, often unseen, and vital role. We, too, have the choice to make our city blossom in our own small ways. Courageous, ongoing and determined gestures of kindness and generosity will shape our city for the better. Moment by moment, we can choose to do good things, well.
So what’s next for beekeeping in Chestermere? That’s up to us. If you would like to be part of the conversation, please contact me at prestonpouteaux@gmail.com. Also, be sure to learn more about the guidelines for beekeeping set out at the City of Chestermere website.
