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<DIV><FONT size=2>An interesting project from Vancouver, BC, promoting bees in
urban areas. Article from the Vancouver Sun.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><A
href="http://www.vancouversun.com/Technology/City+Vancouver+supplies+free+condos+boost+urban+population/1475229/story.html">http://www.vancouversun.com/Technology/City+Vancouver+supplies+free+condos+boost+urban+population/1475229/story.html</A></FONT></DIV>
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<H1><FONT size=2>City of Vancouver supplies free condos to boost urban bee
population</FONT></H1></DIV>
<DIV class=byline><FONT size=2><SPAN class=name>By Gerry Bellett, Vancouver
Sun</SPAN><SPAN class=timestamp>April 7, 2009</SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV>
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href="javascript:setClass('storypage','story_photo_content');"><FONT size=2><IMG
class=thumbnail id=storyphoto
alt="One of the 53 bee boxes placed in parks around Vancouver."
src="http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/www.vancouversun.com/news/city+vancouver+supplies+free+condos+boost+urban+population/1475229/1475230.bin"
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<H1 id=photocaption><FONT size=2>One of the 53 bee boxes placed in parks around
Vancouver.</FONT></H1>
<H2 id=photocredit><FONT size=2><B>Photograph by: </B>Ian Lindsay, Vancouver
Sun</FONT></H2></DIV></DIV></DIV>
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<P><FONT size=2>VANCOUVER — A $90,000 project to increase the bee population in
Vancouver is underway with volunteers now monitoring 53 new colonies of mason
bees, living in their own “bee condos” in various parks and public spaces around
the city.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2>The program began last year with 100 mason-bee condos being
distributed to homeowners for placing in backyards, said Hartley Rosen, manager
of Environmental Youth Alliance, the volunteer organization that is responsible
for the initiative.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2>Residents taking a colony of 36 bees were expected to plant
pollen-rich, bee-friendly plants and fruit trees and to garden organically
without the use of pesticides, Rosen said.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2>“They are expected to monitor the colony and see how the bees
are doing and how many cavities in the condo are filled,” he said.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2>“It’s pesticides which are killing bees, so we want to encourage
people to garden organically.”</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2>Rosen said the urban apiary project was inspired by the news
that bee populations across North America are in decline.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2>“We do a lot of hands-on work with youth and this was a project
to create awareness about the need to encourage the growth of bee populations in
urban areas,” he said.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2>Within the last month, 53 large condos, 50 of them capable of
housing 72 bees each, and three super-sized hives which will be home to 720 bees
each, have been placed in public areas around Vancouver.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2>The largest are a pagoda-shaped hive in Stanley Park near the
Rose Garden, one resembling a Yaletown condo in Jericho Park and a pyramid-style
structure in Everett Crowley Park.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2>That’s 8,000 bees spread across a whole city, but Rosen said the
hope is that the bees will reproduce.</FONT></P>
<P><I><FONT size=2>gbellett@vancouversun.com</FONT></I></P>
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<DIV><FONT size=1><FONT size=1></FONT> </DIV></FONT>
<DIV><FONT
size=1>______________________________________________________</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><STRONG>The Xerces Society for Invertebrate
Conservation</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=1>The Xerces Society is an international
nonprofit organization that </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=1>protects wildlife through the conservation of
invertebrates and their </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=1>habitat. </FONT></FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT
size=1>To </FONT></FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=1>join the Society, make a
</FONT></FONT><FONT size=1>contribution</FONT><FONT size=1>, </FONT><FONT
size=1>or read about our </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>work, </FONT><FONT size=1>please visit </FONT><FONT size=1><A
href="http://www.xerces.org/">www.xerces.org</A>.</FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>Matthew Shepherd</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>Senior Conservation Associate</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>4828 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland, OR 97215,
USA</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>Tel: 503-232 6639 Cell: 503-807 1577 Fax: 503-233
6794</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=1>Email: </FONT><A href="mailto:mdshepherd@xerces.org"><FONT
size=1>mdshepherd@xerces.org</FONT></A><FONT size=1> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><FONT
size=1>______________________________________________________</FONT></FONT></DIV>
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