Bee City USA

In May 2021, the Manassas City Council voted unanimously to become a Bee City USA®, joining other cities and campuses across the country united in improving landscapes for pollinators. The Council’s action is the culmination of months of effort by the Beautification Committee to accomplish this affiliation.

Bee City USA® is an initiative of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon. Bee City USA’s mission is to galvanize communities to sustain pollinators by providing them with healthy habitat, rich in a variety of native plants and free of insecticides. Pollinators like bumble bees, sweat bees, mason bees, honey bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, hummingbirds, and many others are responsible for the reproduction of almost ninety percent of the world's flowering plant species and one in every three bites of food we consume.

On June 26, 2021, the Beautification Committee hosted a Bee Festival at Liberia House and Gardens. The day included pollinator-related activities and information, local vendors and pollinator experts, music, food, and fun!