The Pollinator Program
The Friends of Flight 93 Pollinator Project is an environmental and educational initiative that focuses on cross-pollination of native pollinators by honey bees. This transfer of pollen is necessary for healthy and productive native & agricultural ecosystems. The Friends of Flight 93 support eight honey bee hives across two locations at Flight 93 National Memorial. These hives house over 500,000 bees. According to surveys done at the memorial, Flight 93 National Memorial is home to at least 63 different species of bees!
Flight 93 National Memorial is a former surface coal mine. The bees will help to restore the memorial grounds and the crash site to its natural state, which is now considered sacred ground and the final resting place of the 40 passenger and crew members. The Pollinator Project will help ensure that the natural habitat and ecosystems of the memorial are environmentally restored and will help create a living memorial landscape that will continue telling the story of Flight 93 for generations to come.
Bees play an extremely important role to balancing natural biodiversity. The symbiotic relationship between honey bees and all flowering plants is what balances our ecosystems. Honey bees pollinate one flora in bloom at a time, which makes them super-efficient at ensuring trees, shrubs, flowers, and other wild plants reproduce. In return, the bees gather crucial pollen and nectar to feed and grow their hive. Neither could survive without the other.
Special thanks to Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Powdermill Nature Reserve and our local beekeepers at Summer Smiles Honey Farm for supporting the pollinators at Flight 93 National Memorial.
Resources
- https://www.planetbee.org/
- https://www.pollinator.org
- https://www.pollinator.org/list-of-pollinated-food
- https://thehoneybeeconservancy.org/
- http://sweetvirginia.org/hive-alive/
- https://pollinatorlive.pwnet.org/webcasts/bees.php
- https://summersmileshoneyfarm.com/beekeeping-services
- https://carnegiemnh.org/bumble-bee-catapult-craft/
Looking for something educational to do online? Click here to find the Pollinator Popcorn Online Game!
We are working with the Pollinator Project and Planet Bee Foundation! For more digital lesson plans and educational activities on the Friends of Flight 93 Pollinator Program, click here.