Bee City USA
DESERT DOOR AND AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION ANNOUNCE AUSTIN AS A CERTIFIED BEE CITY AFTER PASSED RESOLUTION ON MARCH 3
Desert Door and its foundation Wild Spirit Wild Places invite public to “Pollinate Austin” to help install bee and bat pollinator gardens at the Austin Nature & Science Center on March 5
AUSTIN, Texas (March 3, 2022) – Wild Spirit Wild Places (WSWP), a conservation-focused foundation created by Desert Door Texas Sotol, and the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department are excited to announce that Austin is now a Bee City USA certified after the resolution passed with overwhelming support at the Austin City Council meeting on March 3. In partnership, these entities will launch their work in meeting the Xerces Society’s Bee City USA requirements by hosting a volunteer workday, aimed at creating community awareness through the installation of bee and bat pollinator gardens at Austin Nature & Science Center on March 5.
Austin’s “Bee City'' certification highlights the city’s commitment to protecting pollinators and their habitats, striving to raise awareness through events and habitat enhancement activities. In addition to the planting of gardens at Pollinate Austin on March 5, the Austin Nature & Science Center will host a Science Specialist talk featuring landscape architect Rachel Raise at 1:30pm. This talk will focus on pollinator-conscious gardening practices for personal home landscapes.
“We want to raise awareness of the vital role native pollinators play in our city and rural landscapes. We are supporting pollinator habitats by increasing native plants throughout Austin and seek to achieve broader sustainability goals through maintaining biodiversity, providing immersive native landscapes for all to enjoy, and supporting opportunities to educate the community about the importance of our pollinators,” said Dr. Karen Looby, CEO of Wild Spirit Wild Places.
The idea for Pollinate Austin has been in the works for the past two years. Austin citizens came together and were joined by several partners, including Wild Spirit Wild Places, Desert Door, Raise Design, Bat Conservation International, and the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, who developed a working group to meet the obligations of the Xerces Society’s Bee City USA application, including planning educational events and installing pollinator gardens on public and private lands. Currently, the Austin Nature & Science Center has two pollinator gardens that these groups will be revamping, as well as creating a new garden that will feature desert plants, including sotol. In addition to supporting the renovation of these gardens, Desert Door and WSWP are currently scouting public locations for additional pollinator gardens in the Austin area.
“We are committed to providing pollinator habitat because healthier ecosystems for pollinators means a healthier community.” said Jessica Gilzow, Cultural and Arts Program Manager with PARD.
Pollinators, including native bees and introduced honey bees, are responsible for the reproduction of nearly 90% of the world’s flowering plants, including many fruits, nuts and vegetables. Increasing native plant species improves local food production, heightened biological diversity, and pest management with fewer pesticides. Desert Door and WSWP are hoping to bring the Austin community together around a positive, shared cause and ensure the survival of an animal species vital to our planet. Desert Door and WSWP will continue to help Austin maintain it’s Bee City status by participating in community awareness efforts through additional public events and projects, like their next conservation project and limited bottle release planned for summer of 2022 – more details to be announced soon.
For more information about Desert Door and this initiative, please visit https://desertdoor.com, @desertdoorsotol on Facebook, and @desertdoor on Instagram. To learn more about Wild Spirit Wild Places, please visit https://www.wildspiritwildplaces.org/ and follow the organization on social media at @wildspiritwildplaces.
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ABOUT DESERT DOOR:
Desert Door, launched in Austin, Texas, in November 2017, produces a line of sotol made from the evergreen sotol, or Desert Spoon plant, native to West Texas. Desert Door sotol is available in two variations; the Original Desert Door Texas Sotol and a 100-proof Desert Door Oak-Aged Sotol. Desert Door also has a 6,500 sq. ft distillery and tasting room, located at 211 Darden Hill Road, Driftwood, Texas, offering craft cocktails and guided tours. The distillery is open Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on Desert Door, or to make reservations for tours, please visit https://desertdoor.com or follow the brand on social media at @desertdoorsotol.
ABOUT WILD SPIRIT WILD PLACES:
Wild Spirit Wild Places is a nonprofit established in 2020 by Desert Door Texas Sotol. The organization is dedicated to the conservation and preservation of wild lands across Texas , through education and conservation practices. Today, the wide open spaces that are the hallmark of Texas are under threat from increased land development and fragmentation. Wild Spirit Wild Places exists to protect these dwindling wild lands by promoting conservation best practices and supporting land stewardship. Every land conservation project sponsored by Wild Spirit Wild Places Foundation provides opportunities for the public to participate in the cause. Desert Door also regularly releases limited editions of its Texas sotol, a portion of the proceeds from which directly fund the foundation’s future land conservation projects. For more information on Wild Spirit Wild Places, please visit https://www.wildspiritwildplaces.org/ and follow the organization on social media at @wildspiritwildplaces.