On November 11 Bees & Trees (& Flowers, too), an event conceived and developed by the ubiquitous Kathy Ruiter with technological support by Blackburn College, became a reality. The Zoom meeting brought together regional Master Gardeners, Carlinville Bee City, Tree City, Blackburn Tree Campus, Bee Campus and Environmental groups to share news about accomplishments, ongoing projects, and future plans. As a special treat Dr. John Marlin, a research affiliate at the University of Illinois, made a comprehensive presentation on pollinator-friendly habitats and plantings. As always, his presentation was both engaging and informative.
Blackburn created a video of the meeting, available at: https://youtu.be/iQJ1cgxBM4w and hosted by Ms. Ruiter.
A “video index” for those who would like to target particular content follows:
welcome: 0:01 (Kathy Ruiter)
introduction of presenters: 0:57
Bee City: 3:40 (Mary Tinder) and 7:29 (Bill Link)
Tree City: 11:39 (Paul Mihalek) , 14:55 (Lori Hopping) -Park District focus, 17:18 (Paul)-Trees Forever connection
Master Gardeners: 20:18 (Paula Robinson)
Tree Campus: 27:10 (Nick McCorkle)-5-year plan, 33:06 (Dr. Jim Bray)-overview and funding for the planned Robertson Garden
Bee Campus and Blackburn Bee Program: 39:15 (Arvin Pierce), 49:15 (student Dave Bradley), 51:53 (senior Caleb Rieger)
Introduction of Dr. Marlin: 56:34
Presentation by Dr. John Marlin: 56:41 (background), 57:52 (slide presentation)
Q&A and wrap-up: 1:16:00
Thanks to all the participants and also all the people who took the time and effort to make this event and its underlying content a reality. Zumm…zumm to one and all!