"Raise awareness of the essential role bees and other pollinators play in keeping people and the planet healthy, and on the many challenges they face today. Northwest Vista College is recognized as a natural place for pollinators such as bees. Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA are initiatives of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, which provides a framework for university and college campus communities to work together to conserve native pollinators by increasing the abundance of native plants, providing nest sites, and reducing the use of pesticides."
"The United States is also home to just over 3,600 native (wild) bee species, such as bumble bees, leafcutter bees, sweat bees, mason bees, longhorn bees, and mining bees, according to Bee City USA. It adds native pollinators are essential because they evolved alongside native plants and, in many cases, are the most effective pollinators — and, in some instances, the only pollinators. Pollinators are keystone species in every terrestrial ecosystem on earth, assisting in plant reproduction and supporting other wildlife species. Pollinators touch our lives in numerous ways daily, including being responsible for approximately one-third of the food and drink we consume. The value of crop pollination has been estimated to be between $18 and $27 billion annually in the U.S."
