Bird Friendly® farms aren’t just beneficial for birds–they also help support the ecosystem as a whole! #BirdFriendlyCoffee# #Coffee# #CoffeeTime# #Café# #Birds# #MigratoryBirds# #WildlifeConservation# #Conservation# #Organic# #Wildlife# #BirdWatching# #Flora# #NativePlants#

Exciting news: The Malden River Works project is complete! 🎉 MEMA is proud to have helped transform this underutilized and environmentally challenged site into a resilient, multi-use community asset. Here’s what’s new: • A living shoreline with native plants and stormwater management to protect the river. 🌳 • Expanded open space with picnic areas and accessible walking paths connecting to the Malden River Greenway. 🚶‍♀️ • An upgraded floating dock and concrete ramp for better river access. 🛶 • An ADA-compliant DPW yard. 🛻 Thank you to everyone who helped bring this vision to life! A portion of the project’s funding came from FEMA’s Legislative Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program, which is managed by the MEMA Mitigation Unit.

Could new bus shelter roofs help New Yorkers stay cool in extreme heat? We're testing a few in Brownsville to find out: a green roof covered with native plants, and reflective roofs covered with low-cost, heat-resilient film. When it comes to climate change, we're using every tool at our disposal — including everyday infrastructure — to keep New Yorkers safe.

Oregon has eliminated pesticide-linked bee fatalities. An Oregon State University assessment revealed no confirmed cases of pesticide-driven bee mortality across the entire state since 2021, representing a dramatic recovery following a large-scale bee die-off in 2013 that prompted comprehensive reforms. That event prompted Oregon legislators to form a statewide pollinator task force and initiate sustained measures aimed at safeguarding bees. Officials trained over 12,000 landscapers, agricultural workers, and pesticide users in safer application methods near pollinators. Instructional resources reached schools and residents, encouraging the development of gardens and outdoor spaces that favor bees. At the same time, scientists established the Oregon Bee Atlas, currently the most extensive statewide catalog of bee species in the nation, recording every one of the 567 known species present in Oregon. Beyond mere identification, the atlas suggests optimal native plants for each county and supplies communities with concrete advice for establishing habitats that benefit regional pollinators. Oregon State University reports that the blend of public education, scientific inventory work, and refined pesticide practices has produced five straight years without any known pesticide-related bee deaths. Pollinators remain essential to farming, facilitating the fertilization of numerous fruits, vegetables, nuts, and ornamental plants that form part of daily diets. Experts note that Oregon’s progress demonstrates effective bee protection need not involve complete pesticide prohibitions. Supplying clearer guidance on proper timing, locations, and techniques for application can substantially lessen risks to pollinators while permitting continued agricultural and landscaping activities. ["Inaugural Oregon report details bee health progress." Oregon State University]

There’s a whole community buzzing at the Obama Presidential Center. 🐝 In honor of National Honey Bee Day, meet Janelle, program manager for Westside Bee Boyz and one of the resident beekeepers caring for two colonies of Italian honeybees on campus. Inside every colony, everyone has a role — from worker and nursery bees helping care for the hive to the queen, who can lay thousands of eggs each day. And as Janelle reminds us, honey bees are a matriarchal society — something that has taught her firsthand about the value of female-led spaces. The story extends beyond the hive, too. Native bees help pollinate plants behind roughly one in three bites of food we eat, which is one reason the native plants growing across campus matter so much. Here’s to the bees, the people who care for them, and the ecosystems they help sustain. Happy National Honey Bee Day. 🐝🌼 #NationalHoneyBeeDay# #ObamaPresidentialCenter# #Pollinators# #Beekeeping#