BEE INITIATIVES
Crystal Springs Resort has increasingly become involved in a number of bee related initiatives with the goal of creating awareness regarding issues that are plaguing bees. Bees lie at the heart of our survival. They pollinate one in three bites of food we eat, and are essential to the health and prosperity of countless ecosystems. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, more than half of North America’s 4,000 native bee species are in decline, with one in four species at risk of extinction.
There are five primary threats to pollinators:
- Habitat Loss- With the expansion of industrial agriculture and human development, many habitats have dwindled, fragmented or disappeared completely. This includes natural spaces containing important forage and nesting sites for wildlife species, including pollinators.
- Climate Change - Changing climate conditions have caused dramatic shifts in temperatures, causing flowering plants to grow farther north and leave pollinator populations behind. Extreme weather patterns and events are disrupting ecosystems all over the world, making it hard for native bees to find the food and safe haven they need.
- Chemical Pesticides - Pesticides including neonicotinoids deter and kill unwanted pests and weeds on both a commercial and residential scale; however, they often destroy non-target species like bees as a consequence. Harmful pesticides and other environmental pollutants are a leading cause of pollinator declines.
- Invasive Plant Species - When humans introduce new species into a novel environment, these plants may have a competitive edge over the native species and overtake the local ecosystem. This can result in a loss of food for local bees, whose diets have evolved to feed on local plantlife.
- Diseases and Parasites - All of these factors have contributed to the spread of non-native parasites and diseases. Varroa mites have weakened honeybee populations, while the German yellow jacket feeds on native bees and honeybees. Fungus like Nosema bombi has been common in bumblebee species in decline.
Crystal Springs Resort is committed in its effort to raise awareness,
and to that end, has a number of related activities underway:
LAND INITIATIVES
POLLINATOR CORRIDOR
Crystal Springs Resort has developed a partnership with JCP&L and the New Jersey Audubon to enhance bee, butterfly and bird habitats at the Black Bear Golf Club in Franklin. The project began in 2016 when JCP&L and Resort personnel cleared an existing JCP&L transmission line right-of-way at the golf course and planted native grasses and wildflower seeds to create a pollinator friendly area. The results have been effective, with an influx of bees, butterflies and birds to the area. The project’s goal is to create a habitat favored by the insects and animals that pollinate flowers, agricultural crops, fruit trees and other plants. Signage is also posted to educate visitors about the importance of pollinators.
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
The Resort’s has select landscapes which were created to provide bees with the nectar and pollen they need to thrive. The parking lot at the Crystal Springs Clubhouse was purposely laid out to be filled with wild flowers plus other flowers that bees love including Monarda, Babtisia, Coneflower, Joe Pye Weed, Goldenrod and Marsh Blazing Star. Native trees such as Willows, Red Buds, Basswood, Tulip Popular and Black Locus were selected as excellent sources of food for bees.
ACTIVE ON-SITE HIVES AND BEE NESTING BOXES
The Resort has installed on-site hives throughout the property and bee nesting boxes along our Wild Turkey Nature Trail to support enhancing the local bee population.
GUEST ACTIVITIES
BEE BOX TEAMBUILDING
Corporate group guests can participate in a bee box building team development offering. Groups work with a local beekeeper to build a bee box with supplied materials. The beekeeper will share fun facts about how a bee colony develops, how honey is made, as well as how bees are critical to local agriculture and the food chain. The completed bee boxes will be donated to a local farm and become the new home of a bee colony. As a thank you for supporting the local bee population, groups will receive souvenir jars of sweet honey from the sponsored hive at a future date.
MEET THE BEEKEEPER
The Resort has a regularly scheduled beekeeper, JC from Bees, Birds & Bears Apiary, who discusses fun facts about how a bee colony develops, how it makes honey and why bees are so important to the food chain. This activity is complimentary for guests staying at the Resort.
ART PROJECTS
MURAL PAINTING
Matt Willey, an acclaimed artist from the Good of the Hive, is currently at the Resort painting a mural on the ceiling of the Chef’s Garden, located at Grand Cascades Lodge. The Good of the Hive is a global art project and organization founded by Matt, who has made a personal commitment to hand-paint 50,000 honey bees (representing the number in a healthy, thriving hive) in murals around the world. Last year, a teaser bee was his first endeavor here, and now Matt is currently creating a full mural to be completed in summer 2024. Learn more about Matt and his organization at www.thegoodofthehive.com/about.
Stay tuned for special events featuring this unique installation.
WEAVER IN RESIDENCE
The Resort is pleased to have Emily Downs as our Weaver in Residence at Minerals Hotel. Emily grew up here in Sussex County and attended the Peters Valley School of Crafts, learning old world, traditional forms of art. After graduating with a Bachelor in Fine Arts, Emily’s focus was projecting surrealist videos onto textiles. She is weaving a bee honey comb on her loom, which is set up at various times throughout the year in our hotel lobby. Emily forages for materials which are then used in her weavings, bringing the local landscape into her pieces.
LOCAL PRODUCT
HONEY
The Resort sells local honey in its Pro Shops and markets throughout the property, and also uses it as an ingredient in various menu items at our restaurants. Profits from all honey sales will be donated to Project Apis m, which funds and directs honey bee research to enhance honey bee health and vitality while improving crop production.