2021 Top 12

Top 9?! Impossible. I went for the top 12 memories of 2021, though it could have been a top 112. 2021 was yet another year of bobbing and weaving as best we could to take the punches and stay the course. Not everything went as planned this year, but I'm filled with gratitude for the ability to deepen some of our existing projects, and for the new opportunities which continually arose to keep us immersed in bee conservation work.

From left to right, top to bottom -

1. Our Minecraft:Education Edition "Build with Bees" Global Build Challenge, as our virtual stand-in for the ABF "Kids and Bees" event, the build challenge committee was blown away by the creativity and bee love in the submissions!

2. Soooo many conferences were attended from home, as a participant and speaker - sharing our work and the stories bees tell us through observation and data collection.

3. If you ever have the opportunity, hire your best friend. They make the BEST co-workers. Thank you for everything you have done for me and BGO this year, Marie! I have never belly laughed so hard out in the field. In her 6 month review, she said that the bleeding and sweating and crying was the worst part of the job, and also the best. #same

4. Another year of spending a good portion of the bee season watching bees and plants at ODOT's "Vernal Pool Restoration Project," and thinking deeply about the relationship between native and non-native ecological communities and their surprising collaborations.

5. Some stellar progress was made with the "Bee Friendly Vineyards" initiative at Trisaetum. I cannot wait to try the 2021 vintages, and to continue to share the multifaceted art we are co-creating with the bees in these vineyards.

6 & 7. This year was also full of broken agreements, broken chains, broken hearts, and wildfire smoke-filled lungs. Alas, I'm grateful for the ability to lean into the resilience of this organization, and our loving world-wide community - we always come out OK somehow!

8. And despite the challenges of the fires, drought, and heatwaves - a few flowers still bloomed in our bee pastures.

9. I finally made it to Lazy R Ranch's "Cowgirl Camp," where we immersed ourselves in "Holistic Management" training - and it was never more clear to me that honey bees are the littlest livestock, and galvanized my knowing that myself and my work belong in the regenerative ag movement.

10. I was able to utilize my skill sets to work with kids, beekeepers, and farmers through Wild Survivors in Tanzania - to hopefully do some good and spark some ideas to build on the already great work being done for human / wildlife coexistence.

11. I fostered and adopted a four-legged field assistant, Midgie!

12. And, finally!! We (that includes so many of you!) envisioned, and made a reality this "BGO Research and Education Mobile" - with the dollars raised thus far, we were able to put a down payment on this van and pick it up!! With the mention of this essential piece of equipment to some of our partners, we already have some offers of exciting new education and research collaborations in the works. We need to have the van outfitted by bee season, so it's officially in my hands and I've been working away to have it ready - in just a few short weeks, we'll see buds burst and bees emerge.

So much gratitude for all of you who participated in Giving Tuesday to raise the capital for this project! Giving Tuesday was a great success, raising $3,380!

In total, we have raised $23,381 - this is over 20% of the way to our goal, and by far - the most successful fundraiser BGO has had. THANK YOU!! We are extending the fundraiser into the spring, and hope to have the "BGO Mobile" fully funded by June. For now - I am so excited to start sharing some photos and plans for the unit, and remember - if you donate $1,000 (or more) we'll Sharpie your name in the door well next to the bee lab!

I have so much gratitude for all of our Beeple around the world, the country, and right here at home - as we must all be in this work together, for the health and happiness of our current and future generations - and for the bees.