Bee Campus USA

About

Bee Campus USA is an initiative by the Xerces Society that provides a framework for campus communities to worktogether to conserve native pollinators by increasing the abundance of native plants, providing nest sites, and reducing the use of pesticides. UW–Madison received certification in the Summer of 2022 and has established a Bee Campus USA committee to maintain the certification.

Requirements

Certification requirements include forming a standing committee to advocate for pollinators; creating and enhancing pollinator habitat on campus; reducing the use of pesticides; offering courses, service-learning projects, or continuing education opportunities that incorporate pollinator conservation; displaying signage focused on pollinator conservation; and maintaining an online presence for Bee Campus USA activities.

Learn More About the Importance of Bees:

https://youtu.be/yud0eGNr5qI

UW–Madison Sustainability Map – Bee Campus Sites

Access the UW–Madison Sustainability Map

Click on the link above to learn how we built this map, how to navigate the map, or to suggest a feature.

Bee Campus USA Educational Inventory

One requirement for maintaining the Bee Campus USA certification is to connect people to courses, continuing education, and service learning opportunities related to native pollinators and pollinator conservation. Below you will find the current inventory and if you are aware of additional learning opportunties we should include in the inventory please submit details in the survey link below.

Submit to Bee Campus USA Educational Inventory

Learning Opportunity :

Description :

Additional Details :

Learning Opportunity	Description	Additional Details
Allen Centennial Garden Winter Class Series	We partner with the Friends of Allen Centennial Garden offer a winter class series each year that offers lectures on topics relevant to Master Gardeners and other home gardeners	https://allencentennialgarden.wisc.edu/?s=winter+class+series&submit=Search
ENTOM/BOTANY/ZOOLOGY 473: Plant-Insect Interactions	Multiple ways in which arthropods exploit plants, plant traits that deter or augment insects, environmental mediation of these interactions, effects on population dynamics, community ecology and co-evolution, and implications to natural resource management, environmental quality, and sustainable development.	https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/entom/
ENTOM/ENVIR ST 201: Insects and Human Culture-a Survey Course in Entomology	Importance of insects in the environment, emphasizing beneficial insects, disease carriers, and agricultural pests that interfere with the food supply. Environmental problems due to insect control agents.	https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/entom/
AGROECOL/AGRONOMY/C&E SOC/ENTOM/ENVIR ST 103: An Introduction to the Ecology of Food and Agriculture	Employ the multiple disciplines and perspectives that Agroecology affords to analyze our agricultural and food systems wihin a broader context of dynamic social and ecological relationships.	https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/agroecol/
ENTOM/ZOOLOGY 302: Introduction to Entomology	Principles including morphology and classification; a general collection of insects required of each student.	https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/entom/
ENTOM 450: Basic and Applied Insect Ecology	Covers population and community ecology, plant-insect interactions, insect biodiversity and biogeography, and applied ecology. Weaves basic ecological theory and principles with their application to entomological problems such as conservation, biological control, agriculture, and insect-vectored diseases of plants and humans. Uses current entomological and ecological scientific literature and draws on examples from a broad range of natural and managed ecosystems. Broadens from pairwise species interactions (e.g., a predator and its prey) to the entire community of organisms and their physical environment. Emphasizes the theoretical principles and historical background underlying the various topics with a link to potential applications in agriculture, conservation, pest management, and/or invasion biology.	https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/entom/
ENTOM 468: Studies in Field Entomology	Concentration on structural, behavioral adaptations of insects to diverse habitats; dynamic relations between insects and plants, other animals and other insects. Student field project, literature review presentation required.	https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/entom/
PL PATH/HORT 261 Sustainable Turfgrass Use and Management	Sustainable use and management of turfgrass landscapes in urban and suburban environments, including home lawns, golf courses, and sports fields. Focus is on creating sustainable and attractive turfgrass landscapes through proper species selection, use of slow-release or organic fertilizer practices, and minimizing the use of pesticides and supplemental irrigation.	https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/pl_path/
LAND ARC 375: Special Topics, ‘Mindfulness & Restorative Environments’	Experiential community-based learning course, explores the intersection of mindfulness practices and design of restorative environments that support health and well-being in public places, including school gardens, botanical gardens, and additional outdoor learning environments and gathering places, with a focus on health equity and sense of belonging. We will co-design restorative environments through a participatory planning process with community partners in the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD). We will also partner and consult with members of the Mindfulness in MMSD team. Key learning activities and assignments will include weekly readings, videos, and/or audio recordings, small and whole group discussions, nature journaling, contemplative practices and activities, a group project, and a culminating restorative environment co-design project and presentation.	https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/land_arc/
LAND ARC 560: Plants and Ecology In Design	Explores the process of plant selection and placement in the landscape. The desired landscape will be ecologically appropriate to the setting, sustainable, functional in response to goals, and aesthetically pleasing. Acquire an awareness and understanding of the physical characteristics of plant materials and a sensitivity to their needs based on past and present. Emphasis on the recognition of the philosophy of planting design as a dynamic and changing spatial art and science, the relationship between environment and plants, application of design composition principles to plant selection and placement, and functional and utilitarian uses of plants; i.e., the opportunities and constraints for plants in the designed landscape.	https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/land_arc/
LAND ARC 563: Designing Sustainable and Resilient Regions	Exploration of broad scale design issues to develop synthesis and design skills. Uses spatial form and bioregional cultural, ecological and environmental concepts to solve land use and conservation problems. Regional design requires advanced techniques for inventory, analysis, and design to help in understanding complex trends, policy and design impacts, hazard mitigation, design intervention suitability, design guidelines, and systems level design. These techniques help us explore the relationships between regions and sites, especially regional implications of site design decisions and site design impacts on regional characteristics and systems.	https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/land_arc/
LAND ARC 668: Restoration Ecology	Restoration is an approach to the conservation of native species, plant communities, and ecosystems. It is an interdisciplinary global enterprise practiced by private and public sector professionals and dedicated volunteers of all ages. Covers both the theory and practice of restoration ecology and examine the current opportunities, challenges, and controversies that underlie the field. The goal may be to preserve nature, but restoration is a fundamentally human enterprise-it is accomplished for and by people. Therefore, we cover information from ecology, sociology, and the humanities.	https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/land_arc/
BOTANY/AGRONOMY/SOIL SCI 370: Grassland Ecology	Understand factors driving global, continental, regional, and local distribution of grasslands. Discuss how management affects provision of grassland ecosystem goods and services. Compare and contrast plant community and ecosystem dynamics in native prairie and intensively managed pastures.	https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/botany/
BOTANY/F&W ECOL 455: The Vegetation of Wisconsin	Ecology of Wisconsin plant communities: floristic composition, community structure; relationship to history, climate, soil, and geology; response to human perturbation.	https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/botany/
BOTANY/F&W ECOL/ZOOLOGY 460: General Ecology	Ecology of individual organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, landscapes, and the biosphere. The interaction of organisms with each other and their physical environment. These relationships are studied, often in quantitative terms, in both field and laboratory settings.	https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/botany/
Green Thumb Gardening Class Series	Offer in-depth and accessible gardening information on various topics. From building healthy soil to controlling pests or producing a bountiful vegetable harvest, this gardening class series will help home gardens to thrive	https://dane.extension.wisc.edu/horticulture/greenthumb/
ENTOM 490: Biodiversity and Global Change	Explores the impact of global environmental change on biodiversity and the subsequent consequences for ecosystem function and human well-being. Examines species response to these environmental changes, such as migration, adaptation, and extinction, and the implications for the delivery of ecosystem services and planetary health. Applies ecological principles to identify and evaluate practical solutions to pressing environmental challenges.	https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/entom/
Learning Opportunity	Description	Additional Details