This year, our school is looking forward to building its committment to native bee habitat. Mason bees are a gentle and hardworking bee species that will be a great learning tool for Springwater students. And we can help them by providing habitat in our lush Pollinator Garden. 

We are looking forward to the development of a Capstone mason bee project from one of our 8th graders this year. The student will be installing mason bees homes in various sites around the school and comparing their success and growth rates. Additionally, we have developed a relationship with Northwest Pollinators, a company who promotes mason bees for commercial growers, rather than honeybees. We'll be hosting their mason bees this year and looking forward to the great educational opportunities this relationship has to offer.

It's December 2014 and the CCSWCD and the Springwater Garden has hosted a Pollinator Planting Day. Each class participated in planting native plants for the garden; from red flowering current, white oaks, blue elderberries, to a variety of sedges. All of these plants will provide food forage and homes for different pollinators. We expect to see hundreds of native bee, moths, and fly pollinators, as well as bats and bird pollinators.

With this new natural learning lab and classroom, students will be able to expand their garden and science education. In gardening classes, students will be building structures for pollinator habitat, participating in pollinator surveys and counting, and learning native plant propagation. Keep your eyes out for future student projects and education pieces about the importance of native pollinators.

A final thank for to Clackamas County Soil & Water Conservation District for providing this amazing space and for all their support.