St. Kate’s to partner with Great River Coalition for St. Paul Bee Run/Walk

After six years of hosting the Earth Day 5K Bee Run/Walk in Minneapolis, the Great River Coalition has set its sights on expanding into St. Paul. For the 2021 Bee Run/Walk, the Great River Coalition decided to partner with St. Kate’s, though the event will take place virtually this year due to COVID-19.

The first 5K Bee Run/Walk was held in Minneapolis in 2016, just two years after the Great River Coalition was founded. The goal of the run and the Great River Coalition as a whole is to raise awareness about the importance of pollinators in our ecosystem, especially in relation to their habitats along the mighty Mississippi River. 

The Great River Coalition also seeks to create a Pollinator Pathway here in the Twin Cities. President Diane Hofstede outlined the long term goal of extending this pathway into Canada and all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico, following traditional pollinator migration patterns.

Hofstede has long been fighting for pollinators. In her time on the Minneapolis City Council, she helped author and sponsor a city ordinance to protect pollinators, leading to similar ordinances passing in St. Paul and other cities across the country. 

“It’s really amazing,” she said, “how if you’re looking and willing to have a conversation… we’re not alone in it.”

The choice to host the St. Paul run at St. Kate’s aligns with the University’s own commitment to pollinators and other issues involving environmental sustainability. 

“The Biology club here on campus,” said BioClub Co-President Catherine Lilyerd ‘21 (Neuroscience and Biology), “is heavily involved with sustainability related to pollinators and changes we can make as individuals, in line with the missions of the Great River Coalition.”

St. Kate’s has its own bee hives, located on the green roof of Fontbonne Hall (photo provided by Catherine Lilyerd)

Patty Connelly, a St. Kate’s alum and one of the major contacts between the Great River Coalition and the University, felt similarly, pointing out that St. Kate’s has already been doing much of the work the Coalition pushes, led primarily by student efforts.

“The resources are there,” she said. “We’ve just sort of been tapping into various aspects of campus life that are very closely aligned with everything that has to do with the environment, so it’s turned out to be an ideal situation.”

“You have a beautiful campus,” Hofstede added. “There are so many ways in which St. Catherine’s has created Pollinator Pathways and welcomed, not only people, but animals and insects. The whole philosophy is what I think opens up so many possibilities.”

Meanwhile, Lilyerd and the other BioClub members are looking forward to the partnership and their own involvement in the event.

“BioClub will be focusing on promoting and educating community members about what we are doing on campus to support pollinators,” Lilyerd explained, “We will be featuring information related to our bees on campus, laboratory organisms, and the Pollinator Commons areas by the DewDrop Parking Lot.”

Students standing in front of St. Kate’s Pollinator Commons, located next to the Dew Drop Parking Lot (photo provided by Catherine Lilyerd)

She also pointed out the importance of cleaning up careless waste to improve the biodiversity of local communities, another mission that the Great River Coalition has adopted. The Bee Run/Walk itself is designed to facilitate a cleanup of the Mississippi.

Though the run is planned for April, Hofstede and the rest of the Great River Coalition are already hard at work planning the event, especially considering COVID-19 restrictions and the fact that activities will take place virtually.

“It really opens up our imagination,” Hofstede said when asked about the virtual aspect of this year’s run. “There are no limits.”

Whatever form the run takes, the Great River Coalition’s mission remains the same: protect pollinators and our environment, and maybe have some fun while doing it.

“We’re just big on joy,” Hofstede said, “and I think we’re all ready for that.”

Keep an eye out for more details on how you can participate in the Bee Run/Walk, and check out the Great River Coalition’s website for more information on their mission.