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DISCOVER! | AUGUST 27, 2016
Nature | 13
KATE HARLOW | STAFF WRITER
Bees&
butterflies
Nature Center hosts pollinator celebration
Almost everybody loves butterflies,
but bees are a different
story.
Many people don’t appreciate bees,
and other pollinators, for that matter,
like the Dickinson County Nature
Center believes that they should.
That’s one of the reasons they have
decided to host an annual Bee & Butterfly
Festival and this year it is set to
take place from 4-7 p.m. on Friday,
Sept. 2.
“Without pollinators, our world
would cease to exist as we know it. We
wouldn’t have fresh food or beautiful
flowers without pollinators, such as
butterflies and bees, doing their duties.
The pollination of bees is responsible
for one in three bites of food
that we take, so just imagine one-third
of your food intake gone,” said Kiley
Roth, the community relations coordinator
with the Dickinson County
Nature Center. “We need to see just
how important these creatures are and
just how delicate they are. If we don’t
take care of the environment so they
have food sources and habitat, we will
have devastating consequences.”
But don’t worry. The festival is
geared towards fun for one and all —
no matter your age.
“All ages are welcome at this event.
It is fantastic for families with young
children, but the speakers will also be
great for teens and adults,” Roth said.
“This is the biggest event the Dickinson
County Conservation Board hosts, and
we love having hundreds of people
come to the nature center for an entertaining
and educational time.”
One of the most exciting events
at last year’s festival was a live demonstration
by Ocheyedan beekeeper
Marlene Boernsen. She will be back
again this year at 6 p.m., to demonstrate
how honey is extracted from
honeycomb in her hives.
“People often see the white hive
boxes in fields throughout the area,
and we see honey for sale in stores,
but we miss the process in between,”
Roth said. “We want people to attend
the honey extraction demonstration
for several reasons. First, when people
get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of
any activity, they make a memory and
have a story to tell. That gives them a
more vested interest in that activity.
We hope that people will gain that
vested interest and appreciation for
honeybees through this program so
that they will then want to learn more
about how to save our honeybees and
native bees.”
In addition to the live honey extraction
demonstration there will be
plenty of other fun things to do.
At a Glance:
WHAT: Bee & Butterfly Festival
WHERE: Dickinson County Nature
Center, 2279 170th St., Okoboji, IA
WHEN: 4-7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 2
COST: Free
CONTACT: 712-336-6352
ONLINE: www.dickinsoncountyconservationboard.com
An outdoor tent will be set up for
bee and butterfly crafts as well as vendors.
Pollinator Paradise will be open
during the event so people can tour
the area.
“This event has something for anyone
who wants to get outside. We
have vendors, crafts, lawn games, door
prizes, photos with Sweetie the Bee,
the Iowa State University Insect Zoo,
the honey extraction demonstration
as well as a magician,” Roth said. “The
Farm to Fork food truck will also be
on site.”
There will also be an opportunity to
tag monarchs inside the Nature Center.
“We love the monarch tagging,
where people can get up close to a
monarch butterfly. We love seeing
kids’ smiles when they are meeting
Sweetie the Bee or making a fun craft
to take home,” Roth said. “All of the
staff absolutely love what we do and
the impact that the Dickinson County
Conservation Board is making, and
we are passionate about fostering an
appreciation of the environment in
others, so this festival is just one way
to do that!” F
Okoboji | Iowa