Bee-friendly plants could become more common around Minneapolis under commitments approved by the City Council on Friday.
The resolution making Minneapolis a "pollinator-friendly community" pledges to have city departments incorporate bee-friendly plants into city-controlled land. The measure would also reduce the city's usage of pesticides, but Council Member Cam Gordon said they discovered that such use is minimal.
"We actually found out that we were already quite bee-friendly in our city," Gordon said, noting that City Hall even houses beehives.
Among the tasks ahead is determining which plants would fit the description of "pollinator-friendly," to guide city departments in their changes.
The commitments aim in part to raise awareness about the declining bee population, which the Star Tribune documented in January.
"Pollinators are really suffering and we really depend on them," Gordon said.
Last year, the city relaxed the rules that formerly required residents to seek neighbor approval before installing a beehive.
ERIC ROPER
