In this newsletter:
- Peer Energy and Sustainability Coaching @ Easthampton Library Annex, March 7
- BEES x Girl Scouts: Announcing a new native plant installation on the Manhan Rail trail
- Smith College students release study on “Increasing Canopy Cover for Urban Resilience in Easthampton”
- A big thank you to Councilor Denham
- News and Resources
Peer Energy and Sustainability Coaching @ Easthampton Library Annex, March 7
March 7th, 2026, 11am-2pm (drop in anytime)
Easthampton Library Annex, 52 Main Street
Interested in adopting solar PV, heat pumps, or an electric vehicle? Come chat with community members who have already taken the leap to embrace these green energy technologies! From 11am-2pm on March 7th, the Library Annex will host a drop in event for community members to ask questions and listen to the experiences of their peers as it relates to personal adoption of solar PV, heat pumps, and electric vehicles. Come prepared with questions or a willingness to listen as fellow community members share honest testimonies about the benefits and challenges of electrification. Representatives from the Easthampton BEES Committee will host a winter seed sowing activity and will be available to answer questions and facilitate discussion regarding the transition of ecologically harmful lawns to native, pollinator-friendly alternatives.
BEES x Girl Scouts: Announcing a new native plant pollinator garden on the Manhan Rail Trail!
We are thrilled to announce that we successfully applied for a Massachusetts Plant Something Bee-eautiful grant, which we will use to create a new pollinator garden alongside the Manhan Rail Trail and adjacent to Lower Mill Pond. To bring this vision to fruition, local Girl Scout Troop #64944 has agreed to take on the project in conjunction with Easthampton’s Sustainability Coordinator and BEES Committee. The grant award will fund native plants, educational signage about the planting and best practices for maintenance, and barriers around the garden to indicate a “no-mow” area. Scouts are hard at work developing a plant list and designing signage.
In spring 2026, we plan to host a community planting day. We need your help! Please sign up for our volunteer list to stay in the loop. Following installation, we will be recruiting volunteers to help with maintenance until the garden is fully established. We can’t wait to get started and will share more about the planting day soon!
More about the garden: In order to improve the habitat and resources that key native pollinators need to thrive, the garden will be planted exclusively with species that are native to our ecoregion, appropriate to the site conditions, and support specialist pollinators who require specific plant species to support their life cycles. Mayor Derby is a signatory to the National Wildlife Foundation’s Mayor’s Monarch Pledge; to meet the pledge’s commitments, the plant list will include particular emphasis on diverse varieties of native milkweeds and educational signage will highlight the unique ecological benefits of monarch butterflies. Special thanks to Sustainability Coordinator Sophie Protano and the Department of Public Works, as well as the Girl Scouts, for supporting this project.
Smith College students release study on “Increasing Canopy Cover for Urban Resilience in Easthampton”
A talented and hardworking group of Smith College Environmental Science and Policy students conducted a study on Easthampton’s urban forest in Fall 2025. Their report followed up on the city’s 2024 Climate Action Plan, which identifies the development of an Urban Forestry Master Plan as a priority. In order to support Easthampton in managing its tree cover to build climate resilience equitably, the students met with stakeholders, including the BEES Committee, to “develop a set of priority planting sites and complementary maps, a community outreach plan alongside an informational fact sheet for residents, and a tree species recommendation list. These resources provide Easthampton with an understanding of the current state of its urban forest and provide actionable strategies and resources to the city. The priority planting analysis highlights areas that should be prioritized when implementing tree planting initiatives based on socioeconomic factors, extreme heat, limited existing tree canopy coverage, high population density, and land characteristics. Soil quality maps for these areas inform the selection of recommended tree species. The community outreach plan offers strategies for the City to prioritize the involvement of its residents and engage the community around increasing tree canopy coverage in the city”. Read the report and stay tuned for next steps to improve native tree cover across Easthampton.
Thank you Councilor Denham!
A grateful thanks to Councilor Koni Denham for her time and contributions to the BEES Committee for the past year. We have appreciated Koni’s enthusiasm for committee priorities, steady guidance on the finer points of ordinance procedure, and ability to connect us with the right person to talk to in city government. We’ll miss you as a committee member and look forward to your continued support at the helm of City Council.
News and Resources
- BEES and Mayor Derby co-signed a letter in support of “An Act to protect pollinators and public health” ( HB1041/HD2981) to the MA Legislature. This bill would phase out neonic-treated corn, wheat, and soybean seeds by 2029, protecting pollinators and beneficial insects that are critical to the health and productivity of Massachusetts farms. The bill has been reported out favorably by the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and was referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means – meaning it is moving along in the legislative process and has a chance of becoming law. Follow the bill’s progress here.
- Dreaming about spring gardening? We are too! The Massachusetts Pollinator Network hosts monthly presentations by experts in a wide range of topics related to pollinators and native plants and how to support them. Take some time this winter to view past presentations and learn a bit about topics from native bees and planting for biodiversity to cultivating hope for the future in challenging times.