Floral abundance for our pollinators

Honey bees have made headlines with their dramatic decline that was characterized as Colony Collapse Disorder starting in 2008. Although nearly 14 years later, the honey bees are still struggling to survive due to the lack of available year-round pesticide-free floral resources, as described in the BIP Loss and Management Survey. As a managed pollinator, honey bees provide a window to see the struggles that our native pollinator species also face. Honey bees are unique in that humans are able to provide hives for the colony to live in, yet many native pollinator species depend on stems and bare soil as nesting sites that are unavailable because of human maintenance techniques such tilling, aerating, mulching and leaf removal. Many home owners and land managers may not be aware of alternative techniques or do not have the capacity to incorporate pollinator-friendly plants for whatever reason such as local policy, physical ability, topic knowledge, etc. 

Increasing pollinator-friendly planting sites will allow for an increase in floral and habitat resources for all pollinating species. Unique garden containers, raised beds, and in-ground beds and flowering lawns will be prototyped and offered for installation, with the goal of replacing the chemical and equipment dependent inedible monoculture grass lawns. As a part of maintaining the gardens and lawns, electric powered lawn tools like mowers, string trimmers and blower, will be used as a way to reduce gasoline, noise and pollution created by gasoline powered equipment. 

As a resident of Tulsa, OK, the land that makes up the city consists of Cherokee, Osage, and Muskogee/Creek tribal lands. Any work to replace the European lawn aesthetic with native plants will benefit the local ecosystem including the quality of water, air, and people. Many pollinator-friendly plants double as medicinal plants for human consumption such as the purple cone flower and dandelion. Creating edible landscapes for bees almost directly overlaps edible landscapes for humans. 

As a member of the Cherokee Nation I have been in contact with my tribal leaders that are supportive of pollinator advocacy and food sovereignty, as noted by their commitment to pollinator health. 

I am currently a member and co-founder of the group Cooperation Tulsa, a community group that follows indigenous values and we have been building raised-beds throughout Greenwood, home to the historic Black Wall Street, and within the Cherokee Nation tribal jurisdiction. With this group we have been door knocking and hosting community events to not only create a garden but to create a democratic mechanism for communal land use that has historically be subject to individualism and allotment. 

These community gardens are demonstrations as to potential garden bed designs for my LLC and will incorporate community input as to the functionality of different garden types that I will be able to offer to clients.

Funding would go towards materials and labor in order to establish garden containers, raised beds, in-ground beds, and flowering lawns. Materials purchased would include electric lawncare equipment and hand tools for garden maintenance. 

These demonstrational pieces would act as drivers for a sustainable business for Lucky Bee as well as other similar landscaping groups, with the goal of creating largescale policy change and ultimately a Xerces Society Bee City designation. As a first-time business owner, mentorship, coaching, media, and partnerships will benefit the sustainability of this enterprise. 

Demonstrating the value of pollinator friendly gardens and lawns will be the catalyst to transform the way people in Tulsa manage their land. My goal is to inspire and encourage people to fall in love with the beauty of native and animal species. The use of electric lawn equipment will demonstrate the benefits of electric powered items and will be a model for other landscaping companies in the area. 

In the next five years I plan to build my business to be able to serve numerous clients. With each year I will have previous gardens to be able to refer to and observe the trial and error associated with each of the different garden and lawn styles that I am capable of creating. Once the gardens and lawns are established they should require less maintenance than traditional gardens and lawns because I will have created resilient ecosystems that are resistant to pests. The reduced input of costly chemical inputs like herbicides and pesticides will result in these designs being models for other businesses and homeowners to replicate with the goal of transforming large amounts of land by encouraging others to follow my lead. 

This project will protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems that can be measured by comparing the costs, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity of the gardens and lawns I am able to create with the traditional options available to clients. 

Costs include maintenance, chemical inputs and water use. Carbon sequestration will be the change in density of above and below ground plant growth. Biodiversity will be the diversity and abundance of plant and animal species using the plots. Demonstrating the ability to reduce costs while increasing carbon and biodiversity will be driving the value of my business. 

Activities include creating garden containers, garden beds and flowering lawns for clients in Tulsa. The outputs will be an increase in floral resources for pollinators. The outcomes will be to increase food security, biodiversity, soil stability and water conservation. 

The Xerces Society describes the benefits of pollinator friendly lawns and describes the lawn as the single largest irrigated crop that we grow. Research has demonstrated that flowering lawns increase bee diversity, increase drought tolerance, and are important in preserving the downstream watershed. 

Permaculture is a newly termed technique for sustainable land care, however it is based in traditional indigenous knowledge. With a certification from the Green Country Permaculture Farmer Incubator Program, I have the knowledge and resources available in order to successfully implement these projects. 

As a former Tulsa Area Clean Cities intern, I have learned about the benefits of clean technology, which is what has led me to commit to using electric powered tools and technologies for my landscaping services. Pairing electric tools with solar charging, I will be able to use clean energy and a reduced carbon footprint for my services.

As a member of the Cherokee Nation I am committed to being a responsible steward of all land and especially the land that I reside on (Muskogee Nation) and the lands that belong to my tribe. I encourage others to fulfill their responsibilities to the land, plants, animals and people relatives that we share our community with. 

As a woman I will partner with and promote other female owned businesses, which I already have done by working with Nico Albert the founder of the Burning Sage Indigenous Foods, through a honey and pollen tasting party. 

As a member of Cooperation Tulsa, I will continue to work with my community to decolonize and democratize the way we use our lands. Many members of this group identify as tribal, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, working class, and other forms of marginalization. We commit to working cooperatively and have created a charter that uses restorative justice in order to create an environment that welcoming and safe. Cooperation Tulsa has a physical community center that is shared with Lucky Bee in order to store equipment, tools and functions as a growing space for prototyping container gardens. 

Under the umbrella of pollination consultation, I currently do contract beekeeping as my main form of revenue. I am an active member in the local beekeeping organization the Northeast Oklahoma Beekeeping Association (NEOBA) and will offer my services to beekeepers that are already deeply concerned about pollinator-friendly landscapes. 

Homeowners that use conventional landscaping services will be my main focus, as they are already paying for these services. These services will be more valuable than traditional services because they provide ecological benefits such as reduced emissions, water and soil conservation, and a reduction in pests. 

For those without access to land, such as renters and apartment dwellers, container gardens will be opportunities to have pollinator friendly plants. These containers will double as teaching tools that can be distributed by local programs and organizations such as schools and parks. 

I will continue to write grants to cover the cost of start-up materials. Materials will be used to create marketable products like container gardens and tools for raised beds and in ground beds. Many tools, especially the electric powered machines, are one-time purchases and will not need to be replaced or repaired as often as gas-powered tools. 

I will continue to charge at an hourly rate for my beekeeping and consultation services that include educational opportunities and pollinator advocacy events. With my specialized and in demand knowledge and skills regarding beekeeping I am able to set my rate high enough to cover business expenses and have enough profit to be a sustainable business. 

So far I have been able to secure three different grants that have supported my relevant projects. 

The first grant, for $1500 is through the North Tulsa Community Garden Network and is for materials for edible flower container gardens to be distributed through the community and act as a prototype for future container gardens. 

The second grant, for $5,000 is through the Tulsa Young Professionals organization that has funded a set of raised beds at the Church of Restoration in the Greenwood District in Tulsa. This funding has covered materials, project management funding for myself, and funding for interns to learn how to build raised garden beds.

The third grant, for $5000 is through the Builders and Backers program, where I am able to purchase materials to pilot my educational and advocacy events, where I have been able to have pollinator tasting dinners and brunches and have been able to demo various items such as yard signs, seed packets, books, food and drinks that I will incorporate into future events. 

As a contracted beekeeper I am currently maintaining an apiary of 20+ hives for the Beeloved Trading Company at the John 3:16 Women's Refuge farm in Tulsa. Through this apiary I will be increasing my services to include hands-on beekeeping mentorship and will have access to bees to put into an observational hive for educational events.