Diverse Ecosystems and communities thrive
Vancouver Bee Project believes that healthy ecosystems and healthy communities both depend on diversity. Pollinator conservation and public science are stronger when they include people with different identities, cultures, experiences, abilities, and ways of understanding the natural world. Everyone should have opportunities to experience the wonder of bees, native plants, and local biodiversity—and to help shape how these resources are studied, shared, and protected.
We recognize that environmental science and conservation have not always been welcoming or equitable. Indigenous peoples, communities of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQIAP2S+ people, immigrants and refugees, people with limited incomes, non-English speakers, and others have faced exclusion from natural spaces, educational opportunities, scientific careers, and environmental decision-making. We commit to learning from this history and working to avoid perpetuating these harms.
Vancouver Bee Project welcomes people of every race, ethnicity, tribal affiliation, national origin, age, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, income, housing or immigration status, and level of scientific experience. We want people not only to participate, but also to be heard, contribute, lead, and feel that they belong.
We commit to:
Keeping programs free or low-cost, family-friendly, and physically accessible whenever possible.
Bringing science into schools, parks, neighborhoods, libraries, community centers, and other places where people already gather.
Expanding bilingual and Spanish-language resources and working with community partners to reduce financial, language, transportation, and knowledge barriers.
Designing programs with communities rather than assuming we know what communities need.
Supporting diverse scientists, educators, artists, vendors, volunteers, partners, and organizational leaders.
Listening respectfully to feedback, examining our biases, interrupting discrimination, acknowledging mistakes, and working to repair harm.
Evaluating whom our programs reach, while respecting participant privacy, and identifying communities that remain underserved.
We recognize that Indigenous peoples have cared for the lands, waters, plants, and animals of Southwest Washington since time immemorial. We will approach Indigenous knowledge with respect, consent, and appropriate attribution, and we welcome opportunities to listen to and collaborate with Indigenous communities.
When we use the word “native” to describe bees, plants, or other species, we are using an ecological term for organisms with long-standing relationships to this region. We do not use the term to imply that Vancouver Bee Project represents Indigenous peoples or communities.
This commitment requires continuing action, reflection, and accountability. We will keep learning and working to ensure that everyone can connect with science, contribute to pollinator conservation, and find community through the Vancouver Bee Project.