ContemPLATE
is a 84-acre, non-profit farm based in Sterling, Connecticut that provides access to farm-based therapies for veterans and first responders suffering from service-related disabilities such as PTSD, as well as educational mentorship for at-risk youth in both Connecticut and Rhode Island. With their $5,000 grant, they improved their pollination program by purchasing five new colonies of honeybees and establishing an edible pollinator hedgerow filled with flowering plants, trees, and shrubs that will support pollinators year-round, as well as provide crops.
The honeybee colonies are now established in their hives and ContemPLATE has already enjoyed their first honey harvest. The pollinator plantings are in the ground and they are looking forward to harvests of fruit and nuts as the flowering trees grow and establish themselves. Their youth members, “are interested in the bees and have geared up in mini bee suits to check out the hives! Such a great experience to witness,” said Ryan Salvas, project manager.
