2014, located pre-security outside of concourse B. Flight Path explores bees and flight through a variety of mediums inc
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Pollinator Conservation Program Fact Sheet
Program Description The Port of Seattle, in partnership with The Common Acre, installed 18 honey bee hives at Sea-Tac Airport in April 2013 as part of a conservation program to increase the genetic diversity of local pollinators. With open space around the airfield and bee populations in decline, the airport is uniquely suited to host an apiary. Like most airports, Sea-Tac has large tracts of unused, open land that provide an added buffer to protect people and property next to the runways. As a key part of the food chain, bees provide a regional benefit and further the Port’s goal of helping the local economy through a robust agriculture industry and related jobs. Program Features Sea-Tac has hives located at three sites: east and west of the Tyee Golf Course and west of the airfield. Bees at SeaTac contribute to the port’s local conservation efforts at the airport’s wetland mitigation sites where approximately 150,000 plantings and other restoration projects are underway. To educate and inspire travelers about the importance of bees, a pollinator art and educational exhibit opened in June 2014, located pre-security outside of concourse B. Flight Path explores bees and flight through a variety of mediums including paintings, blown glass and a mosaic, featuring works by 24 Northwest artists. The Ecosystem and the Economy Honey bees pollinate approximately one third of all U.S. crops that humans eat and three quarters of all the flowering plants of the world. An estimated $15 billion worth of freight, including agricultural products, is exported through Sea-Tac annually. Creating a hardier Northwest honeybee In the face of the massive national and regional decline of bees, Sea-Tac’s program contributes to the number of healthy bees in the region. Deforestation, disease, urbanization, agricultural practices, invasive species and land management practices all have led to the decline of pollinators, including honeybees. The project will raise and select for the hardiest queen bees to strengthen hive health in western Washington. Planes and bees Air traffic controllers at Sea-Tac direct an average of 850 planes each day, transporting 34 million people and 292,000 metric tons of cargo a year. Honeybees also rely on efficient operations, log up to 200,000 flights a day and visit two million flower blossoms to generate one pound of honey. Like planes, bees have wings, fuselages and landing gear. They use terminals, runways, and complex navigation and communication systems. Bees transport cargo from a hub to the home port. These pollinators consume fuel for their journey, and gather resources at both ends of their trip. Partners in Hive Health The Common Acre, a local nonprofit, is collaborating with the Port of Seattle to promote hive health and bee conservation awareness.
More Details Read a news release and see a video here. For more information on Sea-Tac’s comprehensive program on wildlife management, go to the port’s website.
