Saving the honeybee one beekeeper at a time!

Dear friends,

We sometimes stop in our tracks, look around and wonder whether we are dreaming. Nine years ago, we arrived in Floyd to this hilly land with a pasture surrounded by an old fence. The work started right away and what we see now is astonishing: a beautiful landscape, lush trees, gardens, flowers and bees everywhere. Incredible timber-frame structures done with excellent craftsmanship, elegance and beauty touch all who enter them. We are happy and proud to be able to teach, gather and work here in this beautiful place. The honeybees teach us on a daily basis that we have to change our thinking, our attitude, to start caring for the natural world as the very basis for culture and for our existence. We are committed to continue inspiring and serving many generations to come.

Small and large miracles––and so many generous donors––all came together to make this dream possible, not only to continue, but also to deepen and expand the work for the bees, for the Earth and for our communal future at this challenging time. Warm, profound gratitude rays out from our hearts to all who contributed to this accomplishment!

Spikenard Farm Honeybee Sanctuary is thrilled and honored to contribute to the 100-year anniversary of Waldorf education. One of the themes for this celebration is the introduction of the honeybees and pollinator plants into the curriculum and onto school grounds.  With support and encouragement from AWSNA, we started an education program for teachers and parents this past July, and will offer this again in 2019.

Gunther’s travels brought him this year to a number of Waldorf Schools, where he gave talks and workshops to students, faculty and parents: the Waldorf Schools in Richmond, Maine, Washington and North Carolina

Alex traveled to Hot Springs, VA where he gave beekeeping & biodynamic workshops at the Virginia Association for Biological Farming Conference; to Critz, VA to give a keynote at the Patrick County Master Gardeners Symposium; to South Carolina to give a campus-wide address at Wofford College; to Maine to teach in Deb Soule’s biodynamic training at Avena Botanicals; and to the Biodynamic Conference in Portland where he offered a pre-conference workshop on beekeeping.

Our “Friday Open Days” have been very busy this year; visitors come from all over the USA and beyond to learn about the bees and enjoy the peaceful scenery, the flowers and pollinator gardens. This Fall, we were delighted to host The Garden Club of America for their annual meeting: how wonderful it was to have so many (~80) enthusiastic gardeners and flower lovers visit the Sanctuary! Spikenard was honored with the Zone VII Conservation Commendation Award. The recognition of the work that Spikenard has accomplished deeply touched our hearts.

As we look back on another productive and growth-filled season, there are many wonderful accomplishments to celebrate, like our increased educational offerings, a new pollinator forest for the bees, and much more. But without doubt, the major accomplishment of 2018 was the completion of our Capital Campaign. We reached our fundraising goal of $797,000 which allowed us to finish the incredible Bee Barn, the Caretaker’s cottage, and expand our acreage. This all truly lays the foundation for Spikenard to thrive and grow into the future. The joy and gratitude for all this is immense! 

Now, looking forward, we have to direct our attention to expand our team, so that the growing needs for Spikenard can be fulfilled. Capacity building and a stronger outreach work will be our main focus. We are looking forward to special individuals who will join us in carrying Spikenard into the future. More than ever, we rely on your participation to warmly support this venture as we close 2018 and look towards the necessary expansion of our work in 2019.

Thanks in advance for your generosity and support!

With gratitude and warm regards,

Alex

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