A New Chapter of Flight in Edmonton’s Downtown Core
A new form of flight is returning to the museum at Blatchford Field that is creating “buzz” for downtown Edmonton. On May 30th, Alberta Aviation Museum is ecstatic to serve as a hive delivery host and participating partner site with YEG Honeycomb. This sustainability initiative aims to provide 12 pollinator penthouses across 6 historic locations throughout Edmonton. This sparks a new chapter in Blatchford Field’s rich history and an exciting step towards sustainable development.
The museum is excited to welcome the arrival of the colonies which will serve as their new flight ambassadors. Two hives will be stationed at the historic aircraft hangar, while the others will be deployed to their future heritage homes: Alberta Hospital Edmonton, Chancery Hall, Grierson Centre, Mercer Warehouse, and Old Man Creek Nursery. The hives will be lovingly managed by a professional beekeeper while providing opportunities to learn new skills, build confidence, foster community, trust, connection and healing.
Bringing bees to Blatchford Field and these heritage sites have a special symbiotic relationship to Edmonton’s storytelling history. “Honey is an expression of our terroir, the story of our urban landscape, from the flora and fauna, the buildings they sit on down to their connection to their environment and people” says Project Manager, Enessa Habib. “Installing bees at these historic sites brings new life to these buildings often overlooked and inspire meaningful dialogue speaking to sustainability, preservation and connection.”
Executive Director Jean Lauzon adds, “Flight has always been a staple of Edmonton’s history in the downtown core. The first flight engineers were often inspired by natural design towards our own progress in taking to the skies. By hosting these colonies, we are looking forward to expanding our programming around this concept and to tell its story.”
The YEG Honeycomb initiative is a 3-year pilot project that is supported by Property Management within the City of Edmonton and the City of Edmonton, paving the way towards developing guidelines for rooftop and non-residential beekeeping within our beautiful city.
A website for the YEG Honeycomb is currently in the works for launch in Summer 2021. In the meantime, if you would like more information and the latest updates, follow the project on Facebook and Instagram (@yeghoneycomb). The Alberta Aviation Museum will also be providing updates on their colonies on their website at www.albertaaviationmuseum.com and on social media (@abavmuseum).