Resources for Becoming a Bountiful Churchyard

Our Resources section is in development.  If you have ideas, please share them with us.

Liability issues

Community Bee Yards (Community Apiaries)

For a model of how to set up a community bee yard, visit the Village of Schaumburg Community Bee Yard information page  http://www.ci.schaumburg.il.us/GreCorn/Green1/Pages/CommunityBeeYard.aspx#map.  While this site is maintained by a public entity, note that a nearby congregation provides public access and parking to the site.

Another model site to visit is Burg Bees, described in this Penn State Extension News article:  http://extension.psu.edu/allegheny/news/2012/pittsburgh-home-to-burgh-bees-and-americas-first-urban-community-apiary.

Community Gardens:

The Public Health Law Center at William Mitchell College of Law provides a Community Garden Policy Reference Guide on its site, publichealthlawcenter.org.  This guide is useful not only for understanding liability issues, but for developing general policies for the operation of a community garden such as: understanding local zoning and land use requirements; garden design and landscaping; garden rules; composing lease agreements; developing pest control guidelines; setting fees; and much more.

Gleaning Programs:

The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act protects organizations conducting gleaning activities.  The text of this Federal Statute can be found on the FeedingAmerica.org site.

About the Author

Our Executive Director, Stu Richardson, is a former teacher with 25 years in K-12 classrooms. Currently an MDiv. student at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary preparing for ordination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Stu has an M.Ed from Chapman University and an Ed.D. from the University of San Francisco. Outside of work, Stu is a beekeeper with 30 hives of his own set in an organic herb garden. He uses a Worksman Low-Gravity Platform Bike with Extra-Cycle Freetail and a 6 foot Bike-to-Work Trailer for most local errands.