Special Recognition Awards

Birds and Bees Engineers

including of Mike Bishop, Joe Gorney, Cynde Sears, Alexis Slebodnick, Paul Slebodnick, and Bill White

At no cost to the county, the Birds and Bees Engineers team of volunteers has invested hundreds of hours over the past six years to install and maintain homes for bluebirds and purple martins at county parks. This group--consisting of Mike Bishop, Joe Gorney, Cynde Sears, Alexis Slebodnick, Paul Slebodnick and Bill White--has monitored the bluebird houses at Twin Lakes Golf Course, Burke Lake Park, Oak Marr RECenter, and the Upper Occoquan Service Authority. It has worked to educate and install purple martin colonies throughout Fairfax County, including Twin Lakes. And last year, members of the group established a partnership with Twin Lakes management to start a honeybee yard on the course. The team has bolstered the bird population and helped the survival of important pollinators. Through these efforts, the team is helping to assure the biodiversity of natural areas and preserve native species. The projects have bolstered the bird population and helped with the survival of important pollinators. Twin Lakes alone now has 35 bluebird boxes with 75 fledglings this year. Its six purple martin colonies are expected to produce 350 new birds. Each of the four active honeybee hives can house an average of 50,000 bees.