-
Dear Portland,
We have a problem.
In order to keep honeybees in this city you must obtain a permit.
Fine.
In order to obtain a permit you must get the signatureof every neighbor within 150 feet of your property stating that you have their permission to keep bees on your property.
Not fine.
If one neighbor says no, you are out of luck. You can then be fined for keeping honeybees on your property, even though native pollinators exist all over this earth, country, state and city that can also sting and cause allergic reactions.
Two months ago the hive pictured above was considered to be “unkempt” by Vector Control and was ordered to be removed due to “public outcry”. In this specific case public outcry translates to one neighbor (who had already given her written permission for the hive to be in our friend’s yard) simply changing her mind and calling Vector Control.
We need bees and this policy is counter productive.
It makes sense to notify your neighbors of a hive in case of allergies, but that is where your responsibility to them should end.
We will fix this.
Love,
Sowing Circle Farm
We are a tiny urban farm located in NE Portland, Oregon. We have recently moved our goats, ducks and turkey from the front yard of our small city lot to a much larger space, nearby. We are in the process of clearing laurel and ivy from our new barnyard in order to make way for a demonstration food forest and annual vegetable garden.
We host and teach workshops on self-reliance and urban farming and spend a lot of time answering the questions of passersby. If you have ideas about classes that you want to take or teach please let us know. Or if you just want to hold a baby goat we can help with that too.
For more info email us at sowingcirclefarm@gmail.com
