Cascade Girl Organization - Oregon Honey Festival

02/10/2026

Bulgaria is a beautiful country accessing the Black Sea. It is located between Greece, Serbia, Turkie and Romania. They take their beekeeping seriously having about 830,000 hives at the last count in 2024. Today, Bulgarian Beekeepers celebrated St. Haralambos and asked for blessings on honey and bees asking for protection against pesticides and climate change. At a time when Beekeepers are losing about 60% of the hives, this makes all kinds of sense.
“Those who consume the blessed and consecrated honey are given health, not only for themselves, but also for their bees,” said Rumen Gavrilov, a 69-year-old beekeeper who has attended every prayer in honor of St. Haralambos.
He and others flocked to churches across the country to pray for the protection of bees and their precious product from harmful chemicals and the effects of climate change. .

In Bulgaria, priests blessed jars of honey during a religious festival honoring St. Haralambos, the patron saint of beekeepers.

12/31/2025

I have never actually met a stingless bee but they do fascinate me. Smaller than the honey bee, they have relatively diminished stingers but are able to defend themselves by biting. The real headline here however, is that they have been granted rights. This allows us to think about them differently. I think most good Beekeeper do reflect on the will of the hive. They almost leave you no choice because they have their own social system, but to actually have rights - that falls into the realm of legal conceptualization. I’m excited to hear what this will mean in practice.

Planet’s oldest bee species and primary pollinators were under threat from deforestation and competition from ‘killer bees’

12/27/2025

Agate Honey Bees - this one is for you!

12/19/2025

I’d like to take an opportunity to highlight an amazing Ashland, Oregon Community member, Janai Mestrovich. When you say that someone works really hard oftentimes what that conjures up is an image of drudgery - and she is anything but that! So, think “ethereal” because she brings magic to an often weary world by not only bringing food but also “sparkle” to the unhoused. She herself is (like the bees) very real, very disciplined, very consistent and very dedicated. She has also created a whole “hive” of similarly minded people who embody the spirit of this season (they call themselves Elves!). Thank you, Janai for providing hope, inspiration and joy this and all seasons!

Ashland, ORE. -- Twice a week, Superkid Power's executive director, Janai Mestrovich, helps cook and feed warm meals at Lithia Park for those in need.

12/14/2025

Not all honey is honey and validity is crucial to the industry! We will be keeping a close eye on Congressman Greg Steube’s & Rep. Jimmy Panetta’s bipartisan Honey Integrity Act. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2162

12/03/2025

11/28/2025

🐝A Decade of Pollinators!🐝
This year, we are so thankful for your belief In us and our mission to educate people about pollinators of the Cascade region. Ten years ago, we knew we wanted to do something to bring attention to the immense possibilities that the natural world presents. At the time, we did not yet know everything that would involve but through the years, three projects have emerged focused on educating kids, veterans and the public.

Both managed and native pollinators have played roles in bringing learners to a broader appreciation for the natural world - and you all have been willing participants, whether It was through your attendance at a Cascade Girl seminar or the Oregon Honey & Mead Festival, or as a volunteer an educator or a learner.

Midway through the decade we really needed your support as we overcame the ravages of the Almeda Fire that took out our bees, our equipment two homes of board members and to be honest, our spirit. With your encouragement though, we made It through and even produced a honey that won two national competitions at the the Good Food Foundation, a sweet experience that helped make the struggle worth it all. On the good news front, our veteran group recently followed suit by producing their first bottled and labled honey, the product of woking with us from May through October!

Other accomplishments this year included collaboration with David Kollen, bee ambassador at The Xerces Society to produce workshops within the community, classes on honey tasting, the Oregon Honey & Mead Festival, working with the The Pollinator Partnership’s Pollinator Partnership's national Farm and Agriculture workgroup focused on Bee Friendly Farming, the design of a veteran pollinator garden and a grant from the Ford Family Foundation.

As we face 2026, we continue our partnerships with the veterans, with Shooting Star Nursery and Grizzly Peak Winery, all of which have provided a home base for science guided beekeeping and observation. Our goals Include broadening our educational projects by expanding our reach through collaboration with Southern Oregon Research & Extension Center - Oregon State University national, state and local educators, organizations such as Southern Oregon Beekeepers Association, and the veterans' agricultural community.

We invite you to join us again this coming year by attending one of our events or meetings and hope you will tell us about your own pollinator and garden experiences. We'd love to hear from you!

With warmest wishes,
The Cascade Girl Organization

To Donate, visit https://www.cascadegirl.org/home
Cascade Girl is recognized under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS tax code.
Tax ID #47-4838301
100% of all contributions go to the advancement of education about Pollinators, Agriculture and Human Health