Arlington is now the 100th city to be certified as a Bee City USA affiliate. Under the initiative, city leaders will take steps to improve the landscape for bees and other pollinators.

Bees are responsible for the reproduction of almost 90 percent of the world’s flowering plants. Their work also directly affects one in every three bites of food we eat. But their population has been dwindling.

As a certified Bee City USA affiliate, The American Dream City will work to reverse that trend through action plans and awareness.

Arlington is now committed to hosting at least one educational event or habitat restoration day every year. The City will also work to create and expand bee-friendly habitats on public and private lands.

There will also be an informational campaign for residents on the City’s website.

Bee City USA is an initiative of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, an Oregon-based nonprofit working to rally communities and protect pollinators.

“The program aspires to make people more PC—pollinator conscious, that is,” said Scott Hoffman Black, Xerces’ executive director. “If lots of individuals and communities begin planting native, pesticide-free flowering trees, shrubs and perennials, it will create large-scale change for many, many species of pollinators.”

Pursuing the Bee City USA designation was a recommendation from the Citizens Environmental Committee, which is a 10-member citizen panel that offers advice concerning strategies and initiatives for improving the quality of the natural environment in the City.