The Buzz on McNeil Island
June 19, 2019
By Rachel Friederich(e mail)

DOC Communications

McNEIL ISLAND – The
environment on McNeil
Island is quiet and serene.
There’s no traffic. The only
sounds are wind rushing
through the trees and theoccasional caw of birds andwaterfowl.
But deep inside the heart ofthe island, two structures
hum and vibrate with life.
Since 2018, the island has
been home to some newresidents: honeybees.

See the video at https://youtu.be/H1r7UcAvwkc
An inmate work crewfrom Cedar Creek Corrections Center in Thurston County travels to the island every other week tocheck on a pair of hives located in the island’s wilderness.
It’s all part of the Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP). SPP is a partnership between
the Department ofCorrections and TheEvergreen State
College. It provides
opportunities forincarcerated
individuals to leadscience andenvironmental
sustainability
Hear the podcasts at https://soundcloud.com/wacorrections/podcast-buzz-on- programs incorrectional facilities.
mcneilhttps://doc.wa.gov/news/2019/06192019.htm

SPP has programs at all 12 of Washington’s prisons.
Several SPP endeavors, such as the beekeeping program, are run with additional help from nonprofit organizations, schools, other agencies and community experts. For example, the Washington
State Beekeepers Association provides beekeeping courses to incarcerated individuals and facility
program staff. The McNeil program is also supported by the state Department of Fish andWildlife and the department's Correctional Industries.
There are approximately 60 hives at SPP sites all around the state, including the two on McNeil
Island.
Program partners placed the hives on McNeil Island in 2018. The island currently houses civilly
committed residents at the Department of Social and Health Services’ Special Commitment Center.
The island has remained closed to the public since budget cuts closed the former McNeil IslandCorrections Center in 2011.
Laurie Pyne with the Beekeeper’s Association leads a group of professional beekeepers who travelto the island weekly between April and October to inspect the hives. Incarcerated individuals from
Cedar Creek’s beekeeping program often accompany the group. As a program coordinator, it’s also
Pyne’s duty to report results from each hive visit to stakeholders.
Pyne says the McNeil Island hives are unique because they don’t face as many threats as hives on
the mainland due to their undisturbed location.
As an example, bees on the mainland can get exposed to pesticides. Numerous studies suggest
pesticides may weaken bees to the point where they can no longer survive diseases and pests thatwould otherwise not kill them. Bees on the mainland also have higher risk for exposure to diseasecarrying mites, which can get introduced from infected bees transported across the country forpollination of commercial crops. Neither the pesticides nor mites are found on the island.
“This is almost unprecedented,” Pyne said. “I don’t know of any other place that exists where there
is a clean environment to put honeybees. There’s no pesticide. There’s no sprays that are used here
so there’s nothing for them to get poisoned with. So that hazard has effectively been eliminated.”Though the hives have only been up for about a year, when beekeepers arrived to inspect them inearly June, the hives seemed robust. Thousands of bees flew in and out of the hive entrance.
Beekeepers Association staff and the Cedar Creek beekeepers observed some larvae and a few
freshly laid eggs. They also observed some honey production within a hive frame.
If the hives remain strong, Pyne says there’s a possibility of splitting the hives to create morecolonies, or even starting a queen breeding program.
The beekeeping program helps improve public and facility safety because it reduces idleness among
inmates and also stimulates intellect & critical thinking. According to a 2014 RAND
Corporation report, inmates who participate in correctional education programs are 43 percent lesslikely to return to prison.
Pyne’s also given talks at several correctional facilities about beekeeping. She says once prison staff
and incarcerated individuals start learning about beekeeping, they often become ambassadors of
the program, educating others about how bees impact the environment and food supply.

https://doc.wa.gov/news/2019/06192019.htm

“We have watched before our eyes the changes these little insects have on these guys (inmates),”
Pyne said. “We’ll get inmates who will stand way back there and they’ll not want to get close, andthen they’ll start watching the guys who are going through the hives and they’ll inch their way
closer. Pretty soon, someone is saying, ‘Can I do that, too? Can I hold that frame? Can I see what
you’re seeing?’ They’re getting excited about they’re doing.”
James Resop says he’s an example of that. The 45-year-old has been incarcerated since 2014. He’s
getting ready to release in 2021. He began learning beekeeping by participating in the Cedar Creek
program a year ago. Maintaining the hives fascinated him so much he applied to take part in theMcNeil hive project. He says interacting with the bees has helped him dispel a belief that bees are‘bad’ insects.
“I’ve always been afraid of bees,” Resop said. “Every time I see them the only thing I’d want to do isswat them, but now I realize the importance bees have for the environment, so I’m a bit more
open-minded.”https://doc.wa.gov/news/2019/06192019.htm