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Laura Bee Ferguson

queenbee@collegeofthemelissae.com

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Motivation

 

My work is about healing our broken relationship to the planet and her creatures, providing hope through collective prayer and support and transforming world-weary anguish into heart-felt creative activism. The Bee is a teacher, animism is her song.

 
Experience

 

BeeSpoken

1973 - present

 

I fell in love with the Honeybee as a child and began to develop a relationship with them in the idyllic landscape of Port Townsend Washington.  I currently serve bees in Southern OR.

I study Bees with the Melissae of the College of the Melissae, in a collaborative exploration of The Six-fold Sacred Path of the Honeybee: Science, Sacred, History, Mystery, Art/Medicine, and Activism.

 

 

Director and Founder 
College of the Melissae; Six-fold Sacred Path of the Honeybee

2012 - present

 

Through collective envisioning and inspiration from ancient beekeeping practices, world-wide our faculty and students are creating an authentic and relevant spiritual beekeeping practice. Creating a Six-Fold Path of Sacred Beekeeping in the hopes of creating a new, holistic approach to beekeeping practices in order to restore balance within apiculture and bring the Sacred back into Apiculture.

Studies are delivered via Online learning platforms, videos, radio, and documents. Faculty and student body represent an international Hive of Sacred Beekeepers, inspiring and learning the language of the Honeybee.

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Author
The Melissae's Field Guide to Bee-Centric Apiculture
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Environmental Project Highlights

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  • Children's Education; Summer camp style beekeeping immersion for youngsters from 4 and 5 years old and up.  I also held a bee club with field training for 6 students from Mar Vista, the alternative public High School in Port Townsend, WA.

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  • USAID/Farmer to Farmer & Partner's of the Americas Grant, Jamaica. Administered trainings throughout Jamaica on value-added products and marketing. I also received in-depth training on beekeeping and it's economy in a developing nation.
    This month gave me an in-depth look at the American Apiculture system as I compared our industries.
    I studied with Les Crowder for this month which also provided me with intensive natural beekeeping methodology, stories and philosophy, and mentorship.

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  • Peru; Taught beekeeping and provided mentorship to small organic beekeeping organization and school in the Sacred Valley. 

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  • Pollinator Project Rogue Valley; Working with teams to provide regenerative habitat for pollinator species.  Currently providing educational forums for the community on health of the bio-region, and speaking and teaching on the Honey Bee.

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  • Radio Host: Honey Culture Radio is "an hour devoted to honeybees and the sweet things in life". Interviews with people who are working to transform the world and heal our relationship with the earth. Poetry, activism, and celebration of Honey Culture. Kick back and enjoy. 
    Live-Streaming & Archived. KSKQ.org Show airs: Thursdays 1-2 PST 89.5 FM

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  • Non-Toxic Jackson & Josephine County: Working to eliminate chemicals in road maintenance

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  • Bee City USA: Ashland & Talent; Laura contributed organizational strategies and spoke passionately to City Councils and community groups to advocate for Bee City designations in Ashland and Talent Oregon.

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Speaking Presentations​

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Social Service Project Highlights

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  • Guardian Ad Litem: for 2.5 years I served as a Court Appointed Advocate for children in the foster care system. 

  

  • Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort: Served as an on-the-ground volunteer shortly after the hurricane for 3 weeks. My jobs varied from rescuing special momentos in sodden destroyed homes to counseling, burying dead animals and solo-painting a day care overnight for an anonymous surprise.

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  • High Ropes and Low Ropes Challenge Course Facilitator and Trainer; For seven years I worked and trained as a low-level and high-level Ropes Course Facilitator. During this time I received training on conflict-resolution, group-empowerment, trust-building and de-briefing exercises for leadership growth.
    Another fun part of this job was creating games, learning games and climbing 40feet into trees to set lines.  Gibb's Lake Challenge Course in Chimacum, WA. and Peninsula College Challenge Course in Port Angeles, WA.

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  • Non-Toxic Jackson County; working with a team of dedicated community members to reduce the use of glyphosate in two-counties on roads and other rights of ways. Goal: to eliminate toxic road spray and replace it with remediation and mechanical controls and maintenance.

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Education

 

Macalester College

Bachelor's degree, Anthropology and Religious Studies

 

Olympic College

Associate of Arts, Fine/Studio Arts, General

Won several awards in a juried student art show. Permanent installation on the Olympic College Campus.

 

Peninsula College

Associate of Arts, Chemical Dependency Counselor, Phi Betta Kappa

 

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Feather 3

Organizations

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  • Apimondia; Presenter and speaker 2017

  • Findhorn UK 2016 & 2017

  • Bee City USA

  • BEE Healing Guild

  • Bellview Grange

  • Pollinator Project Rogue Valley

  • KSKQ.org

  • Non-Toxic Jackson County

  • Bee City Pollinator Garden

  • Universal Life Church

 

Skills

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  • Oracle

  • External Hive Observation

  • Public Speaking

  • Ordained Reverend

  • Group Organization

  • Motivational Speaking

  • Dedicated Volunteer

  • Out-of-the-Box Thinker

  • Leadership Training

  • Activism

  • Animal Communication

  • Artist and Sculptor

  • World Traveler

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