Today I found out that one of our City Counselors is proposing this new bee ordinance that would require bee keepers to register their apiaries, get inspections and keep their hives 75 feet away from property lines (unless there are walls or fences at least 6 feet high to separate them) as well as a few other minor details.
He says he only doing what his constituents want him to do. Well, there are bees everywhere. It’s their job to fly to far away places and then come back home for the evening. Just because I have some coming home to my backyard doesn’t mean they’re going to sting my neighbor on their way in.
Also, registration and inspections cost money, money no one I know really has to throw away and into the pocket of a city who will have had to create a job for someone specifically hired to inspect said registered apiaries. The Bee Police? Really?! Awesome.
OH! And the whole 75 feet thing! Really? Really?! 99.9% of the people in Santa Fe who might want to have a hive or two do not have 75 feet between themselves and their neighbors. For real. We live on itty bitty properties. Our property is 1/8 acre, and we’re lucky.
So, after getting some more information…reading a brief article and an Editorial and finding the actual document online…I wrote to my Representatives. Luckily, Santa Feans are a close knit community, and when we believe in something, we fight for it. I’m sure Mr. Dominguez is already getting an ear full. A sweet, sticky, ear full. If you live here in Santa Fe, please write your Representatives. Their job is to listen to what you have to say. Speak loudly. Cheers!
