Toms River North's 'Bee Girl' Honored With NJ Environmental Award

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Kaitlyn Culbert has made a name for herself as the "Bee Girl", winning honors for her honeybee projects at science fairs throughout the area.

Her work, including a YouTube channel, laboratory studies and creation and promotion of pollinator gardens, has earned her another accolade: the Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award for student-led environmental education.

Culbert is one 10 honorees in the 23rd annual presentation of the awards, which celebrate individuals and organizations that demonstrate commitment and leadership on a variety of environmental issues, including environmental justice, climate change, sustainability, education, and protection of natural resources.

She has been honored at the 2020 AEOP (Army Education Outreach Program) National Science Challenge, and the Delaware Valley Science Fair for her project on breakthroughs in honeybee health. She has been a finalist for the last two years at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, the world’s largest science competition for high school students.

Culbert worked with Rutgers and Stockton universities to implement a laboratory project and field study involving Varroa mites — the main threat to honeybees — and essential oils used to control them.

She does more than research, however. The state Department of Environmental Protection in its announcement of the award highlighted her work to set up a 4-H beekeeping club centered at Jakes Branch County Park in Beachwood. Culbert secured donations for beehives, equipment, and honeybees, so the 4-H Busy Bees Beekeeping Club can teach other youngsters about the world’s most important pollinator.

She has a YouTube channel called Katie’s Adventures in Beekeeping where she narrates her experiences caring for a busy hive.

Culbert also serves as a Rutgers Pollinator Habitat ambassador. In August, she secured a grant from the Xerces Society and was given 600 native plants from the Pinelands Nursery that were used to plant a 2,500-square-foot pollinator garden at Jakes Branch, which she helps maintain. Culbert aims to build more pollinator gardens throughout the Ocean County Park system, the DEP announcement said.

The awards were presented virtually and the DEP published a video that includes remarks from all the award winners. The portion honoring Culbert is about 18 minutes into the video below:

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