Honeybees are essential to a healthy ecosystem.  Diseases and dwindling forage have decimated feral honeybee colonies, making backyard beekeeping more important than ever.

Hobbyist beekeepers live side by side with their neighbors throughout Champaign County.  Neither the City of Champaign nor the City of Urbana have ordinances regulating small-time backyard beekeepers. 

Unfortunately, the Champaign County Board is considering an anti-beekeeping ordinance that will regulate hobbyist beekeepers out of existence in our community.

Champaign County neighborhood beekeepers need your help.  Please help them protect backyard pollinators by signing this petition and, especially, by emailing a statement of support for beekeeping in residential districts within unincorporated areas of Champaign County to ZoningDept@co.champaign.il.us.

The honeybees thank you!

We, the undersigned, are OPPOSED to the any amendment to the Champaign County Zoning Ordinance that would further regulate the keeping of honeybees anywhere in Champaign County.