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 The Seeds for Education (SFE) Grant Program honors
Lorrie Otto, who inspired school garden projects in the 1970s in the
Milwaukee, Wisconsin area. For more than 20 years, Wild Ones: Native
Plants, Natural Landscapes has awarded SFE grants to youth-serving
organizations for acquiring native plants and seeds for outdoor
learning areas that engage youth (preschool to high school) directly
in planning, planting and caring for native plant gardens throughout
the United States. In 2022 alone, Wild Ones is proud to have awarded
over $9,500 in funds and partner with 24 youth-serving organizations
in 19 states on critical native plant projects.
Jen Ainsworth, Executive Director of Wild Ones, says, "We are
pleased to support the youth of Elkhart as they learn about native
plants, pollinators, and supporting biodiversity and nature with
this project.” The grant funds will be used to distribute native
plant plug kits (milkweed and nectar plants) and provide seed
training sessions that will include native plant seeds.
Mona Maas, Elkhart’s Habitat project coordinator, says "This will be
an exciting hands-on learning experience for our youth. This grant
will help us purchase the native seeds and plants we need. The kids
can hardly wait to get started!" The children will learn about the
benefits of native plants while getting a close-up view of
butterflies, songbirds and other creatures that use these plants for
vital food or shelter.
Elkhart Public Library is supporting the grant educational
opportunities for the Habitat. Native flower and pollinator friendly
seeds are available at the library to help expand the Elkhart native
pollinator monarch butterfly and other pollinator populations. The
library will be hosting a fun class for children on seeds,
pollination and more for children and adults, followed by a walk the
habitat to plant the seeds in the new seed bed. The native plant
plugs kits will be distributed in May at the Habitat.
Doug Tallamy, Wild Ones Lifetime Honorary Director, University of
Delaware entomologist and renowned author of “Bringing Nature Home”
and “Nature’s Best Hope,” explains the value of such projects. “We
have turned 54% of the lower 48 states into a matrix of cities,
suburbs, roads, airports, power and pipelines, shopping centers,
golf courses, infrastructure, and isolated habitat fragments, with
41% more of the U.S. into various forms of agriculture. That’s
right: we humans have taken 95% of the natural world and made it
unnatural.”
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Youth and community volunteers at Elkhart’s Monarch Flyway Native
Plant and Pollinator Habitat are working to help reverse that trend, bring back
critical wild space and instill an appreciation for nature in Elkhart by
providing native plants plug kits and seeds for seed training this spring and
summer with funds from the Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Grant Program (SFE)
administered by Wild Ones. Wild Ones is a nationally recognized,
membership-based non-profit organization with a mission to promote
environmentally sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the
preservation, restoration and establishment of native plant communities. Wild
Ones achieves their mission by providing quality, online learning opportunities
open to the public that feature experts in the native plant movement; producing
free, region-specific, native garden design templates to help people start their
first native garden; awarding Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education grants that engage
youth in planning, planting and caring for educational natural landscapes;
publishing a quarterly, award-winning journal featuring valuable native plant
information and resources; and supporting the grassroots efforts of over 90
nationwide Wild Ones chapters representing over 7,000 members in 27 states.
Work began on the Elkhart Monarch Flyway Native Plant and Pollinator Habitat in
2020. Clean cardboard was set down and mulch was laid on top of the cardboard.
Trees were pruned and debris removed. A water hydrant was installed at the site.
Native plants, shrubs, plugs, and seeds were planted by volunteers. Plant
marking tags, labels and group markers were installed. By May 2021 the plants
were growing and some were blooming, a rock “river” was put down to guide heavy
rain water through the site. A metal plant marker for each species was in place,
and the weeds were under control. School children from the Mt. Pulaski School
District got involved by making and decorating a compost bin and six bird
houses. A rain gauge and puddling tray were installed. By early June the site
was growing and ready for the official opening celebration.
“Now in the spring and summer of 2022, we will continue educating the youth at
our habitat and encourage planning, planting and tending native plant gardens
and pollinator pockets,” says Maas.
[Peggy Lee]
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