High school agriculture and science educators in Wisconsin are being encouraged to apply for grants through the Sand County Foundation and other sponsors to raise and transplant native wildflowers in rural areas. The goal is to establish habitat for imperiled insect pollinators and monarch butterflies.
The program supplies plants, growing materials and $1,000 grants to high school agricultural and science departments.
"Students will germinate and grow native plants in the greenhouse in late winter and early spring, and manage and monitor the site through the summer," said Sand County Foundation Specialist Parker Witt. "We encourage applicants to partner with landowners to establish pollinator habitat on agricultural and other working lands."
Successful applications will receive prairie seeds and seedlings, a webinar and consultation, and money to support project expenses. Students must raise the plants in school greenhouses, transplant them to appropriate sites in the spring, and maintain and monitor the plants through the summer.
Insect pollinators and monarch caterpillars are essential for crop pollination and ecological diversity. In recent years their numbers are low partly due to loss of native wildflower habitat near farmland.
The deadline to submit an application is November 19. To apply, visit https://sandcountyfoundation.org/our-work/conservation/high-school-pollinator-habitat-grants
Categories: Wisconsin, Education