Pollinator Habitat Restoration on a UP National Forest

This week our Conservation Coordinator and Project Technician made the trip to the Hiawatha National Forest to plant over 3000 native wildflower plugs purchased from Northern Natives Erosion Control. Monday morning, the U-haul was loaded and both employees traveled to Munising to begin work. The first day, the crew planted 833 various wildflowers (milkweed, bee balm, mountain mint, cone flowers etc.), the first day was around 54 degrees and windy but that was really beneficial to keep the biting insects off us while we worked. We had a method of one of us drilled holes and another one planted, it was a good method but the last day we got an idea to be even quicker. 

The second day, we were able to plant 1,274 wildflowers. It was a beautiful day around 65 degrees. We started a little later than we intended to because we had to get water for the plants, but we still made phenomenal progress. All we did that day was plant and try to get as much done as we could so our last day-the hottest day- didn't have as many to do. 

Now that we had water on hand we were able to start the third and final day earlier to try and beat the heat which was in the 80's for that day. We developed a new method that allowed us to work faster in an assembly line method. We would scout out some of the last remaining good soil free from too many roots or tall grasses and bring wagon loads of plants to those places to reduce the amount of trips we had to make. Someone would drill the holes, someone would lay out the plants and when around 200 were laid out we would plant them. We had 893 that day and we got done after lunch. All the plants got water, and with the storms that came through last night I think they got a good second dose. 

While we were out there we heard sandhill cranes, saw northern harriers and were swarmed by black flies the last day. Field work truly is at the heart of conservation efforts. That is were we can do what we say we want to do and see the benefits that comes from it.