Pollinator Protection and Native Plants Propagation thrived in 2010 thanks to the United States Forest Service, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) and the Cedar Tree Institute.
This is the first of many videos on the construction, dedication and tours of the new Native Plants Greenhouse at the KBIC Natural Resources Department near the Upper Peninsula of Michigan town of L'Anse.
(L'Anse, Michigan) - A dedication ceremony will be held in August 31 for the 16-foot geodesic dome solar-powered greenhouse that was built in this summer at the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) in an effort to restore native species plants to northern Michigan.
It's located at the tribe's Natural Resources Department north of L'Anse along Lake Superior.
Part of the Zaagkii Wings and Seeds Project, the greenhouse project is sponsored by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC), the United States Forest Service (USFS), the Center for Native American Studies at Northern Michigan University, the nonprofit Cedar Tree Institute (CTI) in Marquette, MI.
Native plants "are one of the underpinnings of the ecosystem for wildlife and water quality," said Todd Warner, KBIC Natural Resource Director. "They are a foundation for all the insect and pollinator populations."
"We are expanding our capacity for native plants projects on the reservation," Warner said.
"We try to be part of nature," said Evelyn Ravindran, KBIC NRD natural resources specialist. "It's giving a helping hand to get things back to the way they were."
The greenhouse will grow a wide-range of plants indigenous to the Upper Peninsula starting with the most "cooperative" native plants including Evening primrose, Black-eyed Susan, bee balm, said Jan Schultz, regional botanist for the United States Forest Service (USFS) regional office in Milwaukee.
The greenhouse was purchased from Growing Spaces of Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
The greenhouse includes three solar-powered cooling fans that will take "cool air from the outside and blow it into the dome to help keep it cool in the summer" and a 2,000 gallon water tank designed to store heat, said Allan Werthan, crew supervisor for Growing Spaces.
"It's designed to grow year around with solar energy -- it collects the heat of the day and stores it in massive water tank," Werthan said.
The outside of the dome is covered with translucent polycarbonite panels. The dome's north side of the dome has reflectics insulation to keep it warm in the winter.
About 15 volunteers built the greenhouse over 5 days in mid May.
Singing by:
Joe Masters singing
"Bear Song"
Zaagkii Project Contact info:
http://www.wingsandseeds.org
United States Forest Service Success Stories
http://www.fs.fed.us
New Greenhouse for KBIC Restoration
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/ssrs/story?id=5336
Zaagkii Wings & Seeds - An Update
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/ssrs/story?id=5076
Zaagkii Wings & Seeds Project
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/ssrs/story?id=4025
Larry Stritch
National Botanist
USDA U.S. Forest Service
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Mail stop 1103
Washington, D.C.
20090-6090
202-205-1279 (wk)
lstritch@fs.fed.us
Jan Schultz
Botany, Non-native Invasive Species
Special Forest Products Program Leader
USDA Forest Service Eastern Region
626 Wisconsin Avenue, 7th Floor
Milwaukee, WI
53203
414-297-1189 (wk)
414-944-3963 fax
jschultz@fs.fed.us
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers
Larry Heady
USFS Eastern Region
Regional Tribal Relations Specialist
626 E. Wisconsin Ave, Suite 800
Milwaukee, WI
53202
414-297-3777 (wk)
414- 305-4483 cell
262-825-7586
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC)
http://www.kbic-nsn.gov
KBIC Tribal Chair Warren C. "Chris" Swartz Jr.
906-353-6623 ext. 4104
906-201-1703 cell
tcchris@kbic-nsn.gov
KBIC Vice Chair Susan LaFernier
susan@kbic-nsn.gov
906-353-6623
Lauri Denomie, KBIC newsletter editor
newsletter@kbic-nsn.gov
KBIC Natural Resources Department
http://www.kbic-nsn.gov/html/NR/natural_resources.htm
Todd Warner, KBIC Natural Resource Director
twarner@kbic-nsn.gov
906-524-5757
Evelyn Ravindran, KBIC NRD natural resources specialist
eravindran@kbic-nsn.gov
906-524-5757 ext. 11
Valoree S. Gagnon, of L'Anse, MI, MTU grad student, 2010 KBIC NRD summer volunteer
Cedar Tree Institute
Marquette, MI
Rev. Jon Magnuson
906-228-5494
906-360-5072
Greg Peterson
906-401-0109
Loading...
9:53
Gardening & Beyond: Planting with the Seasonsby udgarparsons753 views
Link to this comment:
All Comments (0)