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.
The ZaagkiiKBIC 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, and 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."
KBIC members will help decide what plants will be grown .
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, according to Jan Schultz, regional botanist for the United States Forest Service (USFS) office in Milwaukee.
"The new native plant greenhouse at KBIC provides additional tools to help restore damaged lands, offers new educational and recreational opportunities to members of all ages, and hands on experience in the very important tasks of healing the earth," said Schultz.
"We're happy, excited and very proud to be involved in the many partnering opportunities for us all - we all benefit and grow from this," Schultz said.
The greenhouse was purchased from Growing Spaces of Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
The greenhouse includes reflectics insulation on the north side, 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 -- so the heat will dissipate slowly at night," Werthan said.
The outside of the dome is covered with translucent polycarbonite panels.
The dome's north side has reflectics insulation to keep it warm in the winter.
About 15 volunteers began erecting the greenhouse on May 17, 2010 and it was finished five days later.
Singing by:
Joe Masters singing
"Bear Song"
NMU CNAS
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 Mobile
262-825-7586 Personal
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
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United States Forest Service sponsored Zaagkii Project featured on Pollinator Liveby ZaagkiiTV338 views
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