Michigan Schools Help Promote Pollinators

Sand County Foundation is awarding pollinator seed starter kits to 17 Michigan schools.

The seed starter kits give K-12 students hands-on experience growing and planting milkweed and other pollinator-friendly wildflowers. Insect pollinators and monarch butterflies are essential for food production and ecological diversity, but their populations are at risk.

The selected schools are:

Alcona Community High School, Harrisville

Cass City Junior and Senior High Schools, Cass City

Centreville High School, Centreville

Charlotte High School, Charlotte

Chesaning Union High School, Chesaning

Comstock STEM Academy, Kalamazoo

Coopersville East and West Elementary Schools, Coopersville

Countryside Academy Elementary, Benton Harbor

Ionia County Career Center, Ionia

Kent Career Tech Center, Grand Rapids

Marshall Middle School, Marshall

Mecosta-Osceola Career Center, Big Rapids

Milan High School, Milan

Oakland Schools Technical Campuses - Southwest, Wixom

Rudyard Elementary, Rudyard

Stockbridge Junior and Senior High School, Stockbridge

Whitehall High School, Whitehall

The kits were awarded to nearly 70 schools throughout Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Sand County Foundation is a national non-profit that champions voluntary conservation practices by farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners to improve soil, water, and wildlife habitat.

“Students are sowing native wildflower seeds over the winter and will transplant them outdoors in the spring as an experiential learning opportunity.” said Haley Diem, Sand County Foundation Education and Outreach Specialist. “Many schools are excited by this project because students of any age can participate, and it does not require a lot of time and resources.”

Each school received enough seed to grow at least 100 seedings, which they can use to establish a pollinator garden or as a giveaway to the community.

“Many native wildflowers require little maintenance while providing habitat and a food source for insect pollinators and monarch butterflies, year after year,” Diem added.

This first phase of the seed starter activity serves about 8,300 students. Sand County Foundation expects to accept applications for another round of schools to apply for seed starter kits in late 2025. To learn more, visit www.sandcountyfoundation.org/schoolgrants.

This work is made possible thanks to financial support from Syngenta, Monarch Joint Venture, U.S. Forest Service International Programs, and Sand County Foundation’s Haglund Ecology Fund.