Schools Receive Pollinator Habitat Grants

Sand County Foundation is awarding pollinator habitat grants to eight schools in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. 

This competitive grant program gives high school agriculture and science students hands-on experience growing native wildflowers and establishing habitat for imperiled insect pollinators and monarch butterflies. 

Grant recipients receive native seeds and seedlings, technical assistance, educational resources, and $500 to support project expenses. 

Insect pollinators are essential for crop pollination and ecological diversity. In recent years their populations have declined partly due to loss habitat, especially in the agricultural landscape. 

“Students will germinate and grow native plants over the winter, and plant them outside in the spring as an experiential learning opportunity,” said Haley Mikkelsen, Sand County Foundation Education and Outreach Specialist. “We encourage applicants to partner with landowners to establish pollinator habitat on agricultural and other working lands.” 

The selected schools are: 

• Breckenridge Community Schools, Breckenridge, Michigan
• Durand High School, Durand, Illinois
• Gilman High School, Gilman, Wisconsin
• Little Falls Community High School, Little Falls, Minnesota
• Sanilac Career Center, Sanilac, Michigan
• Summit Tech Center, Scottsville, Michigan
• Van Buren Tech, Lawrence, Michigan
• Vandalia Community High School, Vandalia, Illinois

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. The pollinator habitat grant program is made possible thanks to financial support from Syngenta, We Energies Foundation, and the Haglund Ecology Fund.

Educators and landowners interested in becoming involved in the project are encouraged to contact Haley Mikkelsen at hmikkelsen@sandcountyfoundation.org for more information.