The Project: Honeybees pollinate approximately $10 billion worth of crops in the United States each year. However, of the hundred or so crops that make up most of the world's food supply, only 15% are pollinated by domestic bees, while at least 80% are pollinated by wild bees and other wildlife. To combat the declining bee and butterfly population the Lincoln County Land Services Department has been awarded a grant to convert two (2) acres of turf grass into pollinator habitat.
Year Three (2022)
During the spring of 2022, the Pollinator Project held it's first prescribed burn. This was a cooperative effort between the Wisconsin DNR, City of Merrill Fire Department, and the Lincoln County departments of Maintenance, Land Services, and Forestry.
A prescribed burn, also called a controlled burn, is a planned fire that is controlled and applied by a team of experts under specific conditions. Prescribed fires are conducted under desired conditions to meet specific objectives in land management. For the Pollinator Gardens, we had three main goals.
- Eliminate or reduce invasive species.
- Enrich the soil with nutrients that are a byproduct of the ash.
- Stimulate new growth by utilizing heat shock to germinate heat sensitive seeds.
A video was created for local classrooms on the full process. This video can be viewed here.
