Prairie Project at Woldumar
Donation protected
Woldumar Nature Center is a self-funded non-profit environmental education organization located in Lansing, MI. Woldumar maintains 180 acres of diverse habitat along the Grand River, with over 5 miles of hiking trails open for visitors to explore daily.
Our primary mission is to educate people about the natural environment. We accomplish this goal by providing naturalist-guided school field trips, educational camp programs for kids, community classes and events, and by making our grounds and Visitor Center available for public exploration.
One natural area at Woldumar is our Michigan Prairie. This is an open space of native grasses and wildflowers. It is an important area for a great diversity of wildlife, and an important educational tool.
The prairie needs regular maintenance to remain an open space - namely, periodic burning every 3-5 years - otherwise it gives way to woody growth (bushes) and invasive grasses. Autumn Olive, Buckthorn, Honeysuckle, and Phragmites are non-native species that can currently be found in our prairie.
Due to a number of delays, the prairie is long overdue for a burn. Several efforts to have the burn administered by a corps of volunteers have fallen through, most recently in March of this year.
We have received a quote from a contractor who is willing to perform a controlled burn of the prairie for $2650. The surplus of this funding would go toward durable signage to acknowlege certain significant contributors to this effort, which will be purchased through Genesis Graphics in Escanaba, MI.
If funding is obtained quickly (think: this weekend!) the burn may take place yet this spring. Otherwise, we will burn in the fall of 2014.
Our primary mission is to educate people about the natural environment. We accomplish this goal by providing naturalist-guided school field trips, educational camp programs for kids, community classes and events, and by making our grounds and Visitor Center available for public exploration.
One natural area at Woldumar is our Michigan Prairie. This is an open space of native grasses and wildflowers. It is an important area for a great diversity of wildlife, and an important educational tool.
The prairie needs regular maintenance to remain an open space - namely, periodic burning every 3-5 years - otherwise it gives way to woody growth (bushes) and invasive grasses. Autumn Olive, Buckthorn, Honeysuckle, and Phragmites are non-native species that can currently be found in our prairie.
Due to a number of delays, the prairie is long overdue for a burn. Several efforts to have the burn administered by a corps of volunteers have fallen through, most recently in March of this year.
We have received a quote from a contractor who is willing to perform a controlled burn of the prairie for $2650. The surplus of this funding would go toward durable signage to acknowlege certain significant contributors to this effort, which will be purchased through Genesis Graphics in Escanaba, MI.
If funding is obtained quickly (think: this weekend!) the burn may take place yet this spring. Otherwise, we will burn in the fall of 2014.
Organizer
Kevin Wernet
Organizer
Lansing, MI
