Conservation Department’s event set for Oct. 16

For the Tomahawk Leader

MERRILL – The Lincoln County Conservation Department is inviting the public to take part in the first annual “seed harvest” at the Lincoln County Pollinator Garden, located at the Lincoln County Service Center, 801 N. Sales St., Merrill.

The event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 16, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

“You may have noticed the lawn around the Lincoln County Service Center looking a bit different than it did in the past,” the Conservation Department said in a release. “In 2019, the Lincoln County Land Services Department was awarded the Bayer North America Bee Care Program ‘Feed a Bee’ Initiative grant. Through this grant and with the help of local groups, schools, and other agencies, the Lincoln County Service Center was able to convert 52,470 square feet of turf grass into pollinator habitat.”

The Conservation Department explained that following the establishment of the gardens in 2019, the Land Services Department received an additional grant from SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education).

“This grant provides additional funding to hold educational workshops and place interpretive signs for the community,” the Conservation Department stated.

“Starting with the first seed harvest this fall, we hope that this garden will serve as an open resource and living classroom for our community,” said Tom Boisvert, Conservation Program Manager for Lincoln County. “Our intent is to help create additional pollinator gardens, however big or small, throughout Lincoln County and, by doing so, help our declining pollinator populations.”

The seed harvest event is made possible by the SARE grant, the Conservation Department said.

For more information, contact Boisvert at 715-539-1054.