My interest in conservation sparked from an environmental science class in high school and my involvement with the Trailbound club. Trailbound is an adventure club for HS kids that takes trips all over the US combining history and nature all while camping in our nation’s beautiful parks.
As an adult, I became interested in cultivating native species after listening to a couple of books by an entomologist, Douglas Tallamy, called ‘Bringing Nature Home’ and ‘Nature’s Best Hope’. These books helped me realize that by planting and maintaining native plants, I can help the birds and the bees and the butterflies and the trees.
A few years ago my husband and I decided we were done with subdivision life, and we wanted more space. We began looking for land with about 10 acres. While looking we found a beautiful property that had just gone back on the market with 35 acres of mixed agricultural field, woodlands and seasonal wetlands. Having a strong love for nature and knowing the importance of conservation, we purchased the land assuming one house built would be better than a new subdivision. We then began researching the best way to make our land as hospitable to native species as possible. A friend got me in contact with Jared O’Brien with the Partners for US Fish and Wildlife. Together we planted a 5 acre native prairie surrounding our home, using funds from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI).
Today our property welcomes all kinds of wildlife, including hawks, bats, deer, coyote, opossum, raccoons, ground hogs, rabbits, hummingbirds, and many other varieties of birds. We also welcome many insects that help regulate our ecosystem, including dragonflies, butterflies, beetles, and bees.
As much as we love how amazing our prairie has become we recognize there is always work to do. As we manage our home life with work and kids, we are allowing our native prairie to grow and expand and making time to protect it from invasive species. Future projects will include removing invasive species from our woodlands, and one day.. improving our tiny wetlands area.
