LCCD gives out free seeds
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LAKE COUNTY – Pollinator Week, sponsored by the Lake County Conservation District, was by all accounts a success – both at educating the public on the value of pollinators and giving free seeds to gardeners who want to plant plots that attract these beneficial insects and birds.
According to the LCCD crew, 26 people attended a Zoom workshop last Monday on how to prepare a pollinator plot for planting. The basics include knowing your soil characteristics; removing existing vegetation, typically, with a combination of tillage and herbicides, or by covering the plot with plastic to sterilize the soil; planting in clumps; making a commitment to water and control weeds, especially during the first two or three years; and avoiding pesticide use to protect both pollinators and plants.
LCCD also hosted trivia nights at the Ronan Cooperative Brewery and Glacier Brewing in Polson. Tantalizing questions included:
• What’s the most important pollinator species? (honeybees)
• What’s the largest pollinator in the world? (black-and-white ruffed lemur)
• What are the two ways plants reproduce? (a little basic biology here: asexual and sexual)
About 30 people attended the Ronan trivia event and about half that many competed in Polson.
The group also gave away free packets of seeds last Thursday at their office in Ronan and again Friday at the Flathead Lakers’ headquarters in Polson. According to Abby Schmeichel, an Americorps worker assigned to LCCD with the Big Sky Watershed Program, more than 2.5 acres worth of seed was given away last week for gardens large and small, and more is still available at the Ronan office, located on Highway 93.
The week’s events also included free screenings of “The Pollinators,” a documentary that follows migratory beekeepers as they truck hives across the nation so honeybees can work their magic on crucial crops. The movie continues to show through April 15 at Showboat Cinemas.
An online scavenger hunt offered the chance to win site preparation, installation and seeding of a 100-square-foot pollinator plot.
The best part of Pollinator Week? “Just getting a chance to chat with everyone and hear about their plans,” says Schmeichel. “Everybody is so happy and excited, and they’re passionate about pollinators in the area.”
For more information on planting a pollinator plot, visit lakecountyconservationdistrict.org/pollinator-initiative or call 406-676-2811.
