Lottery Winner
Yes, there is exciting news from Sweet Mountain Farm. I entered a Lottery sponsored by Wisconsin DNR Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation. The DNR offers the lottery from December 15 – January 15, each year. There were about 1,000 lottery entries this year representing every Wisconsin County. The great news is Sweet Mountain Farm was a lottery winner!
The prize is a personal visit from Alex Wenthe, Wisconsin’s leading conservation biologist. 85 percent of land in Wisconsin is privately owned. Wenthe said,”having good habitat on private land is critical to conserving rare plants and animals.” Wenthe identifies, and documents a property’s soil, water, plant, tree, animal and insect species. He will provide Sweet Mountain Farm with an ecological report of the property, including its surrounding area.
The information will help the farm manage its native plants, animals and insect populations. The report identifies potential threats like invasive species and tree diseases. The report recommends control techniques and identifies resources to pursue any problematic issues. The report includes information about funding sources and lists conservation organizations that help put conservation plans into place.
The site visit not only reviews the vision for the land but also uncovers new information to reinforce and build upon that vision. Gaining insight into possibilities for implementing meaningful, long lasting conservation practices is the goal. For instance, Sweet Mountain Farm plans to complete the honeybee pollinator prairie this year. We will be anxious to gain more insight about pollinator habitat.
Stay tuned for a sign up. Sweet Mountain Farm will invite land conservation enthusiasts to join us for Wenthe’s visit. In May we will also host a “Plant for the Pollinators” field day.
The Wisconsin Natural Heritage Conservation program offers a free quarterly newsletter for private landowners. Sign up at https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/endangeredresources/nhQuarterly.html.