Planting the shore for pollinators
WI Lakes Director Uses Healthy Lakes Grant to Help Keep His Lake Healthy and Helps Insects in Process
By Wisconsin Lakes Staff
WI Lakes Director Dan Butkus decided the shoreline of his Squash Lake property needed to be restored to the more natural condition he remembered from his childhood prior to his father clearing the trees. Knowing this would be not only a benefit aesthetically but also work to help stop the flow of contaminants into the lake, Dan used a Healthy Lakes grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to build a 350 square foot garden along the shoreline. His project, the first Healthy Lakes project in the area, received some well-deserved press in this article from the Rhinelander Star-Journal.
Planting a natural shoreline doesn’t just help with water quality and create a pretty view, though. It also provides much-needed habitat for pollinating insects like bees, a crucial part of a healthy environment in general. To learn more, the Northwest Wisconsin Lakes Conference, this Friday, June 21, 2019, at Hayward Middle School will host a session on the Healthy Lakes grant program of DNR and illustrate the many benefits of restoring your property for the benefit of your lake and more! Please consider attending if you’re in the area!