Guest Blog Post by the Sleepy Eye YES! Team
With the help of the grant money from the McKnight Foundation, the Sleepy Eye YES! team was able to carry out three projects this past season. We are most excited in working with our local DNR headquarters with Megan Benage, regional ecologist, in planning and planting prairie seed mixes and plugs at Ross Park Apartment Complex and the Sleepy Eye Golf Course. Both of these sites were prepared in May by maintenance personnel and then planted with the help of the DNR and YES! team members. The Sleepy Eye YES! team will continue to partner with these two locations to monitor the progression of growth and continue to add to the sites. The team will be adding bee houses to attract more pollinators to these areas as well as adding to the natural beauty for Ross Park residents and public viewing. The bee houses will be made this coming fall using the building plans of a local farmer/ naturalist and collaborating with the Sleepy Eye Public Woods class.
In addition, the McKnight grant enabled Sleepy Eye Public High School the ability to replace out of date entrance lighting to the high school with new LED lighting that will be installed this summer. This will add to the energy efficiency standards the school district upholds.
