Prairie Restoration at Golf Course

Goal Setting & Teamwork:

The prairie restoration project at the Sleepy Eye Golf was started in Spring of 2018 and will continue in a maintenance mode for years to come. (See the maintenance plan below). First three 1/3 acre plots were marked off with the help of Karl Weiss, the groundskeeper at the golf course . Then, using guidelines given by Megan Benage, DNR Regional Ecologist, students had to come up with seed mixes of plants native to Brown County and which met these specific criteria: (See the attached plants spreadsheet below.)

• Seed mixes should have a minimum seeding rate of 40 seeds/sq. ft.*
• At least 40% of the total seeding rate should be composed of perennial forbs.
• 7 or more native grass or sedge species with at least 2 species of bunchgrass.
• Fulfill the guilds: cool season and warm-season grasses; sedges/rushes; legume and non-legume forbs.
• 20 or more native forbs with at least 5 species in each bloom period: Early (April-May), Mid (June-August), and Late (August-October).

After extensive work, the committee received this praise from Megan: Excellent! I loved the students’ work and excitement. They are doing an awesome job. I really got that they are invested in the project . . .“