Crockery Creek Watershed Pollinator Habitat Improvement Project
One of major goals of the Farmland & Water Quality Conservation Initiative is to create more sustainable farming operations to protect local groundwater resources and animal habitats, but what happens to farmland once it’s no longer farmland? As Ottawa County’s population grows, many acres of farmland are being converted to new uses which commonly include residential or commercial development.
On a section of land within the Crockery Creek watershed, OCD and NRCS technicians have been assisting a pair of landowners who wish to transform their fallow farmland into improved wildlife habitat. Prior to their purchase of the property, much of the site was overrun with brush, including invasive species and undesirable small trees and shrubs. It also lacked beneficial habitat for native wildlife and contained little biodiversity.
The landowners reached out to the Ottawa Conservation District with an interest in restoring their property back to its pre-settlement state. Their goals included improving habitat for pollinators, establishing a healthy native forest, and increasing local biodiversity. OCD & NRCS technicians were able to assist these landowners by providing management recommendations for the invasive brush and recommendations for seed mixes and native tree species best suited their property. Using this information, they developed a conservation plan which included a long-term management strategy for their property and how to best achieve their goals. Once a conservation plan was developed, the landowners were then eligible to apply for cost-share funding through the Farmland & Water Quality Conservation Initiative.
Once financial assistance was obligated, the landowners were able to take the initial steps towards achieving the goals they laid out in their conservation plan. The first step of this project required the removal of invasive brush. To complete this work the landowners have been working with several local contractors. While OCD cannot recommend specific contractors, we encourage landowners to work with local Ottawa County or West Michigan contractors when possible. The NRCS provides program applicants with a list of federally approved contractors who will carry out land management activities to the specifications required. These landowners chose to reach out to Tree Works, Inc. and Black River Habitats to assist with the invasive brush removal as well as the overall project installation. Check out the photos to the right to see the tree removal progress and check out Tree Works, Inc. hard at work in the video below!
Up next, the landowners, with the help of contractors, will be conducting a couple rounds of weed management to kill off remaining invasive species using both cover crops to suppress weed growth and herbicides to kill off surviving weeds. In 2024, once the existing weeds have been properly controlled, a wildflower seed mix, specially formulated to support monarch butterflies will be broadcasted across the area to encourage the growth of native grasses and flowers. Native tree seedlings purchased through the OCD Native Tree Seedling Sale have already been planted along the edge of the newly cleared field and eventually the landowners hope to encourage the growth of every native Michigan tree species in their forestland.
We’re looking forward to sharing updates on this and the other projects currently being completed with support from the Farmland & Water Quality Conservation Initiative. Stay tuned to see how this property transforms from invasive brush fields to a blooming pollinator paradise!
