NICHES Prairie Grass Project at LUM
Lafayette Urban Ministry is partnering with NICHES Land Trust to generate much needed seeds from a native plant — Prairie Grass.
Last week NICHES Land Trust volunteers planted 450 plugs of American break grass outside of the LUM administration building (420 N 4th Street, Lafayette) replacing turf. As the plants mature, their seeds will be harvested and used in future restoration of Tippecanoe County woodlands.
Throughout the summer the youth enrolled in the LUM 5th Quarter Summer Learning Program will help weed the beds. After the seeds are harvested the youth will visit NICHES Land Trust properties to see where the seeds will eventually be planted and learn more about how this project helps support and stabilize the local ecosystem. The benefits of this partnership are numerous and some examples are as follows:
- Adds native plants to Downtown Lafayette
- Beautifies N. 4th Street along the LUM building
- Advances the restoration efforts for the woodlands of Tippecanoe County
- Helps stabilize the local ecosystem
- Creates hands-on learning experiences for the students enrolled in the LUM 5th Quarter Program
- Adds an educational field trip for the 5th Quarter students focused on science, ecology, horticulture, botany, Indiana native plants, and conservation
- Assists NICHES in meeting its goals
- Assists LUM in meeting its goals
NICHES Land Trust is a perfect partner for LUM because their involvement in conservation so closely mirrors LUM’s own mission of bringing healing and restoration to families as well as the local community.
NICHES stands for Northern Indiana Citizens Helping Ecosystems Survive. It is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation formed in 1995 that protects, restores and sustains Northern Indiana’s ecosystems by providing habitat for native species and offering natural places for the education, appreciation and enjoyment of current and future generations.
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