Part III: Why the Newaygo Conservation District?

The Nursery= Photo courtey of Newaygo Conservation District

Open House Coming March 12th

By Lori Larsen

The Newaygo Conservation District Nursery

The Newaygo Conservation District (NCD) was established in 1950, one year after the creation of the national conservation district program.  The Newaygo Conservation District Nursery was established the same year. 
 
The land on which the NCD Nursery is located was leased from the Henning family with a life lease of $2,000 annually. This lease ended with the passing of Mrs. Henning in December of 1999 when the ownership was transferred to the NCD. The property includes 28 acres.

The NCD Nursery provides bare-root seedlings in bulk to conservation districts throughout the State of Michigan and to residents for reforestation, afforestation, wildlife planting and erosion control. The NCD nursery focuses on native Michigan trees and shrubs. Over the past three year alone over 1.5 million seedlings have been sold through the NCD Nursery. 

The NCD nursery is a valuable resource for any landowner interested in the restoration of native species, not only for watershed management, but for pollinators and landscape aesthetics. 

The staff of the nursery is currently establishing baseline studies for future soil health research. They are exploring innovative ways to increase the soil productivity of the nursery while increasing the soil health of the property. In the near future there will be an active internship program providing opportunities for students from area high schools and colleges to develop their skill sets in nursery management and expand their base for individual areas of interest. 

Note to the Retirees of Newaygo County
The NCD hopes to expand our reach to the valuable resources of our retired community. The nursery offers two statewide tree sales, one in the spring and one in the fall. The human resources needed to successfully conduct those sales are immense. Who better to fill that need than the skilled and resourceful retirees of our community? The work environment is relaxed and rewarding and wonderfully flexible.
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If you enjoy gardening or working with equipment, if you like to organize, enjoy the company of other active, involved people, if you can figure out the intricacies of an irrigation system, or just like being outdoors with a purpose, please join us for the open house.  The board members and staff would like to meet you and explore possibilities. 

The Nursery open house will be held March 12th from 10:00 am until 12:00 pm. We will offer a tour of the nursery and an introduction to this valuable resource and how you can be involved. The NCD nursery is located at 1725 E. Walnut Street, Newaygo.
For more details about the activities and schedules of our nursery, please call Luke Cotton at (231)349-4455.

Next week we will explore the Kropscott Farm Environmental Center and the incredible potential that resource offers our community, with your help, of course.

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