Volunteers and community leaders at NICC Calmar planted trees on Friday to implement the next step in the college's conservation plan, the planting of a savannah along Highway 150 and in another area just west of campus.
The college's effort is made possible through the statewide Trees Forever and Alliant Energy Branching Out community tree-planting program. Alliant Energy contributed $2,000 to NICC to fund the tree planting project and support NICC's comprehensive, sustainable conservation plan. The savannah planting project is the third step in a conservation plan that started with the creation of a shelterbelt and short grass native prairie on campus, and the plan will eventually include a public garden, butterfly garden and bioswale.
The goals of the project include providing wind protection, improving aesthetics, increasing plant diversity, ensuring soil quality, providing wildlife habitat and reintroducing native plant species to the land. The Alliant grant provides financial support for the creation of over three acres of oak savanna that is currently a grass field.
Reintroducing the native landscape on the Calmar campus will provide an environmental learning tool to understand the region's historical ecosystem, and, at the same time, conserve energy by minimizing the need to mow large areas of grass. Planting trees also helps lower residential and commercial energy costs, reduces peak electric demand and provides other long-term health, economic, social and environmental benefits for the community. The Alliant grant helped NICC to purchase 60 total trees, including shagbark hickory, white oak, red oak and burr oak trees.
The Alliant funding follows the receipt of a Rockwell Collins Green Communities Grant that supported the shelterbelt creation and a Pheasants Forever grant that helped the college establish the native prairie. Trees Forever administers the Branching Out program through Iowa to provide technical and planning support to participating communities. Alliant Energy funds the overall program, and provides project grants to the communities. In 2010, the program awarded more than $143,054 in grants to assist 49 Iowa communities and groups with tree planting projects.