NICC Calmar receives "Living Roadways" grant

The NICC Calmar campus is getting nearly $15,000 from the State of Iowa's Living Roadways Project Program to make improvements to the campus landscaping.

The grant money will be used to help pay to integrate sedges, grasses abd native wetland, savannah and prairie plants into the college's public garden, butterfly garden, shelterbelt, bioswale, oak savannah and native prairie areas.

The project will introduce native Iowa forbs and plant plugs to the new areas on campus. The NICC Landscaping Committee, the City of Calmar and NICC student volunteers will lead the planning and planting effort. Other program partners include Trees Forever, the Iowa Department of Transportation and its Living Roadway Trust Fund and the Federal Highway Administration.

As part of the college's master plan, NICC has created a savannah, planted trees, introduced native prairie spaces and established a shelter belt to beautify the campus, create wind barriers and reduce storm water run-off. The creation of the native plant areas over the past two years offers an additional benefit of reducing the campus' ongoing lawn care and mowing practices, in addition to enhancing and beautifying the campus.