Rockwell Collins grant to NICC will pay for trees and shrubs at NICC Calmar

 The Rockwell Collins Green Communities program has awarded a $2,500 grant to NICC Calmar to help pay for a shrub and tree planting project designed to create a shelterbelt just south of Iowa's Dairy Center near the Calmar campus.

The wind break will provide wind protection, improve the aesthetic beauty of the area, create additional wildlife habitats and reintroduce native plant species to the land. The 1.2-acre designated area for the project is located near the new robotics milking system addition at Iowa Dairy's Center.

NICC will use the money to buy a tree mix of ninebark, hazelnut, highbush cranberry, silky dogwood and norway spruces on the property, based on the recommendation and environmental expertise of the Winneshiek County Soil and Conservation District.

Beginning next spring, volunteers will plant 450 trees and shrubs in the area.  Construction of the new robotics milking system addition at the dairy center is delaying the planting, but this fall volunteers on campus will prepare the area and soil.