Prairie Day: Houlton Elementary creates environmental awareness

• Houlton Elementary students clean up a two-mile stretch of roadside

Houlton Elementary students clean up a two-mile stretch of roadside June 4 that the school adopted. Pictured are Lili Watczak, Jessica Monahan, Joey Qualantone, Dominic Warren, Parker Lehman, Keaton Crawley, Jaxon Renn, Jacob Miller, Jordan Potting, Juliana Lueders, Garrett Hendricks, Cade McDonald, Mac Kavoloski, Jackson Hellmers, Megan Puhrman, Collin Knefelkamp, Nate Caslow, Jack Henry Leines, Ella Diedrich, Harvey Dove, Tyler Dove and Jacob Fanning. Not pictured are adult chaperones. Photo by Margaret A. Ontl
• Students seeding a 2-acre prairie at Houlton Elementary School

Students in grades 1-5 participated in the seeding of a two-acre plot of prairie on the grounds of Houlton Elementary School on June 4. Photo by Margaret Ontl

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Students at Houlton Elementary school dedicated June 4 to environmental appreciation. It is hoped that Houlton Prairie Day will become an annual event.

The first event, which included students in grades 1-5, was the broadcast planting of prairie seeds to restore a 2-acre prairie plot east of the school.

Troy Meacham, a prairie expert and owner of Landcraft Seed Service in Emerald, lent his expertise and secured funding through a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant. Meacham also donated his time preparing the land.

Master Gardener Sandi Madsen, who works with some of the Houlton students in a garden club every Thursday, was on hand to teach students how to seed.

Tim Nixon, parent of two Houlton students and a prairie enthusiast who is also president of the St. Paul Chapter of the Audubon Society, initiated the project.

“It was neat today to see the students learn,” said Nixon. “This will be a great experience for the students to see this grow. If this is successful, we would love to see similar projects at other schools.”

Students also cleaned a two-mile stretch of County E as part of their Adopt-a-Highway commitment. Kindergartners transplanted their pumpkin plant to a raised bed, and the day wrapped up with a kite-flying event.

Tags: elementary school, education, houlton