Prairie restoration project at Superior Township preserve receives $4,700 grant
A plan to transform a mowed field of invasive weeds and grasses at the entrance to the Jack R. Smiley Nature Preserve in Superior Township into a prairie of native forbs and grasses will move forward this year, thanks to a $4,700 grant awarded by Ann Arbor Farm & Garden in February 2021.
The project by the Superior Township Chapter (STC) of the Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy (SMLC) will enhance and expand on the chapter’s Native Plant and Insect Garden which was established in 2018. The prairie will encompass approximately 13,000 square feet. Existing kiosks with prairie information will educate visitors about the importance of restoring native plant communities. Explore the Preserve area through this short video.
Cathy Bach, who spoke at our January Founders Day meeting, is the grant coordinator for STC (and a past AAF&G scholarship recipient!). She notes that the prairie area and native garden are at the main trailhead of the Superior Greenway Nature Trail. This highly visible location encourages visitors and will result in nature education for the whole community.
A plan to transform a mowed field of invasive weeds and grasses at the entrance to the Jack R. Smiley Nature Preserve in Superior Township into a prairie of native forbs and grasses will move forward this year, thanks to a $4,700 grant awarded by Ann Arbor Farm & Garden in February 2021.
The project by the Superior Township Chapter (STC) of the Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy (SMLC) will enhance and expand on the chapter’s Native Plant and Insect Garden which was established in 2018. The prairie will encompass approximately 13,000 square feet. Existing kiosks with prairie information will educate visitors about the importance of restoring native plant communities. Explore the Preserve area through this short video.
Cathy Bach, who spoke at our January Founders Day meeting, is the grant coordinator for STC (and a past AAF&G scholarship recipient!). She notes that the prairie area and native garden are at the main trailhead of the Superior Greenway Nature Trail. This highly visible location encourages visitors and will result in nature education for the whole community.
Local garden projects grow with $20,700 in AAF&G funding
Ann Arbor Farm & Garden announces the recipients of our 2019-20 grants and scholarships.
4-H Garden at Washtenaw County Youth Center, $1000 for supplies and creation of a new entrance flower bed. This 2015 Michigan Master Gardener article highlights the project, which is run by a dedicated group of local Master Gardeners. AAF&G has proudly supported the project for more than five years.
Ypsilanti District Library, $5000 to establish edible and flower gardens at the planned new Superior Township library branch, including walkways, accessible raised beds, and other universal design features.
Friends of Greenview and Pioneer Nature Areas, $3000 for a prescribed burn for parts of the Central Meadow, and purchase of 20 native shrubs for the wildflower and pollinator gardens.
Community High School, $1200 to enlarge their existing garden (established just last year) and improve its visual appeal in the very busy Kerrytown area.
Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum, $2500 to purchase plants for display garden rejuvenation projects, including the Gateway Garden entrance and Erich Steiner Pool areas, auditorium terrace, borders, West Entrance island, and others.
Continuing our 70+ years of supporting horticultural and environmental education, we awarded two $1500 scholarships: one for an undergraduate in the U-M School for Sustainability and Environment (SEAS), and one to support graduate student research at the U-M Biological Station.
Applications for the 2020-21 grant cycle will be available in September. Thank you to all of our applicants and awardees for the dedicated work you're doing, and to our Garden Walkers and all those who support our philanthropic mission. We're proud to help grow a greener community!
4-H Garden at Washtenaw County Youth Center, $1000 for supplies and creation of a new entrance flower bed. This 2015 Michigan Master Gardener article highlights the project, which is run by a dedicated group of local Master Gardeners. AAF&G has proudly supported the project for more than five years.
Ypsilanti District Library, $5000 to establish edible and flower gardens at the planned new Superior Township library branch, including walkways, accessible raised beds, and other universal design features.
Friends of Greenview and Pioneer Nature Areas, $3000 for a prescribed burn for parts of the Central Meadow, and purchase of 20 native shrubs for the wildflower and pollinator gardens.
Community High School, $1200 to enlarge their existing garden (established just last year) and improve its visual appeal in the very busy Kerrytown area.
Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum, $2500 to purchase plants for display garden rejuvenation projects, including the Gateway Garden entrance and Erich Steiner Pool areas, auditorium terrace, borders, West Entrance island, and others.
Continuing our 70+ years of supporting horticultural and environmental education, we awarded two $1500 scholarships: one for an undergraduate in the U-M School for Sustainability and Environment (SEAS), and one to support graduate student research at the U-M Biological Station.
Applications for the 2020-21 grant cycle will be available in September. Thank you to all of our applicants and awardees for the dedicated work you're doing, and to our Garden Walkers and all those who support our philanthropic mission. We're proud to help grow a greener community!
Why is AAF&G's mission so important?
For more than 70 years, Ann Arbor Farm & Garden has been supporting gardens and green spaces in our community. We’re passionate about gardens and horticultural therapy, and the many, many benefits that accrue from each. Every year we award grants to school gardens, therapeutic gardens, edible gardens, community gardens and more. Why? This is what a sampling of studies and statistics on the many benefits of gardens have to say:
Our efforts DO make a difference!! Thank you!!
- Students (grades 3-5) who participated in a one-year gardening program showed a significant increase in self-understanding and the ability to work in groups.
- Students involved in gardening make greater science achievement gains than non-gardening students. Gardening activities can be integrated into all areas of the school curriculum. Parental involvement increases at schools with garden programs.
- Children who grow their own food are more likely to eat fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Youth interns in community gardens reported increases in maturity, responsibility and interpersonal skills.
- Juvenile offenders who participated in a horticultural training program believed that it sparked their interest in further education, gave them ideas for green careers, and improved their job skills.
- Community gardens foster a sense of community ownership and stewardship, bringing people of varied ages, races, cultures, and social class together and enabling them to work and learn together.
- Community gardens are recognized as an effective crime prevention strategy. Crime rates decrease as an area’s green space increases; community involvement puts more “eyes on the street.”
- Gardens filter rainwater, clean the air, reduce soil erosion and runoff, provide wildlife habitat, and beautify our surroundings.
- Being in natural places fosters recovery from mental fatigue, improves outlook and life satisfaction, helps us to cope with and recover from stress, improves our ability to recover from illness and injury, restores concentration, and improves productivity.
Our efforts DO make a difference!! Thank you!!
Our Commitment to GivingSince 1946, Ann Arbor Farm & Garden has distributed more than $600,000 in charitable grants to a diverse group of local institutions and community projects. Along with beautification and environmental restoration efforts, several of the programs selected in recent years have focused on community vegetable gardens, introducing children to gardening, and those involved in local agriculture. We’ve awarded many grants to local institutions for the creation and restoration of public and specialty gardens, such as the Gaffield Children's Garden at Matthaei Botanical Gardens and the Centennial Shrub Collection at Nichols Arboretum. These green spaces enhance the environment and provide enjoyment for visitors of all ages.
Scholarships Providing critical financial support to students has been part of our mission from the very start. For more than 20 years, we’ve awarded an annual graduate student scholarship at the U-M Biological Station and a scholarship for a student in U-M’s School of Environment and Sustainability (SEAS). We also support the student internship endowment at Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum. For a complete list of AAF&G grant recipients, click here. |
Did you know ....
Shopping on Amazon can help support AAF&G?!?
AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets you enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to the eligible charitable organization of your choice. Sign up with the AmazonSmile program and select "Ann Arbor Farm & Garden" as your charity of choice. Thank you! Past Grant Recipients
 Hoophouse construction,
school garden initiative  Tappan Middle School  
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