Houses of Worship Will Implement Habitat Restoration Projects
The Au Sable Institute, in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has been awarded a grant by the Frey Foundation to implement “Sacred Grounds - Northern Michigan.” Funding will allow Au Sable to install native plant gardens at houses of worship in northern Michigan in 2021.
NWF created the Sacred Grounds program more than a decade ago and has implemented the program in Toledo, OH, Detroit and Grand Rapids, MI. The program is designed to mobilize people of faith to better understand their responsibility in caring for the earth. Houses of worship receive funding and technical support to install native plant gardens on their property or in their neighborhood.
“We’ve been really pleased with the success of the Sacred Grounds program bringing houses of worship and community members together across faiths and other differences around the common, shared interest of caring for the earth and caring for each other,” said Manja Holland, NWF Habitat and Education Manager. “Au Sable Institute’s decades work of educating students in northern Michigan about the environment and their established connections to communities of faith makes them a great partner for this program.”
“Sacred Grounds is a great fit for Au Sable and will be the next step in our effort to implement 50 habitat restoration projects throughout northern Michigan by 2023,” said Paul Wiemerslage, project manager for Au Sable Institute. “Nature isn’t just out there in our forests and protected areas. We need to start thinking more creatively about the role we can all play in caring for the earth in our own yards and common spaces. It’s a matter of ecology and long-term viability for everyone that we do so, and for people of faith, it’s a matter of integrity. Places of worship should be reinforcing this fact and helping their congregants understand the importance of native plants to water quality, air quality and wildlife habitat.”
Four houses of worship — two in Kalkaska County and two in Grand Traverse County — will be selected to participate in the pilot year of this program in northern Michigan. Each house of worship will be awarded a mini grant to aid in the purchase of plants and materials needed to construct their garden. Support and technical assistance will be provided by Au Sable and their project partners.
Interested houses of worship should contact Paul at 231-587-8686 or email for more information and to learn about how to get involved. Houses of worship outside of the funded area are still encouraged to inquire about participation and ways to be involved in a habitat restoration project. Please contact Au Sable if you are interested in supporting future Sacred Grounds work.