Volunteers, City Staff Install 2,500 Native Plants At Alpena’s Bay View Park
Many hands made light work of planting a pollinator garden and a rain garden at Bay View Park on the shore of Thunder Bay in Alpena.
Dozens of volunteers and City staff joined Huron Pines the morning of Oct. 14 to plant the gardens with a mix of native plants including blazing star, columbine, switchgrass, bergamot and bee balm. Once established, these deep-rooted plants will help filter stormwater runoff and protect the water quality of Lake Huron, provide important habitat for insects & birds, and serve as a community showpiece of native landscaping for residents and visitors.
Funded by a grant to the City from the Michigan Coastal Management Program, the gardens were the outcome of a community green stormwater infrastructure workshop Huron Pines hosted at the public library in October 2022. The gardens were among top-favored proposals and support the City’s goals as a Lake Huron Forever Community to protect water quality and restore natural habitats.
The volunteers— many wearing their favorite gardening overalls — meticulously planted 2,500 plugs in under two hours while enjoying the mild and sunny October morning. City Manager Rachel Smolinski, wielding a hand trawl and gardening gloves, was among them.
“This has been a wonderful partnership,” Smolinski said. “We have so much going on across the city to improve our stormwater infrastructure for the benefit of Lake Huron.”
Senior Project Manager Amy Nowakowski is overseeing this work which included careful selection and sourcing of ideal plant species, coordination with DPW staff on construction and the development of an ongoing maintenance plan for the City.
“It’s a good feeling finally getting the plants in the ground,” Nowakowski said.
Thank you to the City of Alpena, our project partners and all our volunteers who made this great project possible. A gallery of the planting day can be viewed below.
