Great River Greening Works With Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls To Restore Land | Lakeland News

Duration: 2:34 448 transcript words EN summary

Video summary

Great River Greening recently collaborated with the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls and a group of volunteers to transform the land surrounding their 500 kW community solar energy system into a native prairie habitat. This initiative addresses a critical issue across Minnesota, where utility lines and solar fields often lack beneficial vegetation, effectively turning vast areas into ecological deserts for local wildlife. By converting these spaces into pollinator-friendly environments, the project serves a dual purpose: it maximizes the utility of existing infrastructure while actively restoring biodiversity that has been lost due to human expansion. The restoration effort involves planting native species plugs designed to support declining insect and bird populations that have lost their homes to habitat destruction. The Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, an organization deeply committed to environmental stewardship, fully supports this mission by providing a sustainable home for wildlife on their property. This partnership highlights a broader goal to restore Minnesota's natural landscapes, which have seen significant losses in native prairie and oak savanna ecosystems. The work aims not only to increase biodiversity but also to ensure the long-term health of the land through active community care and conservation. Great River Greening, a leading nonprofit dedicated to nature-based climate solutions, has already restored over 62,000 acres of Minnesota's green spaces with an ambitious target of reaching 100,000 acres by 2030. A core component of their strategy is engaging local communities and stakeholders directly in the land restoration process, fostering a sense of ownership and stewardship among residents. By getting people hands-on with planting and maintenance, the organization hopes to inspire broader participation in conserving the water and land that enrich daily life. Looking ahead, Great River Greening plans to continue expanding its impact through upcoming events, such as a tree planting initiative scheduled for Bemidji on September 30th. This ongoing work reflects a growing recognition that integrating ecological restoration into modern energy projects is essential for environmental sustainability. As the organization seeks to engage more communities, their efforts demonstrate how local action can contribute to statewide goals of restoring native habitats and supporting the wildlife that depends on them.

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Great River Greening partnered with the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls to create a native pollinator habitat at the site of their solar field last week. Reporter Miles Walker was in attendance and has more. >> Great River Greening, Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, as well as many volunteers, all teamed up to help convert the land surrounding the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls' 500 kW community solar energy system into native prairie. >> Across Minnesota, there's close to 80,000 miles of utility and transmission lines. And so, we are trying to work to get pollinator and wildlife friendly habitat across these lines cuz it's a good dual use purpose of this land. Same thing with solar fields. There are tens of thousands of acres right now of solar fields that have no beneficial plants underneath them. And so, we are working to get that changed. >> Great River Greening is a leading nonprofit organization in Minnesota dedicated to delivering nature-based climate solutions through land restoration by doing things like what occurred at FSLF, planting native species plugs, which will ultimately increase biodiversity, provide valuable support to pollinators, and help invest in long-term care of the land. >> Yeah, we've lost most of the native prairie and most of the oak savanna across Minnesota. And so, restoring that those pollinator friendly habitats and creating more wildlife habitat is super important. >> All of which FSLF, an organization committed to environmental stewardship, is on board for. >> We know that we humans have taken over so much land and numbers of insects and birds and other life are decreasing because they have no home. So, we're making an affordable home for wildlife here. >> Great River Greening has restored over 62,000 acres of Minnesota's green spaces and aims to reach 100,000 acres by 2030. The organization is happy to continue following its mission, looking to inspire, engage, and lead local communities in conserving and caring for the water and land that enrich our lives. >> A big part of our mission and with all the work we do is kind of engaging the community and the stakeholders in the land to get a sense of stewardship. And that's what we're doing here at this project is engaging the community, getting them not only kind of hands-on-the-ground and getting there so they have more care towards it, but then also getting out the word for that mission. >> Reporting in Little Falls, Miles Walker, Lakeland News. Great River Greening will be hosting a tree planting event in Bemidji on September 30th. >> Lakeland News is a non-profit news organization. Donate to Lakeland PBS today to support your local news team.