BLOOMINGTON — When Rich Clemmons and the Rev. Brian Hastings decided to plant 5 acres of prairie grass and wildflowers at their church this year, they expected it to take some time to grow and bloom. However, what should have taken two whole seasons to become a pollinator habitat filled with native plants at First Baptist Church in Bloomington took just one.
"We should have this the second year," Clemmons said, standing next to a field with tall grasses and brightly colored flowers at 2502 E. College Ave. "So I think it's a blessing from above.
God did that for us," he said. The congregation spent a little over $2,000 and partnered with several agencies to complete the project, including Pheasants Forever , the McLean County Soil and Water Conservation District , the USDA and the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation . Becky Strack shows her granddaughter, Mae Splittorff, a photo she took of a flower on the 5-acre pollinator habitat at First Baptist Church, 2502 E.
College Ave., Bloomington. The church will host a dedication for the habitat on Saturday, Aug.
24. The plot where the habitat now sits had been a shortgrass lawn for nearly three decades, Clemmons said. "Eventually, we said, 'Let's do something with that property.
We're just mowing it,'" he said. They landed on the re-wilding project for a pretty simple reason, said Hastings, the congregation's pastor. "We need pollinator space," he said.
So they filled the space with plants to attract pollinators and create a safe haven for wildlife, Hastings said. Common sunflowers on the 5-acre pollinator habitat at First Baptist Church, 2502 E. College Ave.
, Bloomington. "It's got milkweed, coneflower, you know, bees balm ..
. the list goes on and on," he said. In the spirit of being good neighbors, Hastings went door to door in the subdivision just north of the church and asked residents what they thought of the idea.
"Brian walked around the neighborhood and talked to all the neighbors," Clemmons said, "and they loved the project. They said it was great, so we did it." Drilling seed Creating that space took a lot of work, Clemmons said.
They had to kill the grass with the herbicide glyphosate , which was supposed to need three applications, but only needed two, he said. "We didn't have to do an extra amount of glyphosate kill on the property to prepare for when we seeded it," Clemmons said. Brett Irwin from Pheasants Forever helped with the seed mix, then Jeff Siegrest from Martin Tractor Inc .
on South Main Street in Bloomington stepped in with a tractor with a seed drill, Clemmons said. "They supplied the tractor without any cost at all," he said. Garden cosmos on the 5-acre pollinator habitat at First Baptist Church, 2502 E.
College Ave., Bloomington. The field also sports oats, Clemmons said, for one peculiar reason.
"The reason oats are in here is because all these wildflowers and things that go into the mix are so light that you've got to have something of substance to get it through the drill," he said. It took them four times crisscrossing over the field with the seed drill to get all of the seed in the ground, Clemmons said. "We probably had some oats in the bottom, but it worked like a charm.
I couldn't believe it," he said. Shifting investments Before developing the pollinator habitat, the church had the lawn professional serviced, Hastings said. "We're paying to mow a big, green lawn that's not doing anybody any good," he said.
"And that's taking money away from things that we could invest in helping people in other ways, you know, the other ministries of the church." They had been contracting Penn Landscaping & Sunburst Nursery of Bloomington, and though they lost part of that contract, the owner, Tyler Penn, was more than understanding, Clemmons said. An overhead view of the 5-acre pollinator habitat at First Baptist Church, 2502 E.
College Ave., Bloomington. "Tyler does habitat stuff, too.
And he understood perfectly," Clemmons said. Money was not the driving factor for creating the habitat, though, Hastings said. "It's not just about cutting costs.
It's about, how do we invest the resources that we have that (are) entrusted to us...
This is money that's been entrusted to us in the name of God to use for what we feel is the shared mission and purpose of the church," he said. Part of that mission is being a good steward of the land, Hastings said. "People like their green lawns, and there's nothing wrong with that," he said.
"But the problem being, you know, eventually there's just not enough natural wildlife or natural flora and fauna to, kind of, be sustainable." Garden cosmos on the 5-acre pollinator habitat at First Baptist Church, 2502 E. College Ave.
, Bloomington. Having a well-manicured lawn is not wrong, but "we overdo it. You know, especially as water resources get scarcer in different places," Hastings said.
A pollinator habitat is the perfect fit for helping the environment, he said, which aligns with the church's mission. "There is something to that, providing space for life to flourish in a beautiful way that's enriching to our environment, that's trying to be a good steward of the land, that's trying to be a benefit and a blessing to the community around us," Hastings said. The habitat can also serve as an educational piece for nearby Sugar Creek and North Point elementary schools in Unit 5, he said.
"Teachers can bring (their students) and say, 'Here's why this is important' ...
kids learning about that, and going, 'By the way, you could do this a little bit in your own backyard. You could have a patch of milkweed.' Or, 'You could plant some flowers that are good for bees," Hastings said.
Celebrate blessings The church plans to create a meandering path through the field once it's mature, Clemmons said. But for now, they're planning a dedication and celebration for the congregation and the public at 10 a.m.
Saturday by the habitat, Hastings said. "We're really hoping that the field can be something that everybody can enjoy," he said. Pheasants Forever will be on hand with supplies to plant more seeds, Hastings added.
Wildflowers on the 5-acre pollinator habitat at First Baptist Church, 2502 E. College Ave., Bloomington.
"Brett Irwin and Pheasants Forever, they're coming in, and they're going to give us supplies to make ...
seed balls and have everybody, just, chuck a ball of seeds into the field and help us plant more flowers," he said. They will have live music and light refreshments, as well, Hastings said. "We're just hoping it's going to be a fun time for everybody to come out and celebrate," he said.
on Monday during the team photo day at the Tucci Stadium on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan. on Monday during the team photo day at the Tucci Stadium on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan. on Monday during the team photo day at the Tucci Stadium on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan.
The Illinois Wesleyan football team poses for its team shot on Monday during media day at the Tucci Stadium on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan. on Monday during the team photo day at the Tucci Stadium on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan. on Monday during the team photo day at the Tucci Stadium on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan.
on Monday during the team photo day at the Tucci Stadium on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan. on Monday during the team photo day at the Tucci Stadium on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan. on Monday during the team photo day at the Tucci Stadium on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan.
on Monday during the team photo day at the Tucci Stadium on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan. Contact D. Jack Alkire at (309)820-3275.
Twitter: @d_jack_alkire Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. General Assignment Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items..
