HOULTON — The Bird Farm committee has commissioned a grant to build a greenhouse and to teach students to manage it and the property behind the high school. The Houlton Rotary Club has made a donation to the program to help further the project.
The group was originally called “Plant a Seed,” but the students elected to change the name to “Breaking Ground.” The property around the school is the classroom. Students collect particular wild plants and identify their use for either medicinal purposes or human consumption.
They collect seed to plant for future crops. They sample recipes, including the fruit or vegetable of the day, to determine which crops they want to attempt to grow. They encourage composting and the recycling of items such as jars, planters, drying trays, and containers.
Contributed photo/Michael Clark
DONATION — Accepting a donation from Rotary President Lori Weston on behalf of “Breaking Ground” is Rotarian Mike Hammer.
They have just recently received a generous donation of 55 fruit and flowering trees from Houlton Tractor Supply to start an orchard. Students came up with another fundraiser called the “Sponsor A Tree” to obtain fruiting bushes and trees for another section of the field behind the greenhouse.
They have made and sold jars of dilly beans and started window-sill herb gardens. Presently, weather permitting, the students will be planting garlic bulbs beside the greenhouse. A compost pile has been started and they are in the process of obtaining a very large composting turner unit that is stored at the airport.
As this project evolves, students will be responsible for setting new goals and achieving them, creating a business plan for marketing, exploring farming and small plot gardening techniques, recording their experiences, and promoting a healthy lifestyle. They have already been assigned individual tasks such as creating the logo, designing promotional posters, designing letter templates and thank you cards, creating a Facebook page, filming a promotional video, and keeping documentation through pictures.
The community support so far has been outstanding with the many donations, suggestions, and invitations! The students and advisors are so grateful to have such a supportive community and administration!
