File:USDA NRCS Plant Materials Center's drill (7303664184).jpg

Outdoor Classroom Started in Plankinton

Grass Demo Plot Planted (May 15, 2012)

Submitted by Heidi Rients, District Conservationist, Plankinton

After two years of planning, the Plankinton Grass Demonstration Plot is planted with the help of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Plant Materials Center, Bismarck, ND. Nancy Jensen, Wayne Duckwitz, and Wayne Markegard, all Plant Materials Center employees, brought their tractor and special 5 ½’ plot drill to plant forty 11-foot x 38-foot plots. Also, helping plant the plots were NRCS employees: Heidi Rients, Kirt Peterson, and Sherry Schumacher, all of Plankinton and Rod Voss, Range Specialist, Mitchell, and Merissa Dominguez, NRCS student trainee, Chamberlain. The plots are mainly monoculture species with a couple forb mixes, a cool season mix, and a warm season mix. There are a variety of native & introduced cool season and warm season species. Also to be included in the ‘Outdoor Classroom’ is a variety of trees, shrubs, and conifers. Some will have fabric, some without fabric, some will have grass planted in between the rows, and some without grass. The approximately 3-acre plot is located in the southwest part of Plankinton right off of Highway 16. This site is very visible to the public and easy to access for public use. The site is owned by the Aurora County Conservation District and just adjacent to their tree shed. The Plankinton FO has involved the local Extension Service for help in keeping the plot clean and getting it established. Milborn Seeds, Brookings, SD donated the majority of the seed. The Plant Materials Center donated some new varieties of species to try as well.

The idea behind the Outdoor Classroom is mainly for educational purposes so that we can show the public what certain species look like at different times of the year and provide information of uses for certain species. For example, some grasses might be better for wildlife habitat while others are better for haying and/or grazing. Same for the trees that being planted at the demonstration plot. Some might be more ornamental while others are more dense/hardy and used in windbreaks/shelterbelts for different purposes. The trees, shrubs and conifers are not yet planted. Eventually, there will be walking trails between the sites, signage, and information packets available to explain each species.