High school student spearheads extraordinary project after receiving surprising approval from state agency: 'They understood ... our actions'

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2 days ago

High school student spearheads extraordinary project after receiving surprising approval from state agency: 'They understood ... our actions'
One teen conservationist in Grand Marais, Michigan, is making a huge difference to the local population of deer, Upword reported.
Sixteen-year-old Will Paul masterminded a habitat improvement project, which involved the 37 students at his high school, teachers, local businesses, community members, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources' Deer Habitat Improvement Partnership Initiative.
Paul is a student at Burt Township School, and he's enthusiastic about the outdoors and conservation. He decided to write a grant proposal for the Deer Range Improvement Program.
The program is funded by $1.50 set aside from the price of every deer license sold in the state and is designed to maintain healthy habitats for a healthy deer population, which also helps keep a balance with other wildlife.
Maintaining natural areas with diverse species is critical for anyone who wants to enjoy the outdoors. It's also necessary to protect those who rely on the wilderness for food or employment.
That's why the habitat improvement initiative claims about $100,000 of the funds allocated to the improvement program every year.
"It's a misconception that we're spending large amounts of money on private lands behind locked gates," said Bill Scullon, field operations manager from the Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Division, per Upword. "That's not the case."
When the department received Paul's application — which was well-crafted, detailed, and more extensive than what it typically receives — it had to propose breaking the large project into a two-year undertaking. With a few adjustments, Paul secured a $10,673 grant.
That money went toward planting 425 trees and shrubs across the 600 acres of school-owned forest. Fifty of the trees were fruit trees, largely apples and plums, and another 350 were a mixture of conifers and deciduous trees. The combination was designed to provide food for the deer, including during crucial times of year such as the winter, when they are likely to struggle.
Since grant recipients are expected to match 25% of the grant, which can be paid off in volunteer work, Paul and his teachers, along with experienced conservationists like Alex Kolton and Eryn Grupido, brought together the school's 37 students to plant the trees.
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"We broke the students into manageable groups based on age and had about 15 kids out several times to help with the planting," Kolton said, per Upword. "Eryn ensured they understood the 'why' behind our actions — why we were planting certain species and how it would benefit the ecosystem."
The program also accepted discounted supplies from local businesses and volunteer efforts from parents and community members.
Now the local animals will have that much easier of a time this winter — and every winter to come.
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