Ecology club plants its roots at NIC

Rejoice lovers of nature and kindred spirits. A new club has sprouted, the Ecology Club. They are mother nature’s valiant warriors fighting on her behalf against the evils of the industrial society.  Say “No” to monoculture and destroyed habitats and  say “Yes” to humanities coexistence with our sublime earth mother. 

The club currently has four major projects:

• planting native plants around the Powder Magazine and the Veteran’s Memorial
• painting and placing bat boxes around NIC, 
• building a greenhouse courtesy of the NIC Engineering Department
• planting a bioswale on the southwest end of the science building.

Powder Magazine and Veteran’s memorial

As of now the Ecology Club has planted over 40 individual native plants around the Powder Magazine. Next Spring they plan to expand this project to encompass the nearby Veterans Memorial. The club plans to work in tandem with the American Indian Student Alliance to beautify this location with native plants. The introduction of native plants will increase the population of pollinating insects like bees, butterflies, moths, and mosquitoes, contributing to needed biodiversity and providing the local bat population with nourishment. This will greatly support one of the clubs goals; to be an affiliate of Bee Campus USA, an initiative of the Xerxes Society. Our partner College down south, University of Idaho is already a member and the club believes we should follow in their footsteps.    

Bat Boxes

Another project of the ecology club is placing bat boxes around the NIC campus. Due to human encroachment upon nature and the prevalence of white-nose syndrome in bats, bat conservation is now more important than ever. Bats hibernate during the winter, but in the Spring they need roosts. For that reason, the club plans to place two bat boxes, one on a tree near the south end of the school, and the other at an unspecified building. The club would like to see if the bats prefer the placement of one box to another. The boxes will be painted black for they will most likely be used as maternity roosts by the mother bats. It is important that the roost remains warm, painting the box black helps with heat retention. Additionally, the club plans to place a camera inside one of the boxes and stream the footage to NIC’s website.

For more information regarding Bat boxes, see our Fall 2024-2025 Sentinel magazine or this website, Bat Conservation International.

Greenhouse

Last year, the engineering department was called upon by STEM Academy to help them extend their cultivation program year-round by having them construct a green house. It was a huge success, but where is NIC’s greenhouse? The club plans to work with the engineering department to have them make a green house for NIC’s campus.

Bioswale

A bioswale is a strip of vegetated area that redirects and filters storm water. It helps recharge groundwater and prevent flooding, likewise it contributes to bio-diversity and an appealing aesthetic. The club plans to plant swamp milk weed among other plants at the bioswale, this creates a natural habitat for moths and migratory monarch butterflies, while simultaneously reducing the risk of water damage to the surrounding infrastructure.

If you are interested in joining The Ecology Club or simply just curious, the club meets every Wednesday from 12-1 p.m. in room 153 in the Meyer Health and Science building.