MNF Seed Library Project
The Milewski Nature Fund (MNF) has begun organizing their decade long practice of collecting seeds that are growing and being planted around their main offices in Thorp, Wisconsin into the Milewski Nature Fund Seed Library Project.
Recreationalists
MNF manages an Outdoor Classroom Walking Trail that is used throughout each season. In the Spring there is much work to be done preparing the area for walking and supporting the native species just emerging. In the Summer there are ample opportunities to secure the dam area, identify flora and fauna. In the Fall there is a multitude of colors for the different maples, oaks and other trees which put on a display. This is our main time for wild seed collection activities. In the Winter the trail is groomed for snowshoeing and cross country skiing. Opportunites for camping, day hiking and just relaxing await the invited recreationalists. There is an artist studio and residency which invites selected artists, writers and other creatives to visit and get inspired by the work around them.
Conservationists
MNF will also preserve and promote native seed varieties by collecting native species seeds. Encouraging pollinator food sources will be a priority as well as identifying the pollinators and securing their practices by continuing to manage the buffer zones between the agricultural fields and the natural areas. The previous owner of this farm and the inspiration behind the founding of MNF, Lenard Milewski said he wanted to give these areas “back to nature”. This family farm MNF is partnered with has been in operation over a century and supports spaces for numerous conservation activities, recreational activities and agricultural pursuits. There is an artist studio and residency which invites selected artists, writers and other creatives to visit and get inspired by the work around them.
Farmers
Located in central dairy farming country with conventional farming the mainstay many of the seeds will be GMO and so secured in sealed containers. Along with these seeds will be detailed information about the crop that was raised from the seed including planting and harvesting data, weather and climate data and how this planting fits into a rotational cropping ideology. This effort is in support of preserving the Old Order Mennonite family farms surrounding MNF’s home office and assist in preserving traditional Old Order Mennonite farming practices, and the cultural stories and identities associated with them. Based in the Township of Withee, MNF’s offices and Outdoor Classroom Walking Trails are surrounded by dairy farms which contribute to this county being the largest milk producing county in the U.S.A.
Balance
MNF seeks to find a balance between the agricultural pursuits and the conservation efforts they are leading with the hope that these activities will inspire local farmers and community members to actively preserve their bioculture, support environmentally sustainable farming and conservation practices and assist in continuing the family farm tradition which is the strength of this landscape.
MNF travels widely to display their work and have conversations about the future of where our food comes from. The Memorial Nature Fund Seed Library Project has become a part of these travels and we thank Vivien Sansour for her inspiratonal Palestine Heirloom Seed Library which has assisted MNF in the formation of their Seed Library Project. MNF travels locally, nationally and internationally to engage with others socially, professionally and at their dinner tables—“promoting cultural preservation through food choices.”