ATC

ATC supports pollinator habitat development in Ledgeview and Sheboygan  

The City of Sheboygan and the Town of Ledgeview developed habitat for bees, birds, butterflies and other pollinators in their communities thanks to American Transmission Co.’s Pollinator Habitat Program.   

Sheboygan transformed a greenspace on Kohler Memorial Drive into a beautiful pollinator friendly habitat. Perennial plants will create waves of color for people entering the city to enjoy throughout the growing season and serve as an important food source for native pollinators.  

Ledgeview planted pollinator habitat at Ledgeview Park, which is adjacent to the East River Trail, a six-mile hiking and biking trail along the East River. When the Northeast Wisconsin Pheasants Forever chapter read about the grant Ledgeview received in the Press Times, they offered to help with the summer planting. Pheasant, quail, songbirds and other wildlife species benefit from the seeds and ground cover offered by pollinator habitat and many of those species already live along the East River. Stone Silo Prairie Gardens, a local nursery located in Ledgeview that specializes in native species, helped design and plant the Ledgeview Park pollinator habitat.   

Roughly 35% of the world’s food crops depend on pollinators. Part of the reason for the recent decline in pollinator populations is due to loss of habitat. 

ATC’s Pollinator Habitat Program promotes planting low-growing vegetation within a transmission line right-of-way to beautify communities in a way that doesn’t compromise the safety and reliability of the electric transmission system, while also providing habitat for pollinators that use the utility corridor as a flight path. 

The Pollinator Habitat Program is open to cities, villages, towns, counties and tribes within ATC’s service area, as well as to entities that allow public access to ATC rights-of-way (e.g., nature preserves, non-profits or public land managers). To qualify for the program, communities must commit that all current and future planting plans near high-voltage electric transmission lines will comply with ATC’s maintenance standards.  

ATC accepts applications from June 1 through Sept. 30, and award recipients are selected and notified by the end of the year. Awards range from $100 to $5,000. Additional information and program applications can be found at atc-GrowSmart.com.