Pontiac Volunteers Bring Wildflower Garden to Murphy Park
(Arden Vanover, June 7, 2023)
PONTIAC, MI – This summer, hundreds of square feet of wildflowers will be available to the Murphy Park because of the drive to make change from community members.
Over 800 square feet of land has been prepared to be home to a native pollinator garden in Pontiac thanks to an Earth Day beautification project headed by Connor Healy and Kaitlyn Wencel.
Plugs of these native wildflowers came next, after the ground was ready and the frost was past.
Growing Pontiac and Michigan Wildflower Farm donated seeds for this effort, including milkweed and evening primrose. Additionally, tools were supplied by Micah 6 Community and Coleman Yoakum.
The beautification did not end with just making the space for a garden. Large branches were cleared from paths and time was spent picking up trash all around the park.
This project turned into more than just a clean-up project when Council President Mike McGuinness and Alex Zegarzewski from the city gave their support and green lighted the project.
With the knowledge contributed by participants, like Robert Primeau and Portia Field-Anderson, the organizers feel like a real change has been made.
Turnout was more than expected, and Healy said he had Oakland County Mutual Aid to thank as well as all the other volunteers coming out to make a direct impact on their community.
Healy is looking to use this momentum built from this project to push officials to take responsibility for the land and ecology in Pontiac.
Keep an eye out for the next project of planting the pollinator garden and any future service project on community pages and organizations, and visit Murphy Park on Martin Luther King Jr Blvd S and Osmun St to appreciate the garden as it progresses.