West Shore Community College Orchard

During Stewardship Week, a project finally comes to fruition that has been a long time in the making; the District and AgriScience class will establish a memorial orchard at West Shore Community College. This project will serve as a learning and experimental orchard for students at the college for years to come. It will be located near the AgriScience classroom and maintenance area, south of the Schoenherr Campus Center. Many partners are working together to ensure that the project is a great success. A variety of fruit trees and planting supplies are being provided by Mason-Lake Conservation District via donations from their Memorial Tree Fund. Dr. Emily Lavely from MSU Extension has provided guidance on layout and orchard establishment. Alway's Shady Lane Farm has committed time and equipment to help till and prepare the planting area. Once the trees arrive, the AgriScience class, led by teacher Mark Willis, will plant the trees and maintain the orchard into the future. We've greatly appreciated working with the College to make this project a reality, from working with College president Scott Ward for planning, right down to the students, everyone's been involved over the last couple of years and it's exciting to finally see it come together.

To add to this orchard, the Kickstart to Career program and Mason County Promise are starting a tradition of planting a tree for each graduating class. The District is excited to share in the celebration and is providing three fruit trees to be planted in the orchard this year to recognize recent graduates.