A Baroda construction company is planning a project to “rewild” some property it’s purchased in Sawyer.
Schmidke Construction and Contracting’s Brianne Schmidke tells us they’re seeking to move their headquarters to the five-acre parcel on Sawyer Road and noticed the property suffered from problems like invasive plants. So, they’ve conducted a controlled burn and plan two more phases of restoration.
“In the second phase, invasive species are managed and then we’ll install the native southwest Michigan plants,” Schmidke said. “Then the third and final phase is this kind of multi-year stewardship and that allows for nature to kind of find balance all on its own and continue to restore itself.”
Schmidke says the company wants to help the ecosystem thrive as it moves into the Sawyer area.
“Once this three to five to maybe even 10 years of stewardship is done, we will have this really great investment in the area and the community to have a thriving ecosystem.”
The company is working with ecological restoration firm Pizzo and Associates to create habitats, encourage pollinators, combat invasive species, and beautify the area.
As it prepares to become a Sawyer resident, she says the firm wants to help restore the area’s habitats.
