Michiana council approves up to $5,000 stewardship contract for butterfly garden

The Village of Michiana council on Dec. 13 approved a one-year stewardship contract with Pizzo to maintain the village pollinator (butterfly) garden, voting unanimously 5–0 to authorize spending up to $5,000 for the 2025 season.

Beth Denton, Territory Manager for Pizzo, told the council the crew completed the final stewardship steps this season, including installing erosion control fabric, and provided photographs of the work. Denton said Pizzo’s proposed 2025 contract would include invasive and nonnative plant control (by hand pulling, brush cutting, mowing or treatment as needed), plus seed collection and dispersal and routine site maintenance between April and November. “We finished putting down the erosion blanket,” Denton said, describing the services that would continue under the contract.

Council member Mike Botelho moved to approve a one-year contract not to exceed $5,000, with a review to determine whether the stewardship should continue in 2026; Nancy Thill seconded the motion, which passed on a roll-call vote of 5–0. The village will revisit whether to extend the arrangement after the 2025 season.

The stewardship contract is framed as annual maintenance rather than a multi-year commitment; the council emphasized this would be revisited before any additional funds are authorized. Residents raised a separate concern during public comment about birds and other animals eating seeds planted in the pollinator area, which the council noted for follow-up.

Next steps: the Pizzo contract will proceed for the 2025 maintenance season, and the council will assess the program’s results before deciding on any continuation into 2026.