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Commitment to pollinator habitat is commendable

Xcel Energy deserves credit for taking a big step last week to provide habitat for honeybees and monarch butterflies.

Xcel planted 40 acres of native plants last week at the site of its new Magic City Substation to provide habitat for the honeybees and monarchs, two major pollinators of beneficial plants.

“While we have more than 30 active and potential pollinator sites in our Minnesota and Wisconsin territories, this is our first project in North Dakota,” said Kathy Aas, a spokeswoman for Xcel Energy in Minot.

“The native plants will benefit pollinators such as the monarch butterfly and honeybees, and will include a native seed mix featuring over two dozen types of plants ranging from western wheatgrass to purple coneflowers,” she said.

Xcel’s Magic City Substation is being constructed as part of the new Magic City-McHenry 230 kilovolt transmission line project to provide enhanced electric reliability service in the area.

The 20-mile transmission line will run between the existing McHenry Substation near Velva and the new Magic City Substation located near the Minot wastewater treatment facility. The nearly $50 million project is expected to be complete by the end of 2018,” Aas said.

Pollinators, particularly monarch butterflies, come under pressure from humans through every acre of natural habitat we take for development. The use of chemicals is also cited as a reason for the drastic decline in the number of monarchs, which feed only on milkweed. For those reasons habitat restoration needs to become more commonplace, despite the costs involved.

Taking the effort to provide for valuable insects while building needed infrastructure is wise management. But the 40 acres of plants and wildflowers will be pleasant to look at, too, once they become established in three year’s time. Again, Xcel Energy deserves praise for its land stewardship efforts.

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