Rural Missouri - November 2020 - 11

to a pollinator paradise of native plants. Linda's desire to
restore the farm stems from an affinity for the outdoor
traditions of rural living: camping, hunting, fishing and
learning the land.
"And we wanted a place for our grandchildren and our
kids," Linda adds. "You want them to have a place like you
did, where they can do what they like doing. I think it's in
your blood."
When Grundy performed regular maintenance on the
right-of-way at the Overton's farm this year, Linda's wheels
were already turning on what could be done with the easement. Now it was Scott's turn to "wow" the members with a
solution. As a result, the Overtons will be the first electric
co-op members in the state to participate in the program.
Jason hopes they will have planted the first of many
seeds that will grow WOW across the Show-Me State.
"Ninety-three percent of the state is owned by private
landowners," Jason says. "So, if we're going to be successful managing the forests, fish and wildlife in the state of
Missouri, we're going to have to have their help."
Different practices are eligible for cost share through
the program, with Grundy Electric and the landowner
splitting the cost. In the Overtons' case, the 1.5 acre easement will be planted in a pollinator mix, including 30 forbs
and two warm-season native grasses. The primary focus
of WOW is on establishing native plant habitat, but Jason
says other landowners may have an eye toward establishing food plots for deer or woody cover control and edge
feathering to benefit rabbits and quail.
"From the right-of-way perspective, you ultimately want

that area open, and that's an opportunity whether we're
talking small game habitat or pollinator habitat for monarch butterflies," Jason says. "If it meets the landowner's
goals and the co-op's goals, that's eligible for the program."
Landowners are required to maintain their new landscape for 10 years, which allows the co-op to extend or,
ideally, completely remove that portion of line from the
maintenance cycle, thus saving members' money on labor,
equipment and other expenses in the long run.
"We try to maintain a five- or six-year rotation with
our vegetation management program, and some of that
involves chemical application in addition to mechanical
trimming," Scott says. "For folks who raise bees or do allnatural farming and don't like herbicides applied around
their properties, this would benefit them as well."
With the Overtons acting as a sort of pilot program,
Scott is confident the experience will provide answers to
the co-op, their members and MDC as to how the program
will work in rural areas. And when their property greens
up next year, Linda and Bob will be another step closer to
their goal of rural bliss.
"We moved out here to be in the country," Linda says. "I
don't want to see things go extinct, whether it's plants or
animals, and you might as well have something you can
enjoy that also helps out bees or butterflies."
Grundy Electric Cooperative members interested in the
WOW program can contact the co-op at 1-800-279-2249.
Landowners in the service area can contact MDC Private
Land Conservationist Scott Roy at scott.roy@mdc.mo.gov.

photo courtesy Jason Jensen, Missouri Department of Conservation

Left: Linda Overton stands in a 30-acre pollinator plot of partridge peas and goldenrod she and her husband, Bob, established on their Grundy
County farm. Above: The Grundy Electric members hope to establish wildlife habitat similar to this right-of-way on their own property.
NOVEMBER 2020 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP

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Rural Missouri - November 2020

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