Mickman Brothers Conservation Efforts
Posted on April 17, 2008 by abcnewspapers
by Eric Hagen
Staff writer
Mickman Brothers of Ham Lake will contribute to the planting of over 45,000 tree seedlings this spring through partnerships with Cub Foods and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
John Mickman, president of Mickman Brothers, told ABC Newspapers that if the company he and his brother Chris Mickman own did not give away these seedlings, nobody else might do it.
“There’s always some kind of reason not to do these kind of things,” John Mickman said. “But as everybody knows, in recent years, our governmental agencies have gotten severe cutbacks in their budgets and much of this work that had been carried out in past years is no longer happening.”
According to John Mickman, his family business will pay for 100 percent of the cost for the DNR to plant 25,000 evergreen trees this spring in Minnesota state parks and state forests in northern Minnesota and at Sand Dunes State Forest in Zimmerman, Minn.
On Saturday, April 19, all Cub Foods will host a kids scavenger hunt from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Once they solve clues on the environment, recycling or food, kids will be led to tree seedlings that they and their parents can plant.
Mickman Brothers and Cub Foods split the cost of 20,000 Black Hills spruce seedlings that will be given away at Cub Foods’ 76 store locations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. There are 56 stores in the Twin Cities alone, according to Cub Foods spokeswoman LeeAnn Jorgenson.
This give away honors Earth Day, Jorgenson said, which is next Tuesday, April 22.
John Mickman said Cub Foods has been a loyal customer over the last decade. Mickman Brothers manufactures Christmas wreaths, holiday door swags, centerpieces and garland for Cub Foods.
From April 21-27, Mickman Brothers will give away a total of 500 Black Hills spruce seedlings at its garden center in Ham Lake, which is located on the southwest corner of Highway 65 and Andover Boulevard.
John Mickman said they will give away 50 seedling packages from Monday, April 21 through Friday, April 25 and then give away 125 seedling packages on Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27. All seedlings will be given away on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The give away at Mickman Brothers honors Arbor Day on April 25.
John Mickman said he is looking forward to helping the DNR plant the evergreen trees this spring. He has planted trees each year since he was 10 years old. His father in 1960 purchased 500 acres to turn into a Christmas tree farm near Lake George in Oak Grove and the family business expanded to other farms throughout the area.
When Mickman was a young man, he was a commercial fisherman in Alaska where he saw the devastation of the shrimp and king crab fisheries. This peaked his interest in environmental conservation in general.
“When one sees something like that personally, especially when you’re a young person, it makes a big impact,” he said.
Copyright 2008 ABC Newspapers
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