In Memoriam: Dan and Myrl Moran of Princeton, Minnesota

“As a Xerces pollinator habitat specialist working in the Upper Midwest, I am incredibly grateful to the Moran family for this donation to benefit pollinators in our region.”  
- Sarah Foltz Jordan, Xerces Conservation Specialist, Great Lakes Region

Long-time Xerces members, Dan and Myrl Moran, of Princeton, Minnesota, were environmental activists, monarch enthusiasts, and pivotal leaders in the sustainable farming community. On their farm, Melon Patch Herbs, they grew bedding plants (mostly herbs) which they sold for 40 years at the St. Paul Farmers Market, proudly working until they were past 80 years of age.

Wildlife conservation was so deeply embedded in their belief system that it simply became a way of life. They returned much of their acreage to tallgrass prairie through decades of dedicated work seeding, plugging, mowing, burning, waiting, and weeding. Myrl and Dan continued their efforts by collecting and sharing native wildflower seed, and adding native plants to their offerings at the St. Paul farmer’s market.

Following Dan and Myrl’s deaths, in 2019 and 2020 respectively, their family gave Xerces a generous memorial donation, earmarked for monarch habitat restoration projects in the Upper Midwest. One of the projects in the works includes a native habitat installation at a senior living center in Traverse City, Michigan. Native plants will form the shoreline of a small pond, attracting birds and butterflies. We have also completed a 6-acre native seeding project on a farm in Isanti County, MN, and have several other projects in progress across the region.