Habitat Restoration November 2019

Winter Restoration Brings May Flowers

Habitat volunteers in October spent most Wednesdays and Thursdays on the Carty Unit helping to clear logging debris, seeding native grasses, and clearing invasive plant species released along with the Oaks by the increased light energy.

Volunteers also removed the remaining beaver fencing around a willow planting along the south shore of Middle Lake, and managed to pass the bridge construction to perform maintenance at a Widgeon Lake planting site on Bachelor Island. There is much work donated by volunteers that the public never sees that is of great value to wildlife.

Fall is a great time to come out and help if you have been thinking about it. Good temps., good amount of vegetation, good water levels, lots of feathered company, right amount of stinging/biting insects, and because it is not as simple as, “April showers bring May flowers,” lots of “winter showers” restoration work to bring those May flowers.

Native forbs must often be reintroduced to the landscape and this November we will expand our Camas/native grasses planting along the Oaks to Wetland Trail just past the Plankhouse, and begin planting bulbs within the Oak Restoration area. We have several hundred bulbs of a few different species to plant this month. Thanks to those who donated to our bulb fund! Bulb plantings will be Thursdays 9 AM-12:30 PM at the Carty Unit through November, except for Thanksgiving.