Volunteers Needed to Help Replant Valuable Foothills Area

Posted on 03-04-2010

On August 3, 2009, the Skate Park Fire burned in the foothills on Ada County landfill property just north of Eagle, Idaho, burning part of the Idaho Velodrome and Cycling Park. The wildfire quickly burned through a valuable foothills recreation area, threatening nearby homes, and challenging firefighters before they stopped the blaze at 205 acres.

After both Eagle Fire Department and BLM firefighters extinguished the flames, scientists from the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the Forest Service's Rocky Mountain Research Station , and managers and resource specialists from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Ada County, Ada Soil & Water Conservation District, Environmental Conservation Services Incorporated (ECS Inc.), and the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) teamed with the City of Eagle, Eagle Fire Department and Idaho Department of Fish and Game to work on restoring and implementing fuel reduction projects at this popular recreation area.

“Rehabilitating burned areas is very important for wildlife habitat, preventing erosion, and for enhancing the natural beauty and recreational opportunities in areas like the Foothills,” said Mike Pellant, BLM’s Great Basin Restoration Initiative Coordinator. “If we don’t replant native vegetation, this burn will likely be taken over by invasive weeds, which will contribute to erosion, increased wildfires in the future and degraded wildlife habitat,” Pellant added.

After wildfires burn, the restoration process involves numerous treatments and tactics to restore wildlife habitat, maintain recreational trails, and prevent invasive weeds from taking over. Scientists from the Agricultural Research Service and the US Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station have already started studies to identify adapted native forbs and fire resistant grasses for future restoration efforts in the foothills.

The team of scientists, landowners and land managers are working with volunteers to reduce erosion, sow native plant seeds, and plant native sagebrush and bitterbrush seedlings throughout the burned and surrounding area. The collaborators, who have named the partnership The Healthy Hills Initiative, are also working on providing educational opportunities for school districts and interpretive signs describing the restoration process. This fits into Ada County’s goals for the landfill property to provide environmental education, recreation, and wildlife habitat in addition to safe disposal of our communities’ solid waste.

“This restoration partnership will achieve more than any one partner could do on its own,” said John Caywood, Ada County Open Space and Trail Coordinator. “We need help from the public to replant this area and to take care of it while it’s recovering from wildfire. That’s why we’re asking for volunteers to help us plant shrubs; it’s not only a good thing to do for your community, it’s going to help keep our Foothills beautiful and healthy for years to come,” added Caywood.

Idaho Fish and Game’s Volunteer Program will assist in the restoration process by coordinating the planting of the native shrub, bitterbrush, throughout sections of the burn on March 6 and 13. Interested volunteers are invited to contact Mary Dudley, Idaho Fish and Game Volunteer Coordinator, at (208) 327-7099 to sign up for the March 13 planting, as plenty of volunteers have signed up for the March 6 planting date.

“This project can serve as a model for future foothills restoration projects,” said Pellant. “It’s about getting members of the community together to restore something that provides beauty, quality of life, and open space for everyone to enjoy.”