Volunteers Needed to Collect Sagebrush Seed

Recent wildfires in the Squaw Butte and Willow Ridge area north of Emmett have consumed thousands of acres of wildlife habitat, including hundreds of acres of critical mule deer winter range. This fall, volunteers have the opportunity to help Fish and Game with restoration of those burned areas. Volunteer crews will descend on unburned portions of the Butte and the Willow Ridge area on Saturday, November 18, to collect sagebrush seed for planting on areas still recovering from summer wildfires. "We hope to have a large crew of volunteers helping us that Saturday," Fish and Game volunteer coordinator Mary Dudley noted. "And we'll be out collecting sagebrush seed on December 2, 9 and 16, for those who want to help on a different date." For more information regarding the effort, contact Mary Dudley or Michael Young at 327-7099. Volunteers will hand strip the seed into large canvas hoppers, the most effective sagebrush seed-collecting technique according to Dudley. "We're grateful to the Bureau of Land Management smoke jumpers at the National Interagency Fire Center for their gift of these handmade canvas hoppers," Dudley said. Sagebrush seed is the focus of this effort because the shrub is an important winter food source for mule deer. "The native shrub also provides food and cover benefits for a variety of other wildlife," Dudley said. "And like other deep-rooted plants, sagebrush helps stabilize soils, reducing erosion." If you intend to go, plan on dressing warmly. "Warm gloves and good boots are definitely in order for the predictable cool morning," Dudley noted. "Dress in layers and bring more clothes than you think necessary - that should probably be enough." Should none of these dates fit your schedule, don't despair. Additional fire rehabilitation, in the form of bitterbrush seedling planting, is slated for early spring of 2007.