Volunteers Needed to Plant for Wildlife

Large wildfires have taken their toll on southwest Idaho winter range during the past two years. Volunteers are needed to help Idaho Fish and Game rehabilitate hundreds of acres of winter big game range and speed up the native plant recovery process. For more information regarding the planting project, or to learn about other volunteer opportunities with Fish and Game, call 208-327-7095 or 208-327-7099. Or in the Magic Valley, call 208-324-4359. Volunteer information also is available on the agency's Website at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/about/volunteer/southwest.cfm. This spring's planting effort began on March 3 and - thanks to good snow cover - will continue each Saturday through April 19. Planting sites include burned areas north of Sweet and Indian Valley, portions of the Boise River Wildlife Management Area and in various locations in the Magic Valley. Volunteers have planted hundreds of thousands of bitterbrush and sagebrush seedlings during the past seventeen years to restore native bitterbrush and sagebrush habitats in Southwest Idaho. In the process, they've saved the agency hundreds of thousands of dollars. "Volunteers make habitat restoration possible by providing the workforce to plant," Fish and Game volunteer coordinator Mary Dudley said. "Lucky Peak Nursery propagates bitterbrush and sagebrush seedlings from seed that volunteers help us collect each year as well." Bitterbrush and sagebrush - both native shrubs - comprise an important component of big game winter ranges in Idaho and throughout the West. Besides providing essential food sources for deer, elk and other wildlife, bitterbrush and sagebrush provide cover from the elements and predators and nesting habitat. Even large animals like deer and elk find shelter among mature stands of bitterbrush and sagebrush during winter storms. The animals hunker down under the shrubs, out of the wind and snow, to conserve precious body fat, which they need to survive the lean winter months. Because of their deep-rooted structure, native shrubs also provide for soil stabilization, reducing erosion.