Volunteers Needed to Plant for Wildlife

Thousands of sagebrush and bitterbrush seedlings are scheduled to be planted on a number of sites in the weeks ahead, including the Boise River Wildlife Management Area east of Boise. Idaho Fish and Game is asking community-minded volunteers to help with the annual native shrub restoration effort, which will begin on March 6 when bitterbrush seedlings will be planted on a burned area just east of Old Highway 55 in Eagle. "The human-caused ÔSkate' fire burned in 2009," Fish and Game volunteer coordinator Mary Dudley said. "Familiar with our volunteer planting efforts for two decades now, staff from the Bureau of Land Management asked for our assistance in rehabilitating this area." Subsequent planting projects will be conducted on March 13, 20, 27 and April 3. Transportation and all planting tools will be provided. Volunteers have planted hundreds of thousands of bitterbrush and sagebrush seedlings during the past 20 years to restore native bitterbrush and sagebrush habitats in Southwest Idaho. In the process, they've saved the agency hundreds of thousands of dollars. "In addition to saving the agency money, volunteers have improved hundreds of acres of winter range and also take their new-found education back to the city," Dudley said. "We hope that these projects will educate folks about the importance of winter range and open land." 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 from predators, while also providing nesting habitat for birds and small mammals. 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 provide for soil stabilization, reducing erosion. For more information regarding the planting projects, or to learn about other volunteer opportunities with Fish and Game, call 208-327-7095. Volunteer information also is available on the agency's website at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/about/volunteer/southwest.cfm.