Volunteers Needed for Sagebrush Seed Collection Efforts

In 2000, a wildfire east of Boise consumed hundreds of acres of critical mule deer winter range. This fall, volunteers have the opportunity to help Fish and Game restore the burned area. Volunteer crews will descend on the Boise River Wildlife Management Area on Saturday, November 17, collecting sagebrush seed for planting on the Hilltop fire site later this winter. "If the seed is ripe, we'll be out there on the 17th," Fish and Game volunteer coordinator Mary Dudley noted. "And we'll be out again on December 1, 8 and 15 collecting seed as well." 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. "The hillsides are always cool in the morning," Dudley noted. "More so if the wind is blowing." Should none of these dates work for you, don't despair. Additional fire rehabilitation, in the form of bitterbrush seedling planting, is slated for early spring of 2002. To learn more about these and other volunteer opportunities with Fish and Game, contact Mary Dudley or Elaine Rex at 327-7099.