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Palouse Prairie Restoration Project Examples

Learn the benefits of restoring with native plants through project examples & seed mixes. Improve wildlife habitat, air & soil quality, and support bird biodiversity. Discover successes in conversion to native vegetation on private lands. Follow projects with field conversions, diverse seed mixes, and effective weed control strategies. Witness the transformation of old fields into vibrant habitats for birds and pollinators. Take action to expand habitats for species like Short-Eared Owls, Grasshopper Sparrows, and Monarchs. The native plant restoration effort aims to create sustainable ecosystems promoting conservation dividends for generations to come.

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Palouse Prairie Restoration Project Examples

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  1. Palouse Prairie RestorationProject Examples March 21, 2018 Bird Conservation on Private Lands Workshop Brenda Erhardt berhardt@latahsoil.org Latah Soil and Water Conservation District

  2. Restoration Using Native Plants • Why Natives? • Project Examples • Sample Seed Mixes and Resources

  3. Why Native? • Locally Adapted • Drought and heat tolerant • Low Maintenance • No irrigation or fertilizer needed • Provide Wildlife and Pollinator Habitat

  4. Why Natives? • Deep Roots! • Food and Homes for Wildlife • Insects have co-evolved with natives • Native plants improve breeding and foraging habitat (Narango et al. 2017)

  5. Why Native? • Native Vegetation Investments Pay Conservation Dividends – Webinar by Jef Hodges (Natl. Bobwhite Cons. Initiative) Natives Promote… • Water Quality • Remove more sediment • Remove more nutrients • Remove more pesticides including neonics • Air Quality • Native vegetation sequesters more Carbon • Soil Health • Wildlife • Douglas Tallamy in Gardening for Life • Native plants support 29 times more insect biodiversity than non-native ornamentals • This means more food for birds! • Native plants support food web that birds rely on

  6. State Wildlife Action Plan • Palouse Prairie SGCN (birds) • Short-Eared Owl • Common Nighthawk • Grasshopper Sparrow • GOALS • Habitat creation and expansion for birds AND pollinators like Monarch and Western Bumblebee • ACTIONS • PP Remnant Expansion with NATIVE Buffers • Field conversion to NATIVE vegetation

  7. PROJECT EXAMPLES Full Field Conversions • Small Acreage Sites (4-17 acres) • Spring and Fall Seeding • Starting point varied • Old horse pasture • Non-native perennial grass field • Alfalfa field • Active farm field • Drill Seeding • Broadcast Seeding

  8. Fosberg Site - Moscow Starting Point: Smooth Brome field Project Start Date: 2003 Project Size: 5 acres Site Preparation: Clipping Multiple herbicide apps. Harrowing 1 full year Funding: Landowner, USFWS – PFW, NRCS - WHIP

  9. Fosberg Site Spraying - April 8, 2004 Harrowing – April 24, 2004

  10. Fosberg Site Seeded with drill - April 27, 2004 Seed Mix Bluebunch Wheatgrass – Whitmar Idaho Fescue

  11. Fosberg Site Seedling Emergence – June 16, 2004

  12. Fosberg Site Weed Control Ongoing Clipping Hand-pulling Spot-spraying Selective Herbicides on full-field ex: Outrider for ventenata and annual grass control • 2005 and 2006 • Weed wands for smooth brome • Clipping for Ventenata and prickly lettuce • Spot Spraying • Hand-pulling

  13. Fosberg Site FLOWER POWER - Adding Diversity with Forb Seed – November 3, 2007

  14. Fosberg Site Re-Seeding – March 19, 2010 Seed Mix – Grass and Forbs Bluebunch Wheatgrass Idaho Fescue Blue Wildrye Prairie Junegrass Sandberg Bluegrass Western Yarrow Blanketflower Western Aster Etc.

  15. Fosberg Site Adding Diversity – 2006 to 2016 May 10, 2009 • Plants • Over 2500 plants • Native wildflowers • Seeds • Additional seed broadcast annually • To cover bare spots and areas with weed issues

  16. Fosberg Site July 22, 2010 Adding Diversity – May 5, 2011

  17. Fosberg Site May 5, 2011 – Forb Seedlings June 6, 2013

  18. Fosberg Site June 16, 2016

  19. Moscow Mountain Site October 28, 2011 Starting Point: Old Horse Pasture Pre-project Vegetation: Intermediate Wheatgrass, pasture grasses, Ventenata Project Start Date: 2011 Project Size: 4 acres Site Preparation: Outrider for Ventenata Multiple herbicide apps. 2 full years site prep Funding: Landowner, USFWS – PFW, NRCS - EQIP

  20. Moscow Mountain Site Seeding Day—May 13, 2014 Seed Mix – Grasses and Forbs Bluebunch Wheatgrass Idaho Fescue Sandberg Bluegrass Blue Wildrye Sherman Big Bluegrass Mountain Brome Prairie Junegrass Western Yarrow Blanketflower Little Sunflower

  21. Moscow Mountain Site July 15, 2014 Weed Issues Red Sorrel! Rush Skeleton Weed Intermediate Wheatgrass RedstemFilaree Bindweed Annual Grasses Etc.

  22. Moscow Mountain Site Red Sorrel Treatment – April 2015 Weed Treatments Hand-pulling Clipping Selective Herbicides Scouting Repeat Treatments Flag weed locations and repeat treatments as necessary Re-Seeding Bare Areas

  23. Moscow Mountain Site Adding Diversity with Forb plugs April 2016 and 2017 Monarch Habitat – Milkweed Planting May 17, 2016

  24. Moscow Mountain Site Adding Diversity – Fall 2015 Forb Seeding Oregon Checkermallow Prairie Smoke Tall Cinquefoil Slender Cinquefoil Arrowleaf Balsamroot Taperleaf Penstemon • Wyeth Buckwheat • Oregon Sunshine • Blanketflower • Little Sunflower • Lewis Flax • NineleafLomatium • Silky Lupine

  25. Moscow Mountain Site June 14, 2016

  26. Moscow Mountain Site September 2017

  27. Tomer Butte Site September 28, 2012 Starting Point: Non-native CRP field Pre-project Vegetation: Tall Oatgrass, other weedy non-native grasses and forbs Project Start Date: 2012 Project Size: 5 acres Site Preparation: Disking Harrowing Multiple herbicide apps. 2 years site prep Funding: Landowner, USFWS – PFW, and FSA

  28. Tomer Butte Site May 25, 2016 June 20, 2017

  29. Little Bear Ridge Road Site June 29, 2012 Starting Point: Alfalfa field Pre-Project Vegetation: Alfalfa Project Start Date: 2012 Project Size: 6 acres Site Preparation: Multiple herbicide apps. 2 full years site prep Funding: Landowner, USFWS – PFW, FSA

  30. Little Bear Ridge Road Site June 25, 2013 July 31, 2013

  31. Little Bear Ridge Road Site October 2, 2013 April 11, 2014

  32. Little Bear Ridge Road Site Seeding Day – May 8, 2014 Seed Mix Bluebunch Wheatgrass Idaho Fescue Blue Wildrye Sherman Big Bluegrass Mountain Brome Prairie Junegrass Western Yarrow Blanketflower Little Sunflower

  33. Little Bear Ridge Road Site June 11, 2014

  34. Little Bear Ridge Road Site May 17, 2015

  35. Little Bear Ridge Road Site May 11, 2016 Targeted Alfalfa Control

  36. Little Bear Ridge Road Ongoing Weed Concerns Adding Diversity Forb Strips – Fall 2016 and Fall 2017 Re-seed bare areas as needed Plant forb and shrub plants in patches Milkweed added in May 2016 • Alfalfa • Continue to treat carefully with selective herbicide • Meadow Foxtail • Spot-treat • Annual Grasses • Treat as needed • Annual Forbs • Clip as needed Hawthorn planted in fall 2015

  37. Little Bear Ridge Road 2015 and 2016 Forb Strips (20 spp.) Prairie Smoke Showy Phlox Harsh Paintbrush Prairie Gentian Tall Cinquefoil Slender Cinquefoil Oregon Checkermallow Missouri Goldenrod Canada Goldenrod Silky Lupine • Arrowleaf Balsamroot • Oregon Sunshine • Blanketflower • Little Sunflower • Lewis Flax • FernleafLomatium • NineleafLomatium • Taperleaf Penstemon • Shining Frasera • Mule’s Ears

  38. Little Bear Ridge Road Site July 2017

  39. Campbell Loop Road Site July 23, 2014 Starting Point: Active Farm Field Project Start Date: 2014 Project Size: 17 acres Site Preparation: Multiple herbicide apps. Disking Harrowing Farm Field - 1 yr. Funding: Landowner and USFWS - PFW

  40. Campbell Loop Road Site April 2015 Grass Mix – Broadcast seeded, Nov. 2014 Bluebunch Wheatgrass Idaho Fescue Sandberg Bluegrass Sherman Big Bluegrass Prairie Junegrass Blue Wildrye

  41. Campbell Loop Road Site April 2, 2015 – forb seeds Forb Strips – Broadcast seeded, Feb. 2015 Western Yarrow FernleafLomatium Little Sunflower Lewis Flax Arrowleaf Balsamroot TaperleavedPenstemon NineleafLomatium Silky Lupine Oregon Sunshine

  42. Campbell Loop Road Site May 5, 2015

  43. Campbell Loop Road Site May 28, 2015 – Dog Fennel! June 4, 2015 – More Dog Fennel!

  44. Campbell Loop Road Site June 4, 2015 – Good Stuff, too

  45. Campbell Loop Road Site August 20, 2015 – post multiple clipping events

  46. Campbell Loop Road Site Questions Answer Wait and See! • Did the dog fennel smother natives? • Would dog fennel be back next year? • What do we do?

  47. Campbell Loop Road Site April 1, 2016

  48. Campbell Loop Road Site May 2, 2016 Adding Diversity – May 11, 2016 – Milkweed Planting

  49. Campbell Loop Road Site June 16, 2016

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