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| Clatsop SWCD provides opportunity to regenerate tidal slough | |||
| 05/25/2006 | |||
The finishing touches were recently put on a conservation project in the Youngs Bay Estuary through the combined efforts of students and staff from the Tongue Point Job Corps Center, the Clatsop Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), and two forward-thinking landowners. In late February, about 700 native trees and shrubs arrived at the Rudolph/Peterson farm to be planted along two arms of a tidal slough. The area had been fenced to keep out grazing cattle last year and the 25-40 foot strip between the fencing and the slough was given a chance to rest and regenerate its old pasture grass cover. Years of grazing down to the edge of the slough had removed much of the vegetation typically growing along similar tidal sloughs. Armed with shovels and bags of bare root planting stock, two groups of students from Job Corps pitched in with their staff supervisors to plant an acre of old pasture with a variety of native shrubs and trees. For one of the groups, it was a chance to volunteer for a community project that will have a lasting impact on the environment. For the second group of students from the Job Corps Center’s Landscaping Vocational Program, it was also a chance to test their newly learned skills. Job Corps staffers, Michelle Edmondson and Eldon Ruhnke, provided guidance and willing muscle to complete the project Landowners Cathy Peterson and Rudi Rudolph worked alongside the students and now have a new plot of growing plants to nurture and bring to a mature working waterside environment. The project is part of on-going efforts to improve the water quality on working farms and provide and improve the habitat of our area’s fish and wildlife. Working with Clatsop SWCD, Cathy Peterson and Rudi Rudolph put together a long-range plan for improving the natural resources on their farm. With a plan in hand, Clatsop SWCD staff sought ways to help the landowners reach their goals. Cathy and Rudi’s goals fit perfectly with an opportunity for funding from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB), and a federal program called the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). An OWEB grant paid for 75% of the cost of constructing the livestock fencing and acquiring and planting the native shrubs and trees surrounding the Rudolph/Peterson pasture. Now the pasture buffer area can provide a filtering effect for water run-off from the pasture as well as providing a welcome place for wildlife to thrive. Future plans will complete the fencing of other pastures and begin the rehabilitation of a wetland on the property. Federal EQIP funding will provide funding for those efforts. The program will also help Cathy and Rudi improve their pastures and provide better watering facilities for the cattle on their land. Cathy and Rudi are part of a growing group of landowners who realize the benefits of conserving the natural resources that make their land not only a working farm but a welcome home to Clatsop County’s fish and wildlife. If you want information on how you can get involved in improving and conserving the natural resources on your land, contact Dave Ambrose of Clatsop Soil and Water Conservation District at 503-325-4571. More SWCD success stories |
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