ABOVE: OHA volunteers braved cold temperatures on Nov. 19 and 20 to plant sagebrush and bitterbrush seedlings in the Interstate Unit to restore burned habitat. RIGHT: A large group of volunteers came out to help plant sagebrush and bitterbrush seedlings in the Interstate Unit.
A large group of volunteers came out to help plant sagebrush and bitterbrush seedlings in the Interstate Unit.
Photo courtesy of Tyler Dungannon
ABOVE: OHA volunteers braved cold temperatures on Nov. 19 and 20 to plant sagebrush and bitterbrush seedlings in the Interstate Unit to restore burned habitat. RIGHT: A large group of volunteers came out to help plant sagebrush and bitterbrush seedlings in the Interstate Unit.
Photo courtesy of Tyler Dungannon
Sagebrush and bitterbrush seedlings were protected after being planted.
In response to wildfires that burned over 500,000 acres in the Interstate Unit last year, Oregon Hunters Association and partners planted thousands of sage and bitterbrush seedlings to help restore Lake County mule deer winter range on Nov. 18-20.
Adults in custody at Warner Creek Correctional Facility, who sowed and nursed the plants beginning in May, planted 400 plants in three hours on Nov. 18, and then 40 OHA volunteers took the torch over the weekend. An actual torch would have been nice, as morning low temperatures were -8 on both Saturday and Sunday. Still, most volunteers were shedding layers by 10 a.m. and enjoying blue bird days.
OHA conservation staff broadcasted sage and bitterbrush seed, and our hardy volunteers planted and protected roughly 6,000 seedlings near Clover Flat, east of Lake Abert. However, there is still more work to do. OHA staff will set a date to plant an additional 6,000 seedlings for spring of 2023, when we hope to see mild weather.
Future planting dates have yet to be determined, but please stay tuned if you’re interested in restoring mule deer winter range. Contact Tyler Dungannon (td@oregonhunters.org) for information.
State OHA, OHA Klamath and Lake County chapters each contributed $3,000 to the 2022 project, respectively. OHA conservation staff successfully attained grant funding to make this project possible, and these grants were awarded by the Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund ($23,000) and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation ($10,000).
Backcountry Hunters and Anglers donated more than $1,000 of sage and bitterbrush seed, and Legacy Sports International, Benchmade, and Sig Sauer donated amazing drawing prizes for volunteers. Institute for Applied Ecology, the Bureau of Land Management and Warner Creek Correctional Facility have played pivotal roles in making this project a success, and OHA is looking forward to continuing these partnerships.
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