CNGA Looseleaf Magazine, July/August 2012

(pictured above is CSR Colorado managers, Tom Glass and Shawn Wissel)

Conservation Seeding and Restoration Inc is featured in the July/August 2012 edition of the Colorado Nursery and Greenhouse Association’s Looseleaf Magazine! The focus of the article (found on pages 22-23)  is to introduce CNGA members to CSR as new owners of the former Rocky Mountain Native Plants Co. located in Rifle, CO. In reading, you learn how Rocky Mountain Native Plants CO. and Conservation Seeding & Restoration came together, along with a bit of CSR history. The following is an excerpt describing CSR’s product line and services offered:

“Restoring the Planet one Native Plant at a Time” is the central part of CSR’s business model. The company develops native ecology communities for oil and gas fields, butterfly gardens, home landscapes, and other land uses. Customers include individuals, corporations, and local, state and federal government agencies.

CSR’s services range from biology monitoring to habitat management, GIS and GPS mapping, landscape design, native plant and seed collection and propagation, landscape installation, erosion control, and soil amendment. Customers can select from a menu of services or products, which are made available in complete packages or on an a-la-carte basis. No project is too large or too small.

Click on over to the newest addition of Looseleaf and enjoy it’s full content.

CSR is proud to be a member of the Colorado Nursery and Greenhouse Association!

Strawberry Days Parade, 2012

CSR participated in the Strawberry Days Parade in Glenwood Springs, CO. This year marks the 115th annual celebration. Well done, Team SageGrouse!

Native Bumble Bee, Bombus huntii

Hunt’s bumble bee, Bombus huntii, a native to the intermountain west.

Hunt’s bumble bee is photographed here on the highly invasive weed, Houndstongue (Cynoglossum officinale).  This plant is extremely mobile and once established out-competes native habitat. Because the seed is cased in the hard shell with barbs, it can last 7 to 10 years in the soil. (reference: Idaho Weed Awareness)

Invasive Focus: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, is an invasive pest, that is becoming wide-spread in the U.S. and is of concern to farmers. It feeds on a large number of high-value crops and ornamental plants in its immature and adult life stages. The species is native to Asia and was introduced into the United States in the mid-1990s, possibly stowing away in a shipping container. Their numbers and range have been growing since that time, and they have proved difficult to manage.

In 2010, these stink bugs were seen in extremely high numbers in the mid-Atlantic region. They were responsible for causing major economic damage to fruits and vegetables on a number of farms. In addition to plant damage, brown marmorated stink bugs are a nuisance to people. Adult stink bugs may seek shelter inside houses and other buildings, although they do not bite people or pets, nor do they damage buildings. (EPA:Controlling Pests)

Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs were recently found in Idaho.

Purple Prairie Clover, Dalea purpurea

Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpurea) shown above growing at the CSR Colorado Nursery Facility, is one of the most widespread of the perennial Prairie Clovers, identifiable by their cone-like flower heads. An excellent range species, with high protein content, Purple Prairie Clover decreases in abundance with overgrazing. The purple prairie clover is recognized by pollination ecologists as attracting large numbers of native bees. (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflowers)

Innovation Impacting Society Award 2012

CSR’s Steven Paulsen was presented with the Innovation Impacting Society Award!

“Innovation Awards are given to those who have and are engaged with innovation that can impact society through technology commercialization. The awards recognize those individuals who have moved technologies from their research labs into the marketplace via licenses or have been issued U.S. patents. **The annual awards also recognize companies that have licensed University of Idaho technologies.

**Native Roots, LLC is a cooperative effort put forward between CSR, Inc and the University of Idaho by way of an exclusive licensing agreement.

Native Roots, LLC. is located in Kimberly, ID
Breeder of plant varieties: Dr. Stephen Love, Professor of Horticultural Science and Community Horticulture Specialist

The technology consists of a large variety of native plants selected for their hardiness and appearance. A key application of these plants is in xeriscaping in residential and commercial settings. Xeriscaping is landscaping with a reduced or eliminated need for irrigation and chemical applications

Some of the varieties are in the process of being submitted for plant variety protection, a form of “patenting” for sexually reproducing plants. The breeder of these plant varieties is Steve Love, Professor of Horticultural Science and Community Horticulture Specialist. A large group of these varieties was licensed by a new wholly-owned subsidiary of Conservation Seeding and Restoration – Native Roots located in Kimberly, ID.

Increasing the ability to grow sufficient quantities of these and other native plant varieties for Native Roots and other nurseries was the subject of a Idaho Incubation Fund project, funded by the Higher Education Research Council of the State Board of Education. This project and investment by Native Roots accelerated the commercial introduction of these plants by approximately a year.”

Spraying Noxious Weeds in WY

CSR is working with the Rawlins WY BLM and Carbon County Weed and Pest spraying noxious and invasive weeds. Photos above were taken in the Muddy Gap area. This week crews will move towards Saratoga, Wyoming and will be working in the Bennett Peak area. As a safety precaution, snake chaps are being worn as encounters with rattle snakes continue to happen.

Pollinator Week, June 18-24, 2012!

By including native plants in your landscape or large-scale restoration, you help pollinators not only survive, but thrive!

“Pollinator Week was initiated and is managed by the Pollinator Partnership.

Five years ago the U.S. Senate’s unanimous approval and designation of the final week in June as “National Pollinator Week” marked a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations.  Pollinator Week has now grown to be an international celebration of the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles. The growing concern for pollinators is a sign of progress, but it is vital that we continue to maximize our collective effort.  The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture signs the proclamation every year.

The Pollinator Partnership is proud to announce that June 18-24, 2012 has been designated National Pollinator Week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Pollinating animals, including bees, birds, butterflies, bats, beetles and others, are vital to our delicate ecosystem, supporting terrestrial wildlife, providing healthy watershed, and more. Therefore, Pollinator Week is a week to get the importance of pollinators’ message out to as many people as possible. It’s not too early to start thinking about an event at your school, garden, church, store, etc. Pollinators positively effect all our lives- let’s SAVE them and CELEBRATE them!” -Pollinator Partnership 

Idaho’s Walk on the Wild Side Big Day 2012

CSR’s Senior Scientist, Kent Fothergill, photographed here while participating in “Big Day 2012″ in Idaho. This birding event benefits the Idaho Bird Observatory and Environment for the Americas.

Idaho’s Largest Orchid

Idaho’s largest orchid, Epipactis gigantea, is now blooming in the Snake River Canyon. This photo was shot last Tuesday while on the trail at the Shoshone Falls.