Native Plants for Balance

Native Plants for Balance, by Smell Like Dirt

Stream Restoration on Silver Creek, Idaho

CSR recently completed a restoration project on a stretch of Silver Creek in the Picabo Valley, Idaho. Riparian plants such as Water Birch, Red Twig Dogwood, and two species of willow were planted along the banks of the river. We also installed browse protection around each plant. These native plants will provide wildlife habitat opportunities [...]

Ladybugs Eat Aphids!

Alternative Ag Symposium

Alternative Ag Symposium Sponsored by Living Earth LLC. and Helena Chemical, Inc. Tuesday, March 27th Blue Lakes Country Club 9:00am to 3:00pm Join us for lunch and information on these topics and more: Land Planning Buffers Grants Pollinators/Insects Soil Science – soil biology/microflora soil chemistry Soil Amendments Custom Solutions with Helena Chemical Benefits of Compost [...]

Invasive Species Awareness Week: Conscientious Herbicide Applications

Conservation Seeding & Restoration Inc is not an herbicide spray company. The services we offer do not revolve around chemical applications, but rather the Restoration of native plant habitats. When we do use herbicides we treat weeds only so that native grasses and plants can establish themselves and out-compete weeds for water, light, nutrients, and [...]

Why Choose Native Plants?

Native plants typically have deep and extensive root systems which help them survive dry conditions and which effectively hold soil, controlling soil erosion and moderate floods. The root systems are a major part of the biomass provided by vegetation. Through photosynthesis these plants use carbon dioxide to create complex hydrocarbons, thereby enriching the soil and [...]

Ladybug as ‘Zombie Bodyguard’

As 2011 was drawing to a close, CSR Biologist Kent Fothergill was out with a team from the local Audubon Society, counting birds in the Jim Sage Mountains. The weather was cold and windy, so Kent was surprised to find a ladybug in the top of a Black Greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus). This ladybug was a [...]

Reclamation Project in Colorado

(Wattles placed on grade to reduce erosion and sediment loss) This reclamation project is located near Silt, CO. and spans across 7 miles of privately-owned land, intertwined with Bureau of Land Management (BLM) parcels. CSR Biologist, Annette Garrigues, monitored each site and came up with methodologies for reclamation based on terrain, ecosystems, plant species found [...]

Installing Straw Wattles in WY

This P&A (plug & abandon) well site was seeded late October with a native seed mix. Due to recontouring of the road, straw wattles were installed to prevent erosion to the slope. Straw Wattles are woven mesh netting filled with straw or hay and sometimes seed mixes, used to trap sediment and promote infiltration. They [...]

Ouray National Wildlife Refuge, Fall 2011

The Green River as it winds through the Ouray National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is located 30 miles southwest of Vernal in northeastern Utah. It consists of 11, 987 acres including 12 miles of the Green River. Antelope at the Ouray National Wildlife Refuge with the Green River flood plain in the background. Transect tape [...]