Planting the Palouse
Photos and Writing by Morgan Elzey
Less than 1% of the Palouse ecosystem is remaining. Most of the ecosystem has been replaced wheat and other commercial plants. Farms have taken over the Palouse and been used for agriculture to feed the population of ever-growing people. While the growth of agriculture is good for people, it is not so good for the Palouse prairie. Different conservation groups have been working to restore the ecosystem so native plants can come back to the Palouse. The goal is to protect the remaining 1% and create spaces where native plants can thrive so we don’t lose this heritage.
I went to the last planting session of the season. Every week on Saturday, a group called the Palouse Conservation District (PCD) plants trees from 9 am to noon. They have various sites they go to plant and have a varying number of volunteers joining them. This week’s crew was more than twenty people and they ended the season strong.
The crew getting ready to plant the last of the plants for the season.
According to the World Wildlife foundation the status of the Palouse Ecosystem is critical.
The tarps are laid down to kill the invasive species around the newly planted native species.
This is the last planting session of the season, the ground is starting to freeze and the volunteers are feeling the cold.
The location of this planting cite is just outside the city on a private farm, the owner has a passion for the environment and wanted to help restore the ecosystem.
Two pronged nails are used after planting to close the tarp around the base of the plant in order to minimize ripping and maintain the shading around the base.
The crew planted a variety of different plants. One specific plant needed this type of shovel to dig a hole deep enough for the roots to stay.
A tarp is laid down to kill the plants underneath by not allowing them sun, this is called shading. Then a hole is cut so a new plant can be placed there.
Shovels are needed to dig through the frozen ground.
Most of the volunteers here are getting volunteer hours for their classes, but they all share an interest in our environment.