December 4, 2020 - Getting Ready for Planting Season at Pierce

    For the past couple of months, I have been making trips up to the Pierce NWR to continue work in improving the overwintering habitat for the Western Pond Turtle. In areas that were cleared of blackberries this summer by our brush-blade crew & tractor - it is important that we begin to replant native grasses & trees/shrubs that will serve as competition for the blackberry regrowth that is certain to happen in the spring. Our work to remove blackberries at Pierce NWR is constantly ongoing. The process does not simply stop with cutting them down & spraying them with herbicide. We must return every year to maintain the habitat & ensure that the blackberries do not retake the areas that we worked so hard to clear. 

Sowing Grass Seed & Prepping Planting Sites at Pierce

• Before sowing seeds in areas of blackberry removal, one must first make sure that the soil at the site is exposed sufficiently enough to make contact with the seeds that you lay. 
• This can be done by raking an area clear of blackberry canes (physically demanding)
• You could also use a high-powered leaf blower (less physically demanding)
• In some areas, where the blackberry canes are longer, you may want to run a brush-blade through again to chop up the debris into smaller pieces before raking/leaf blowing 
• Once you have good soil exposure in a relatively large area, it is time to sow the grass seed!
• I usually poor the seeds into a 5-gallon bucket
• Then, taking handfuls each time, I sprinkle/spread the seeds over the exposed soil
• Make sure to not put too much seed in one area - I usually stand with the wind at my back, which helps spread the seeds over a larger area & allows me to avoid this problem. 
• You want to give each seed sufficient room to form their roots. 

Germinated grass seed that we planted in early fall of this year. Its already growing so well! 

Area that has been cleared of blackberries & seeded. It is hard to distinguish - but there are patches of soil exposed where the blackberry canes have been pushed to the side with the leaf blower. The pink pin flags are marking the destination of future plantings to be put in this coming winter. 

Another area that has been cleared & seeded. The blue pin flags mark the destination of future plantings. 

The same grass seed that was planted in early fall of this year- but at a different stage of germination.

*I am super excited for planting season this winter! We will be placing native trees/shrubs in areas where we cleared blackberries and seeded grass. Stay tuned for updates with this project.