Description:
In the mid 1980s the project site was taken out of farm production and enrolled in a Crop Flexibility Program and seeded with Sodar Streambank wheatgrass, crested wheatgrass, alfalfa and yellow sweetclover. Of these, crested wheat and alfalfa were most dominant on the site. The goal of the project was to replace these species with a biologically diverse native plant community. Glyphosate herbicide was applied in the summer of 2005 to kill existing vegetation. Seedbed preparation was accomplished by disking. A native seedmix was dormant season seeded using a seed drill in the fall of 2005. In 2006 establishment of seeded species appeared to be marginal, possibly due to a low seeding rate specified by the cost-sharing program. The site was mowed to control weeds and to favor seeded species. Monitoring will continue to determine if project goals are met.