Union Park Stewardship Projects Update

Last fall our intrepid volunteers headed out in the field to harvest and plant willow stakes as part of a restoration project on a heavily eroded stream crossing in Union Park. We planted stakes along banks reconstructed with willow plugs and wads. We also did some experimental plantings with leftover willow stakes to determine if the soil up above the floodplain could support new growth.

We visited this summer for an update-

The good news is that the road closure seems to be holding overall, the willow plugs were thriving even in drought, and the stakes in the riparian area had sprouted out. Our experimental stakes up higher didn’t perform so well (but worth the try!), we had one vehicle breach the closure and livestock had trammeled some of the stakes. This year we’ve refined our planting strategy (strictly wet!) and reached out to the USFS to work on another fence to prevent further breaches. A solid first year post-project with a few follow-ups to cinch things up!