Category Overview
The State Lands Restoration and Enhancement category provides funding to two state agencies to help repair damaged plant and animal habitat. These grants focus on resource preservation and protection of public lands. Projects in this category help bring important natural areas and resources back to their original functions by improving the self sustaining and ecological functionality of sites.
Project Highlights
The Department of Natural Resources used this grant to restore 115 acres of young commercial timber and another four acres of old homestead at Dabob Bay Natural Area. The project site is located above Long Spit, and on the headwaters of Camp Discovery Creek flowing into Dabob Bay. Both areas received weed control work and planting of native species. Plantation Douglas-fir was thinned, and native trees and shrubs planted in the gaps. Species planted include Redcedar, Sitka spruce, Grand fir, Western hemlock, Bigleaf maple, Cascara, Bitter cherry, Scouler willow, Serviceberry, Pacific rhododendron, Oceanspray, Oregon-grape, Indian plum, and Red-flowered currant. Wetter parts of the thinned area were planted with Sitka spruce, Redcedar, Stink currant, Douglas spiraea, Twinberry, Swamp rose, Pacific willow, and Pacific ninebark. Invasive weeds were treated in the homestead site, and native trees and shrubs planted. Species planted include Redcedar, Sitka spruce, Grand fir, Bigleaf maple, Cascara, Bitter cherry, Salmonberry, Douglas spiraea, Twinberry, Swamp rose, Pacific willow, Pacific ninebark, and Vine maple. Priority species on site include Pileated Woodpecker and Coastal Cutthroat Trout. Bald Eagles and Great Blue Herons nest in the vicinity, and the NA has the potential to support Marbled Murrelets and Spotted Owls. The primary habitat restored is coastal lowland forest habitat. Initially we expected to remove the logging road on the site after restoration work was done. However the plastic culverts turn out to be just cross drains which do not affect stream hydrology, and the roadbed itself is growing over rapidly with grasses and with tree and shrub seedlings. It was decided that removal would not be necessary and would set back the natural revegetation process unnecessarily. The fencing work we hoped to do was unable to be completed due to difficulties that interrupted our relationship with the neighbor in question.