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
Department of Natural Resources restored 40 acres of shrub steppe and riparian habitat throughout Selah Cliffs Natural Areas Preserve (NAP). The restoration work began on site in the spring of 2022 with herbicide treatments to create a chemical fallow in 4 sites with low native plant populations and high densities of invasive plant species. These treatments were continued through the summer of 2024. At 2 additional, smaller sites, also with low levels of native plant populations and high densities of invasive plant species where multiple herbicide applications were determined to be inappropriate, mechanical control (e.g. brush cutting, hand pulling) of invasive species was conducted and the built-up litter material removed to facilitate the reintroduction of native species. In one large area, where native bunchgrasses were well established, but shrub cover was lacking, the site was regularly patrolled and spot treated for invasive, perennial weeds. Over the course of two years scattered invasive species were removed along Selah Creek and select upland areas throughout the site by mechanical or chemical control. Revegetation was performed in fall/winter of 2024. 4,000 big sagebrush plugs were planted over all of the treatment areas, with a focus on reestablishing a shrub community in the pasture site in treatment area 1. An additional 1,800 grass, forb, and shrub plugs were planted at the restoration sites, with a focus on establishing a diverse native plant community at the parking lot site in treatment area 1 for future use in outreach and education at Selah Cliffs NAP. Bunchgrasses were seeded at all sites but the pasture (which already has an established bunchgrass community). Grass seed mixtures were curated to microsite conditions within each restoration site. Forb and shrub seed that was collected at Selah Cliffs NAP throughout the year was spread at the parking lot site in treatment area 1 and the main site in treatment area 2. Water conditions in Selah Creek have changed over time due to environmental changes and land management actions upstream. With these changes the vegetation has also changed and most of the creek on site no longer supports riparian plant species. The wettest part of the creek is within the western portion of the site. The water in that area is mainly feed by irrigation runoff from the orchards above the cliffs. We decided not to plant riparian species in the creek as part of this grant instead focusing on removing invasive species only. The majority of the revegetation efforts were focused on the upland areas. DNR Natural Areas staff will continue to map and treat invasive weed species in the treatment areas in the upcoming years. Additionally, staff will establish and monitor sets of transects in both treatment areas to track the success of planted big sagebrush. Seed will continue to be collected on site and used to fill in any gaps in the revegetation that took place in 2024.