Western Foothills Land Trust

RBDG RURAL BUSINESS COOP RURAL ENTERPRISE GRANT

WESTERN FOOTHILLS LAND TRUST (WFLT) WILL WORK WITH THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE PARTNERS FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE PROGRAM TO RESTORE POLLINATOR HABITAT AND REMOVE INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES ON WFLTS SHEPARDS FARM PRESERVE. MONARCHS AND NATIVE BEES HAVE BEEN OBSERVED IN THE COUNTY OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT AREA. HOWEVER, THE PROPOSED PROJECT AREA CURRENT HAS LOW PLANT DIVERSITY, INCLUDING LOW FORB DIVERSITY. IN ADDITION, INVASIVE SPECIES SUCH AS AUTUMN OLIVE (ELAEAGNUS UMBELLATA) AND BLACK SWALLOW-WORT (CYNANCHUM LOUISEAE) ARE PRESENT IN MODERATE TO SEVERE LEVELS IN THE PROJECT AREA. BLACK SWALLOWWORT IS OF PARTICULAR CONCERN AS IS SIMILAR TO MONARCHS LARVAL HOST PLANT, BUT POISONOUS TO MONARCH CATERPILLARS. IN ORDER TO SUPPORT GREATER NUMBERS OF MONARCHS AND NATIVE POLLINATORS, RESTORATION OF THE NATIVE PLAN COMMUNITY MUST BE COMPLETED, AND INVASIVE SPECIES MUST BE SUPPRESSED. POLLINATOR HABITAT WILL BE ESTABLISHED AND RESTORED BY NON-CHEMICAL METHODS AND USING NATIVE PLANT SPECIES. INVASIVE SPECIES WILL BE TREATED BY NON-CHEMICAL METHODS. POLLINATOR HABITAT WILL BE RESTORED OVER 3 YEARS, APPROXIMATELY 0.25 AC EACH YEAR.