Most of June I have been working at the Rifle Range location in the East portion of the Hiawatha National Forest planting warm season grasses to establish habitat for Sharp-tailed Grouse. Earlier in the month planting was easy, low vegetation, soft soil, minimal roots. But now the vegetation is thriving, lots of ferns, wild blueberry, and small shrubs are beginning to take over. In the picture above you can see me weed-whacking the vegetation to give the grasses lots of room to grow.
Predominantly Big Bluestem has been planted but a mixture of Little Bluestem, Switchgrass, and Indian Grass as well. UPRC&D has been sourcing our plants from Northern Natives (based in Newberry, MI), and Designs by Nature (based in Marquette, MI). Below is a big bluestem plant being planted.
I have seen a variety of wildlife at the Rifle Range. A few species I have been able to get on camera are: The rare Upland Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Sandhill Crane, and a Gray Wolf. From top to bottom the images are: Gray Wolf, Upland Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Grouse, and Sandhill Cranes taking off.
One of the highlights of June was getting to meet the very hard working and UPRC&D’s own Conservation Coordinator Nichole Wohlstein. Nichole and I traveled from our respective locations in the U.P to meet in Munising for three days to plant native wildflowers in the west Hiawatha National Forest. As a two man crew, Nichole and I put in the work and established 3000 native wildflowers inside a four-acre area to create pollinator habitat within the Hiawatha National Forest. Pictured below is Nichole and I with all of the trays holding the plants after we had finished and me hauling plants.
Near the end of the month I got to go out on shoreline surveys with Three Shores CISMA. Jack and Carli with TSC and I surveyed around 6 miles of shoreline on a beautiful June morning, we even got up close to the 1,000 foot freighter: “American Integrity” (Pictured below).
Last significant project I contributed to before July rolled around was my first GLC AIS outreach event with Bay Mills Indian Community and MSU Extension. The weather was poor in the morning but near late morning/early afternoon the weather cleared up and the sun was shining! Throughout the day we had curious folks come up and ask about what we were doing. We then were able to explain the importance of washing your boats after use, draining your live wells, and knowing what to look for when recreating on the waters to prevent the spread of Invasive Species. Nichole even brought her dog Bo to join in on the outreach fun!
June was a great second month well spent with UPRC&D, I’ve met some great people, gained experiences, and seen some amazing wildlife and scenery I wouldn’t have had the chance to see if I wasn’t working with UPRC&D. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities I have had and I am super excited for July. In July I will be spending a few days on Drummond Island, and back in the western Hiawatha National Forest near Escanaba, MI establishing more pollinator habitat so stay tuned!
-Ryan
Comments
Post a Comment