Monday, October 24, 2011

Habitat for the Birds

 
At the North Cascades Basecamp in Mazama, songbird habitat along the Audubon Certified trails to the Methow River is native and wild and the upper bench surrounding the lodge and cabin feel naturalized and cared for.  However we realize the parking areas and the grass/tree component of the facility was missing some critical habitat for birds, SHRUBS!   So, we gathered root balls of native plants from our own property, used our kids and wheelbarrows to haul plants up the hill, and marked out the areas of interest.   

With the help of Pacific Crest Outward Bound students this October, they volunteered 50 person hours to turn a gravel parking area into a bird sanctuary for years to come.  Together we made this happen by ridding the parking lot of gravel, tilling the site and digging holes in hard-panned earth, laying down compost, creating a walking path, and planting and mulching native shrubs throughout the area.  We are extremely pleased on how quickly a parking lot has transformed into a new native shrub area to welcome the birds back in the spring! 


Plants we collected and used for our restoration site include:  
* spirea * mountain ash * serviceberry * oregon grape * kinickinick * boxwood * ocean spray * chokecherry * hawthorne * woods rose * sitka rose * red-osier dogwood