Project Day: River Bluffs Open Space Riparian Restoration 3/30/13

My fantastic crew!

The River Bluffs Open Space was in need of some help and Trailcology was there to lend a hand.
Trailcology aided Larimer County in the project by providing crew leader and volunteer assistance.  The Trailcology crew was responsible for planting 15 container stock shrubs and roughly a dozen bare-root wild roses.  Additionally, our crew helped plant one of three ball-and-burlap cottonwoods.  During the course of the project, volunteers planted over 200 shrubs and 3 large cottonwoods.

As I detailed in an earlier post, the River Bluffs site was in need of some riparian improvements.  Riparian areas are lands that are influenced by flowing water.  The increased availability of water allows different plants, such as willows and cottonwoods, to grow along the banks or in the channel of the water body.  The water-loving vegetation along the banks provides stability during times of high flows, improved wildlife habitat, and shading effects, among other benefits.

It was a real pleasure to work with the Larimer County folks and all of the wonderful volunteers who donated their valuable time on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.  I am excited to watch the progress and success of the vegetation that we planted.  Hopefully the plants will be beneficial to the wildlife in the very near future!

Enjoy the photos taken by Jeff and Nick Andersen of Jeff Andersen Photography, Fort Collins, CO!

Happy Trails!
Chris

Crew introductions, project goals, and the safety talk are very important!

I really enjoy listening to everyone during the introductions!

Of course you have to have a warm-up stretch at the start of the day!

Demonstrating how to remove a container plant from its container

Pull from the base of the shrub to prevent limb breakage

Make a little mound at the bottom of the hole

Add a few inches of soil at first

Rough up the edges to allow the roots to spread out in the fill soil

Thoroughly water the fill soil and container material

Now we just need some mulch on top of the bare soil

Jon working hard!

It was quite a hole that we dug for the cottonwood!

This cottonwood was not exactly lightweight...

We had to maneuver around shrubs that had been planted already...

Final alignment before rolling down the hill into it's final home!

It takes teamwork to get these in the ground!

It's in!!!

Supports and fencing