Fall Colors on Corral Creek

The Tamarack or Western larch (Larix occidentalis) are putting on their fall colors in the forests around Corral Creek. Soon they will loose their leaves in preparation for winter.

Latah SWCD Board Meeting - Nov. 3

A New Season for the ClearWater Direct Seeders

Harvest is over, winter seeding is wrapping up--it must be time for another season of sharing experiences with the ClearWater Direct Seeders! Meetings will be held at 7:00 AM at the Red Lion in Lewiston on the following Tuesdays:

Nov 17
Dec 8
Jan 12
Feb 9
Mar 2

Speakers will address risk management strategies for direct seeders, economic and environmental benefits of no-till cropping systems, bio-fuel chemistry 101, a direct seed mentoring project, direct seed weed management strategies, and CRP takeout strategies.

WSU Extension
UI Extension
Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association

Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI) Seminar

This seminar will be presented by Mark Solomon on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 from 10:30 - 11:30 am at the UI College of Natural Resources, Room 14. Click here for more information about this seminar and others offered in the IWRRI Hydrology Seminar Series. These seminars are open to all interested professionals, legislators, water supply managers, local government representatives, attorneys, students, and the interested public.

Latah SWCD Board Meeting - Oct. 6th

Palouse Basin Water Summit

The 5th Annual Palouse Basin Water Summit will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 6th at the Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Event Center in Pullman, Washington. Registration is free.

New Technology Protects a Fragile Meadow

How do you protect a fragile meadow from the steel cleats of a 20-ton excavator? This spring Latah SWCD was faced with this question during the Corral Creek Steelhead Habitat Restoration Project. Trish Heekin, Resource Conservation Planner and project lead, needed to build several structures to control the flow of the creek during spring runoff. The work involved hauling rock and topsoil and building ditch plugs using an excavator and dump truck.



The heavy equipment would have to cross a meadow covered with wildflowers, sedges and shrubs. Trish needed to minimize the damage to the meadow. If the top soil was disturbed weeds would move in, resulting in years of costly meadow restoration. Something needed to be placed on top of the meadow that could handle the weight of the equipment and still be light enough for a crew to move by hand.



One idea was to use 4x8 foot sheets of ¾ inch plywood. After talking with some heavy equipment operators we learned that plywood did not hold up very well. It was time to consult the Internet. A Google search turned up Ground Protection Mats. Several vendors offer 4x8 foot sheets of durable plastic designed for this type of project. White mats are available to help keep the ground underneath cool.



To date, several structures have been built at Corral Creek using the Ground Protection Mats. The meadow was protected and the mats survived intact, ready for our next project.

The New Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)

NRCS is conducting sign-ups under the new CSP until September 30, 2009. Still have questions? The following links might help:

FARMERS' GUIDE to the Conservation Stewardship Program (developed by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition)

NRCS website

NACD website (3rd article down)

Clearwater RC&D Annual Gathering

The Annual Gathering of the Clearwater RC&D Council, Inc. will be Thursday, October 22, 2009 at The GALLERY, 107 W North St., Grangeville.

• 5:00 pm - No Host Social
• 6:00 pm - Dinner Served
• 7:00 pm - Keynote Address, John Bennett, CFO Idaho Forest Group
• 7:30 pm - Business Meeting, Election of Officers

Registration is $15. Please RSVP by Oct. 12 to Barb Knapp 208-882-4960 ext. 102.

IRCDA Annual Fall Meeting

The IRCDA Annual Fall Meeting will be Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 5-6, 2009 at the Red Lion Hotel in Lewiston. Members and Partners of the IRCDA are invited to attend. The $50/individual registration fee is due Friday, Sept. 25. On the morning of the 5th, there will be a special workshop for nonprofit organizations, given by Lynn Hoffman from the Idaho Nonprofit Center in Boise. Please visit www.idahorcd.org/IRCDA/meetings.htm for additional meeting information.