MPG North Field Note - Entrance Marsh and Upland Restoration

By mid-June, Oregon sunshine, phacelia, and native grasses filled the restored access road to Entrance Marsh.

At first glance, the new pond at Entrance Marsh mimics natural habitat.

The excavated soil we’ve spread may lack structure so far, but it is fluffy and allows effortless root growth.

This spring, we hunted for the few bare spots we could find and scattered handfuls of seeds on them

Serviceberry (a), rose (b), and phacelia (c) bloom inside the buck and rail fences that surround the wetland soil.

We placed about half of the excavated marsh soil here.

Heavy native plant cover two years later soothes frayed nerves.

Years ago, I featured this iconic aspen in many field notes.

In decline, the tree hosts woodpeckers and squirrels, and young aspen suckers surround it.

We placed about a third of the excavated marsh soil here.

The field crew cut or pulled thistle and knapweed, but I don’t think these methods will repel reed canarygrass.

Branches stretch out on one-year-old white pine, extending 6-8 inches this year (a). Blanketflower and yarrow add color to native grasses (b), fireweed towers over other native plants (c), and we’ve seen no mortality in planted aspens (d).

Compacted, rocky soil lies under the access road to the dam.

Vegetation on the dam looks more natural now, and it is thick enough to prevent erosion.

Yellow columbine beautified a rather drab day.

Indian paintbrush seems more abundant inside buck and rails where hungry deer can’t chomp it.

Posted on 7/31/2019 by sbradford

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About MPG North

Established in 2005, the property boundary at MPG North encloses 200 undeveloped acres in Western Montana’s Swan Valley. Researchers and field staff manage the property to improve habitat quality for wildlife, discover new ways to restore damaged landscapes and study forest ecology. We also create opportunities to share what we've learned with local conservation organizations, students of all ages, management agencies and volunteers. Through these education and outreach efforts, we seek to inspire others to work together and protect undeveloped landscapes.