Provide A Helpful Hand For Wildlife

When the Homestead Fire roared through the Boise Foothills this past summer, hundreds of acres of wildlife habitat went up in smoke. Habitat restoration will begin soon, and Fish and Game is looking for community- spirited volunteers to help plant bitterbrush and sagebrush seedlings to benefit future generations of deer and elk.

The annual planting project begins March 4 and continues on March 11, 18 and 25. For more information about the planting project, or to volunteer to help, contact Fish and Game volunteer coordinator Mary Dudley at 327-7099.

Bitterbrush and sagebrush are native shrubs and important components of big game winter ranges in Idaho and throughout the West. Besides providing essential food sources for deer, elk and other wildlife, bitterbrush and sagebrush provide cover from the elements, protection from predators and nesting habitat for countless bird species.

Even large animals like deer and elk find shelter among mature stands of bitterbrush and sagebrush during winter storms. The animals bed down under the shrubs and out of the wind and snow to conserve precious body fat needed to survive the lean winter months. Because of their deep-rooted structure, native shrubs provide soil stabilization, reducing erosion.

Call 327-7095 or 327-7099 to sign up for the habitat restoration project and to learn about other volunteer opportunities with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Check out all the Fish and Game volunteer opportunities at this website link: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/about/volunteer/

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