Cover photo by Deb Korzen courtesy of Turnbull NWR
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service needs volunteers to assist with its annual community-supported restoration effort this fall at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, happening Oct. 5 from 9 a.m. through 1 p.m. The event lines up with National Wildlife Refuge Week, which is the largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands.
Volunteers will spend a half day helping refuge staff plant native trees such as aspen, hawthorn, serviceberry and cottonwood at various locations across Turnbull. These tree plantings have been a regular occurrence on the refuge for the past two decades. Volunteers can also support local pollinator species by dispersing milkweed seeds and transplanting milkweed rhizomes in the pollinator garden maintained by the Friends of Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge.
Less than one percent of the Refuge’s habitat is aspen or deciduous shrubland, according to Molly Dixon, the wildlife biologist at Turnbull. “This represents a loss of over 65% of these species’ historical presence on the refuge. By participating in this ongoing restoration, we hope to restore the landscape to a more natural distribution of habitat types, which will benefit forest-dependent wildlife,” says Dixon.
Tree planting sessions are family-friendly and open to all ages. Large groups are welcome with advance notice. Participants are asked to wear appropriate clothing (long pants, closed-toed shoes) and provide their own food and water. Refuge staff will provide all the planting equipment, including gloves. No prior experience is necessary to volunteer. To RSVP for the event, please visit The Friends of Turnbull at Fotnwr.org or call (509)-559-3034. (OTO)
