Blue Camas First-Food Seed Rescue

Camassia quamash, or camas for short, is our target species for grassland restoration in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon. This bulb, which is related, to asparagus was and continues to be an important “first-food” species for the tribes of the Northwest. Historically the bulbs were tended by setting periodic fires to encourage the camas’ growth. While harvesting larger bulbs to eat, the smaller bulbs were divided and spread to increase the stand.

Camas is declining due to a century of cattle overgrazing. We are collecting and planting for diversity of the meadow in an effort to mitigate the adverse effects. Our goal is to gather ripe seeds during a narrow mid-summer seed window with the intent of planting them in the meadow where they have been out-competed by weedy non-native species.

To accomplish this, we rallied two hardy volunteers to join us in roughing it in July, during a summer heat wave where temps in the flatlands regularly topped 110. However, up in the Blues daytime temps rarely went above 90 and we had plenty of shade oaks and a nearby creek to keep us comfortable during midday. At 4200 feet, night temps can plunge into the mid 40s so we needed to be prepared with lots of wool blankets and down jackets.

The first morning we set out at daybreak with shears and paper bags to begin collecting. This would give us working time of 3-4 hours before the summer sun began baking our brains.The process: walk, stalk, bend, cut, shake the seed head into the bag. Each dried camas stalk would yield a few precious grams. Repeat until lunch. It’s either a peaceful Zen activity or torturous menial labor – all about perspective. As we picked and the bags were filled, it was satisfying to hear the seeds rustling against the bag. After a week of daily collecting we had close to five pounds of small black seed. A very respectable total.

Hand collecting seed is a good option to give Mother nature a chance to do her hear healing magic, boost a restoration project, and secure a portion of the camas harvest from mice and birds so that we can increase our targeted species.

Postscript: Some of the seed was hand-sown in on the site just before the snow fell. In another month after the snow has melted we’ll start watching for the blades of green to appear, signaling our success and another patch of the lovely edible blue camas. A word of caution, there is a white-flowered “camas” that is poisonous , aptly named Mountain Death Camas, Zigadenus elegans. So if you are wildcrafting and harvesting…know your plants!!


Mud Creek Spring Survey

Mud Creek was named for the land-management practices of the 1800’s. At that time the prevailing viewpoint was to bring in a hundreds of cows and let them wallow where they would. By the middle of summer when the grass is dried up and the days hot the only cool place was in shade of giant cottonwoods, and very prickly hawthorne trees growing along remaining trickle of a stream. Fast forward two hundred years – we have fenced out the cattle, the riparian vegetation is coming back, but the name remains. Mud Creek hosts an elk calving ground and bear habitat. It’s always exciting to walk this area and see who’s around. Last week we walked Mud Creek which is still flowing, albeit at a lower level than a month ago. As we walked further downstream, we came across a very distinctive bear print.



New Hidaway Weather Station

Last week we installed a basic analog system at the Hidaway site to collect real-time weather data that we can access 24/7 on our cel phones and computers. If all goes as planned and the weather station isn’t molested by curious elk or a mischievous bear we will soon be collecting wind speed and direction, temperature, barometric pressure and rainfall totals. Anecdotally, we have noticed how quickly and seemingly random the weather changes up here – a balmy seventy-degree day and then wham! -snow that night, followed by blustery winds and then a beautifully calm day. Over time we hope to answer some questions; Is this late snowfall normal for 4000ft elevation in the Blue Mountains? Is there a pattern we’re not seeing? Are warming global temperatures impacting our local weather? Stay tuned – this weather station project ties in with a tribal pollination project and native-plant regeneration project.



Introducing Holly North And The Thin Green Line Of Conservation

This just in Downunder from our newest GS advisory board member Holly North (pictured with stunning green hair). Holly, who lives in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, is a career National Parks ranger-ecologist who has an exciting, often dangerous job of mapping raging bush fires from helicopters. In past years Holly has volunteered her ace mapping skills to Growing Solutions out at Santa Cruz Island. In her spare time Holly’s passion is working with wild-land rangers from around the world through Protected Area Workers Association (PAWA); helping to raise money for underfunded programs and exchanging critical techniques and technology with her fellow rangers. In some countries like Kenya, these skills can be the difference between life or death when dealing with armed poachers in the wild. This November Holly will be traveling to Nepal an international rangers’ conference to learn and conduct workshops in fire management. What follows is Holly’s PAWA newsletter reporting on a recent trip by her colleagues to train Kenyan ranger in anti-poaching techniques and fire management.

“ In July 2019 PAWA members Dave Hitchcock and Peter Brookhouse travelled to Kenya to run part of the LEAD (Lead Empower Act Defend) Ranger program. The training was sponsored by the Thin Green Line Foundation (TGLF) and International Anti Poaching Foundation (IAPF). The LEAD Ranger Program trains Rangers to train other Rangers. It’s about developing leadership skills so that 1 trained ranger can supervise a team of colleagues on the ground.

The TGLF website explains the concept: “A single Ranger trained in anti-poaching, intelligence gathering, tracking, first aid and community engagement techniques is more likely to safely apprehend poachers, survive wild animal encounters, prevent the killing of target species and return home to their families. If this is what one Ranger can achieve then imagine what 1000 Rangers trained in the very latest techniques could achieve.”

Fire management training is part of this. The latest techniques and technology will be used to build a network of conservation support to bring our ranger colleagues home safely, protect natural and cultural values and combat poaching.

The LEAD Ranger program covers emergency response, dealing with injuries in the field especially , critical bleed control and evacuation, response to fire incidents, defensive tactics, radio communications and other technology and equipment.

To donate to the LEAD Ranger Program check out this link.

Sssssspringtime Appearances On The Puma

Graced with ample rains this year, the Puma Ranch is blooming with new plant growth which feeds the bugs that feed the critters and the critters that eat critters. Case in point, reptiles. Santa Barbara’s foothill canyons are prime habitat for all manner of beautiful lizards and snakes that are an important part of of our coastal sage ecology in controlling rodent populations. Most are non-venomous such as the California Kingsnake and Gopher Snake featured below, but a few like the Western Pacific Rattlesnake can be deadly so take care when walking through bush or around boulders where reptiles like to sun. And never pick up a snake unless thoroughly trained in identification and handling.

UCSB Coastal Service Program At GS This Fall

Growing Solutions' staff would like to thank UCSB Coastal Service Program and the two student groups that joined us this fall in working towards a healthy environment. This quarter students from the Muslim Student Association and Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers joined us in propagating native plants for a Gaviota Coast restoration project. The students divided and repotted Disticlis spicata a.k.a. salt grass that is used in local restoration projects among the dunes in and around Isla Vista. These students are enrolled in a wide range of majors at UCSB, including some that one would assume have nothing to do with ecological restoration. The beauty of this program, however, is that young people get to experience scenarios outside of their comfort zone and get a glimpse of how connected everything is in the natural world. While propagating plants students learn the attributes of the plant species they are working with, how it fits into the habitat it belongs to, and what benefit (ecosystem service) it provides for the environment.

Small-Scale Sustainable Ag Class Offered This Fall At SBCC

Here's a chance this fall to get your hands dirty, learn new skills, have fun and grow your own garden-to-table veggie dinner. GS Founder Don Hartley will be offering a three-unit class in Small-Scale Food Production at Santa Barbara City College that explores the natural and sustainable techniques and skills used to produce healthy organic produce. Soil development, composting, mulching, suitable vegetables, fruit trees and herb cultivation will also be covered. The class (EH 207) is offered through SBCC's Environmental Horticulture department to all registered SBCC students. For class and registration info contact info@growingsolutions.org and check out the SBCC website.

Eastern Oregon Update

Our awesome grassland continues! We now have Steelhead and Chinook salmon fingerlings thriving in one of the creeks running through the property. Due to logging damage to the creek in the early 1900's the structure of the creek wasn't optimal for fish. We are mitigating this issue by adding small shallow pools. Pool "riffles" allow small gravel to settle out, creating prime fish habitat for small fry to stay cool and hidden during long hot summers. For more info on the Eastern Oregon Grassland Project, click Here.

Jerry Sortomme, SBCC Teacher and Growing Solutions’ Mentor, Wins Real Food Hero Award

Jerry Sortomme, founder of Santa Barbara City College’s Environmental Horticulture Department,and Department Chairmen as well as lead instructor was honored recently for his lifetime’s work by his colleagues, former students and the community. Sortomme, whose passion is teaching sustainable horticulture, received the Local Food and Plant Hero Award at the 10th Annual Santa Barbara Community Seed Swap last January. As one of “Jerry’s Kids” Karen Flagg took classes from Jerry in the in the ‘80’s and he later hired Don. Jerry has remained their good friend and valued mentor since. As founder of the Environmental Horticulture Department at SBCC Jerry has taught and mentored hundreds of students who have found their way into the horticulture industry. Some students have started or work at nurseries, some have started nonprofits or consulting businesses, and all carry with them a love and value of plants. Currently Jerry is growing historically significant plants with the help of many volunteers for Santa Barbara’s Mission La Huerta Historic Garden.