Move Forward, Into the Tushars

   Hello again, Jesse here in North Creek, where storms are continuing to make our rivers very chocolatey!!! Thankfully the rains have come at a tolerable rate over the burn scar and nothing too dramatic has occurred flood-wise.  As I see sandbags in town moved to the side, and some bags ripping open with age, we cannot let our guard down.  Future flooding should be expected, whether that occurs from spring run-off next May, or like the Santa Clara River in 2005 when rain over snowpack on Pine Valley Mtn caused catastrophic flooding.  Lyrics from Alphaville come to mind, “hoping for the best but expecting the worst”.  Fortunately each day that passes without a major erosive event, the soil  on the mountain gains stability.  This week's article will discuss some positive actions happening NOW which will help mitigate flooding in the near, and distant, future.

  First, have faith in Mother Nature. Oak and aspen regeneration is nearly 4 feet tall in spots, suggesting the parent roots are intact and will anchor deeper soils.  Many naturally occurring seeds in the soil are stimulated by fire disturbance, like Mountain Hollyhock, whose seeds can wait a hundred years or more in the soil and germinate shortly after a fire to help hold soil in place on steep slopes.

   Second, 5 million dollars of State appropriated funds purchased 500,000 pounds of seed mix which the DWR and the Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands will spread across the Cottonwood Fire burn scar by dropping it from airplanes.  That volume of seed, which was in high demand this year due to a crazy wildfire season, should cover 50,000 acres of the hotter burned areas and will be applied very soon.  I was told if they get it down before the snow comes, it will have a more successful germination next year.  Biologists, botanists, and experts in wildlife and soil conservation come together to design a mix specific to each elevation and may include Wheatgrass, Alfalfa, Clovers, Flax, Triticale, Kochia, Mtn Bromegrass and Beeplant, to name a few.  Plants of all kinds and their roots, mycelium strands from Fungi, organic material in and on the soil are major factors in helping the soil stay put, slowing surface runoff, and mitigating downstream flooding. 

   Third, I’m pleased to report that 1,400 baby spruce trees were donated by the Div. of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands to the BeaverTUF Foundation.  With less than 24 hours notice,  11 brave souls answered the call to help get these “plugs” in the ground before the heavy rains last Thursday.  6 inch Engelmann Spruce were planted along the margins of the steep ski runs and marked with pink ribbons so we can monitor and protect them, in hopes they will mature into the 200+ year old behemoths they could become.  Unfortunately waiting for conifers to get big enough to even notice will be painfully slow.  Last weekend I was in the Twitchell burn area and examined a Limber Pine, a Douglas Fir, and a Ponderosa Pine germinated since 2010, and they are just 3 ft, 8 ft, and 10 ft tall respectively.  

   Billions of tiny little things will need to occur for our mountain to recover, but EVERY LITTLE thing makes a difference.  In all reality, TIME may be the largest controlling factor with healing the burn scar, and ironically it’s one thing we can’t control. But we can control our actions, so stay on existing roads and trails, plan to help replant trees in the years to come, and consider while cutting firewood that you can cut up the limbs a little finer to get more organic material down against the ground.  Pray for manageable flooding, and let's Move Forward, INTO THE TUSHARS!