Wednesday, March 31, over 200 plants were put in the ground at Hamilton's Skalkaho Bend Park. Katie Vennie of the Bitter Root Water Forum said the species included in the swale are three types of Willows (over 8,000 cuttings were installed), along with Aspen, Dogwood and Cottonwood trees and the newly planted native seeds to complete the mix. In this section, some dark plastic weed mats were put down to prevent growth of reed canary grass, which is a problem weed in the area.
Vennie said the "Roots Against Erosion" plantings will happen three more times in April - Tuesday April 6. Sunday April 18 and Earth Day April 22. Each planting session will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Be prepared to wear "gardening" clothes, since you're going to be digging in the dirt. To sign up as a volunteer, contact the Bitter Root Water Forum. Ellie is handling the registrations at bswc.member@brwaterforum.org. She also has more details about being part of the planting crew.