[Pollinator] NRCS Helps Provide Pollinator Habitat along S.D. Highway

[Ladadams at aol.com]

_NRCS Helps Provide Pollinator Habitat along S.D. Highway_ 
(http://blogs.usda.gov/2013/06/20/nrcs-helps-provide-pollinator-habitat-along-s-d-highway/) 
Posted by _Kent L Duerre, NRCS South  Dakota_ 
(http://blogs.usda.gov/author/bweaver/) , on June 20, 2013 at 2:15 PM 
 
 
The I-29 median planting seed mix included nine native  wildflowers and 
three native prairie grasses. Photos by Thomas Tran,  NRCS.
Employees of USDA’s _Natural Resources  Conservation Service_ 
(http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/)  (NRCS) in South Dakota have a knack for seeing  
opportunities in the landscape. And recently, two of them initiated a highway  
beautification and pollinator habitat project. 
In 2010, Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations Curt Elke and 
 District Conservationist Kent Duerre coordinated a wildflower planting 
project  along a stretch of Interstate 29 near the border with North Dakota. 
They started  out by requesting that the _South Dakota  Department of 
Transportation_ (http://www.sddot.com/)  allow them to establish an area of 
Interstate  29 median with native wildflowers and grasses, and offered their 
expertise as a  resource for ensuring the result mimicked the native prairie. 
Working with the _NRCS  Bismarck Plant Materials Center_ 
(http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/plantsanimals/plants/centers/?cid=ste
lprdb1086088) , Elke and Duerre chose a variety of  low-growing perennial 
and annual wildflowers for the best combination of showy  season-long color 
and highway safety. The mix included nine wildflowers and  three prairie 
grasses. 
Because of the proximity of the project to _Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate_ 
(http://www.swo-nsn.gov/)  tribal lands, tribal  members saw value in the project 
and provided equipment and labor along the  way. 
The soil was prepared before planting with the application of herbicide to  
remove the existing vegetation. In the fall of 2010, the seed mix was 
seeded  into the I-29 median for two miles starting at the state border and 
extending  south. 
By the following summer, annual wildflowers were blooming. In 2012, an NRCS 
 evaluation noted that the perennial wildflowers were becoming more 
dominant and  that flowers were blooming all season long. 
The selected species were sideoats grama, prairie junegrass, little 
bluestem,  shell leaf penstemon, blackeyed Susan,  prairie coneflower, Lewis flax,  
plains coreopsis, purple coneflower, Illinois bundleflower,  blanket  
flower, thickspike gayfeather  and greyhead  coneflower. 
Maintenance of the area—primarily annual mowing and weed control—will be  
provided by the South Dakota Department of Transportation. 
The planting has beautified the landscape and welcomes travelers entering  
South Dakota with beautiful native wildflowers. It also provides a source of 
 food for pollinators and nesting habitat for ground-dwelling birds. 
This project was the result of the cooperative effort of the _Roberts 
Conservation District_ (http://robertscd.org/) , NRCS Sisseton  Field Office, 
_U.S. Fish & Wildlife  Service_ (http://www.fws.gov/) , the _Sisseton-Wahpeton 
Oyate_ (http://www.swo-nsn.gov/) ,  South Dakota Department of 
Transportation and several local businesses. 
Follow NRCS on _Twitter_ (http://twitter.com/usda_nrcs) . 
Check out other conservation-related stories on the _USDA blog_ 
(http://blogs.usda.gov/category/conservation) . 
 
The planting extends for 2 miles, and provides habitat  for native 
pollinators, as well as cover for ground-nesting birds. Photos by  Thomas Tran, NRCS.
    




Laurie Davies  Adams
Executive Director
Pollinator Partnership
423 Washington St.  5th Fl.
San Francisco, CA 94111
T: 415.362.1137
F: 415.362.0176

Follow up on _Twitter_ (http://twitter.com/#!/Pollinators)  and _Facebook_ 
(http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Pollinator-Partnership/48680445464) !
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