Today, in order to remove dense plant growth, sheep will begin grazing on 10 of 50 experimental plots at the 238-acre Coyote Creek wetland site in West Eugene. Cody Wood, of Junction City, will bring his herd of 100 “Green Grazers” to create more bare spots on the land.
The Lane Council of Governments (LCOG), in partnership with the City of Eugene and the Institute for Applied Ecology, was recently awarded a $151,000 Wetland Program Development Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to study methods for restoration and management of wetland prairie ecosystems. The project will span three years and will test the use of innovative techniques for maintaining diverse, native plant communities.
While sheep are a familiar sight in the Willamette Valley, targeted grazing has only recently begun to be used as an alternative to gas-powered mowing for ecosystem management. In spring, the sheep like to eat succulent young grasses and broad-leaved plants, reducing the amount of space these plants take up. Their hooves also open up bare dirt, and their waste fertilizes the area they occupy.
The newly-opened space will be seeded this fall to increase the diversity of native plant species. Although grazing is used in other places across the country to achieve restoration goals, this study will be one of the first opportunities to evaluate this new restoration tool in the Willamette Valley. Grazing will be compared with three other techniques as part of this research: mowing, haying, and ecological burning.
Diverse, native plant communities are essential for a healthy ecosystem that includes wildlife habitat, pollinator services, nutrient cycling, maintaining water quality and conserving biological diversity.
The West Eugene Wetlands is a nationally-recognized partnership for restoring and managing native Willamette Valley habitats.
Photo Credit: kevinzim
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I hope they purge the sheep of weed seeds before they turn them out.