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MULTISAR Project:
Restoring Native Grassland in
Southeastern Alberta
MULTISAR Project:
Restoring Native Grassland in
Southeastern Alberta
by
Emily Pollak
Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan's Native Prairie Restoration/Reclamation
Workshop, Regina, SK February 16-17, 2011
MULTISAR
• a voluntary and collaborative project that
aims at finding innovative solutions to
maintain or improve rangelands and other
natural prairie habitats to mutually benefit
ranching and Species at Risk conservation
• in the Alberta Grassland Natural Region
• involves three main partners: ACA, SRD, PCF
Habitat Conservation Strategy
• provides range management and habitat
improvement recommendations
• based on extensive wildlife surveys
(vertebrate), vegetation inventories and range
and riparian health assessments
• and on producer’s input
April:
– Field sprayed with glyphosate herbicide prior to seeding
Native Prairie Restoration Project: Year 1
(2008)
• Native Seed Mixture:
– 27% northern wheatgrass
– 20% western wheatgrass
– 20% blue grama grass
– 17% needle and thread grass
– 16% June grass
Total Cost of seeds: $23,000 (140 acres) or $164/acre
Native Prairie Restoration Project – Year 1
May:
– native seeds broadcasted using spreader (9 lbs/acre)
– followed by light harrow
– Un-grazed
Native Prairie Restoration Project – Year 1
Precipitation (mm) Average 2008 Difference 2009 Difference 2010 Difference
January 22.6 9.4 -13.2 12.9 -9.7 7.5 -15.1
February 19 9.1 -9.9 10.4 -8.6 1.6 -17.4
March 22.5 4.9 -17.6 6.6 -15.9 1.2 -21.3
April 28.7 21.3 -7.4 12.1 -16.6 47.4 18.7
May 52.8 70.4 17.6 15.8 -37 90.5 37.7
June 48.3 19.5 -28.8 53.3 5 77.9 29.6
July 34.2 25.9 -8.3 50.7 16.5 35 0.8
August 38.6 49.7 11.1 51.5 12.9 9.8 -28.8
September 34.3 43.3 9 16.4 -17.9 26.8 -7.5
October 14.7 9.2 -5.5 14.5 -0.2 9.2 -5.5
November 17.1 29.4 12.3 1.9 -15.2 25.8 8.7
December 20.3 14.9 -5.4 15.5 -4.8 7.7 -12.6
Year 353 307 -46.1 261.6 -91.5 340.4 -12.7
Native Prairie Restoration Project – Year 1
Native Prairie Restoration Project – Year 1
End of April:– Kochia and Russian
thistle establishing
August (photo):– All but the needle &
thread grass had
established
– Hayed and baled weeds
November:
– All species found
Precipitation (mm) Average 2008 Difference 2009 Difference 2010 Difference
January 22.6 9.4 -13.2 12.9 -9.7 7.5 -15.1
February 19 9.1 -9.9 10.4 -8.6 1.6 -17.4
March 22.5 4.9 -17.6 6.6 -15.9 1.2 -21.3
April 28.7 21.3 -7.4 12.1 -16.6 47.4 18.7
May 52.8 70.4 17.6 15.8 -37 90.5 37.7
June 48.3 19.5 -28.8 53.3 5 77.9 29.6
July 34.2 25.9 -8.3 50.7 16.5 35 0.8
August 38.6 49.7 11.1 51.5 12.9 9.8 -28.8
September 34.3 43.3 9 16.4 -17.9 26.8 -7.5
October 14.7 9.2 -5.5 14.5 -0.2 9.2 -5.5
November 17.1 29.4 12.3 1.9 -15.2 25.8 8.7
December 20.3 14.9 -5.4 15.5 -4.8 7.7 -12.6
Year 353 307 -46.1 261.6 -91.5 340.4 -12.7
Native Prairie Restoration Project – Year 2
May: applied herbicide to control Russian thistle and
other broad leaf weeds
June: native grasses well established and weeds hit
hard by herbicide
Native Prairie Restoration Project – Year 2
Native Prairie Restoration Project – Year 3
Precipitation (mm) Average 2008 Difference 2009 Difference 2010 Difference
January 22.6 9.4 -13.2 12.9 -9.7 7.5 -15.1
February 19 9.1 -9.9 10.4 -8.6 1.6 -17.4
March 22.5 4.9 -17.6 6.6 -15.9 1.2 -21.3
April 28.7 21.3 -7.4 12.1 -16.6 47.4 18.7
May 52.8 70.4 17.6 15.8 -37 90.5 37.7
June 48.3 19.5 -28.8 53.3 5 77.9 29.6
July 34.2 25.9 -8.3 50.7 16.5 35 0.8
August 38.6 49.7 11.1 51.5 12.9 9.8 -28.8
September 34.3 43.3 9 16.4 -17.9 26.8 -7.5
October 14.7 9.2 -5.5 14.5 -0.2 9.2 -5.5
November 17.1 29.4 12.3 1.9 -15.2 25.8 8.7
December 20.3 14.9 -5.4 15.5 -4.8 7.7 -12.6
Year 353 307 -46.1261.
6 -91.5 340.4 -12.7
May• Planted 148 silver sage seedlings to increase
structure + diversity
Native Prairie Restoration Project – Year 3
July• Vegetation inventory, range health assessments and
Robel pole measurements
Native Prairie Restoration Project – Year 3
Native Prairie Restoration Project – Year 3
SpeciesSeeded
(%)
2008
(%)
2010
(%)
Northern wheatgrass 27 4.8 13.0
Western wheatgrass 20 4.8 6.7
Blue grama grass 20 4.0 13.4
Needle-and-thread grass 17 0.1 4.7
June grass 16 0.5 10.9
Wildlife Observations – Year 2
2009
Native (Control) Re-seed Frequency
HORNED LARK HORNED LARK 4
VESPER SPARROW VESPER SPARROW 4
WESTERN MEADOWLARK WESTERN MEADOWLARK 2
BAIRD'S SPARROW BAIRD'S SPARROW 1
BOREAL CHORUS FROG BOREAL CHORUS FROG 1
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD 1
- WILSON'S PHALAROPE 1
CHESTNUT-COLLARED
LONGSPUR - 0
SAVANNAH SPARROW - 0
WILLET - 0
9 7
Wildlife Observations – Year 32010
Native (Control) Re-seed Frequency
HORNED LARK HORNED LARK 4
SAVANNAH SPARROW SAVANNAH SPARROW 4
VESPER SPARROW VESPER SPARROW 4
WESTERN MEADOWLARK WESTERN MEADOWLARK 4BAIRD'S SPARROW BAIRD'S SPARROW 3
CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR
3
- GRASSHOPPER SPARROW 3SPRAGUE'S PIPIT SPRAGUE'S PIPIT 3
RICHARDSON'S GROUND SQUIRREL
RICHARDSON'S GROUND SQUIRREL
2
- BREWER'S BLACKBIRD 1
- COYOTE 1- MARSH WREN 1
- SHARP-TAILED GROUSE 1- SORA 1
FERRUGINOUS HAWK - 0FRANKLIN'S GULL - 0
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD - 0
WILSON'S PHALAROPE - 012 14
Overall Results
• All seeded plants species were present in the
first year of the project
• All species increased in % cover with new ones
moving in; litter values averaged 200 lbs/ac
• Increase in biodiversity with grassland
specialists moving in, including chestnut-
collared longspur and Sprague’s pipit