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— by Kathy Henderson
Promoting Habitat Restoration in Urban Areas was the title of our program which was delivered by Cheryl Lewis, president of the new Post Oak Chapter of NPSOT. She summed up her ideal in the phrase “as it was in the beginning…”
Most of Williamson County was beautiful prairie when humans first appeared on the scene and we need to do what we can in urban areas to return to that status, working with and around the necessary buildings and other structures. She urged restoration of habitat in ways that support the environment and the creatures in that environment. In that portion of the presentation, we saw a graphic depicting the root system of native prairie plants. Click the image below for a full-size PDF from the Minnesota State Department of Natural Resources.
Cheryl offered some good ideas for plants to use and, of course, they are all native. She mentioned that natives are necessary for our wildlife because the leaf chemistry in natives is different than non-natives and this can make a big difference for our wildlife. She noted that Straggler Daisy aka Horseherb (Calyptocarpus vialis) hosts the Bordered Patch Butterfly. So don’t disparage the Straggler Daisy! Cheryl also referenced some research that suggests using Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) to control invasive Bastard Cabbage (Rapistrum Rugosum). There were lots of good ideas and great resources in her presentation.
Finally, if you haven’t seen the “Selah, Water from Stone” short film, take less than 10 minutes to get some inspiration by hearing David Bamberger’s story.
Cheryl’s full presentation can be found here in PDF format.
You can see the April 11, 2019 business presentation slides here.
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