Curious About…Why Cheatgrass has changed everything?

Before 1850, our shrub-steppe plant communities were adapted to frequent disturbance, such as wildfire. The resilient native long-lived shrubs, bunchgrasses, and wildflowers were adapted to either re-sprouting or re-growing from seed, in a decades-long predictable pattern of succession. However, with the introduction of non-native annual grasses, primarily cheatgrass, this pattern was dramatically disrupted. Continue Reading →

Curious About…Shrub-steppe, Fireworks, and Wildfire?

Fireworks are a main cause of human-started wildfires in sagebrush county. Invasive grasses are putting sagebrush country at risk of severe wildfires. This vibrant ecosystem is vital for people and wildlife. We need to do our part to protect it, especially with fireworks this weekend. Watch and share this new video to learn what we need to do to stop the spread of invasive grasses and restore degraded sagebrush habitats. Continue Reading →

Curious About … Plant Recovery After Fire?

Plants are closely attuned to the places they live, their habitat. Plant species differ in their ecological amplitude to respond to changes to their habitat. They grow successfully in places within their tolerance levels for environmental factors such as cold, shade, or drought combined with abiotic factors such as soil type and geographic locale. In addition to usual fluctuations in the growing conditions habitat can be altered, at times dramatically, by disturbances such as fire or flood. Continue Reading →