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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

Native Prairie Restoration Project

Regina is here

somewhere…

Native Prairie Restoration Project

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


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



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


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


May: applied herbicide to control Russian thistle and

other broad leaf weeds

June: native grasses well established and weeds hit

hard by herbicide


August: increasing plant cover




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


July• Vegetation inventory, range health assessments and

Robel pole measurements



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

2010-2011 funded, administered and supported by:

Additional funding by:

The Government of

Canada Habitat

Stewardship Program

for Species at Risk

Prairie Conservation Forum

Thank You to our Land Owner and Lease Holder

Cooperators, and to:

Fish and Wildlife Division

Lands Division

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