Ranch Water Project Begins

John Trumbo – Owners of the Barker Ranch in West Richland found a better way to manage their wetlands and put thousands of acre-feet of water back into the Yakima River.

State officials and representatives of the private hunting preserve near Horn Rapids will break ground today on a three-mile project to enclose open earthen ditches with 63-inch-diameter pipe.

A $5.6 million grant from the Washington Department of Ecology is helping pay for the cost, with a goal of saving up to 6,400 acre-feet of water a year. Piping the ditch will reduce water loss through seepage and evaporation, said Tom Tebb, Department of Ecology’s regional director for Central Washington, in a statement issued Monday.

The project will make it possible to reduce the ranch’s diversion at a point above the Yakima River’s confluence with the Columbia River.

“The Barker Ranch project represents the kind of conservation we need in the Greater Columbia Basin to best make use of a finite resource,” Tebb said.

“This project puts a large amount of water back into a critical reach of the Yakima River in perpetuity and is an example of how we can retool our existing systems to better manage water resources in the years to come.” he said.

As a protected, private hunting property, the Barker Ranch provides habitat for 175 different species of birds, members of the Audubon Society noted in recent surveys.

The habitat mix on the ranch includes wetland, riparian, tall upland grass and shrub-steppe environments.

The ranch is under a permanent Wetland Restoration Program easement administered by the Natural Resource Conservation Service, or NRCS.

Michael Crowder, general manager of the ranch and an adjunct professor at Washington State University Tri-Cities, said the project fits well with the ranch owners’ mission of wetland restoration and wildlife management.

The ranch’s wetland helps recharge ground water supplies, filter nutrients and sediments out of the water and aid in flood water retention.

“The Barker Ranch is a very unique wetland system for Eastern Washington. This project allows more water to stay in the rivers to support fisheries and aquatic habitats,” said Leigh Nelson, state irrigation engineer for the NRCS, in a release.

Think About Your Yard

With all the concerns about being environmentally friendly, there are many opportunities we can take to recycle materials in the garden or landscape. You can use recycled materials or you can recycle materials you already have. Using recycled materials in the landscape not only is the ecological thing to do, it can save you money and it can introduce design elements hard to find with new materials. For example, re-using wood will offer or weathered effect it might take years to achieve. New bricks have a completely different look from old bricks. And shiny metal evokes a more contemporary effect than the patina of older finishes.

Meanwhile, edible garden landscaping is a different way to think about your yard, vegetable garden, potted plants… even your flower gardens. Edible gardens add as much beauty to your yard as traditional landscaping, but they have the added benefit of producing delicious fruits and vegetables for you to enjoy. Further, there’s always room for plants at massachusetts landscaping. Even if you live in an apartment or have limited space for growing plants, you can plant a container garden. Horticulturists and gardeners are continuously developing plant hybrids that thrive in containers – from staples like strawberries, tomatoes and herbs to new container-friendly plants like eggplant, blueberries and even citrus trees

The Best Place To See Butterflies

Lindsay Godfree – At The Butterfly Pavilion they say, “Get out of your cocoon!” because interacting with and viewing this extensive collection of live invertebrates can be an eye-opening experience that is both life changing and unique. So when you are traveling across country on I-70 you must stop in Denver, CO for the best place to see butterflies.

From I-70 take I-25 north to Hwy 36 west, exit 104th Avenue north and take a right at Westminster Blvd and it’s on the right.  Parking is available for RV’s and buses too and they are open every day but Christmas and New Years Day.  For complete information see www.butterflies.org

The largest one of the interactive displays is a walk through 7,000 square-foot tropical rainforest that is home to more than 1,200 live butterflies and 350 plant species from around the world. There are other places to touch the animals but do not touch the delicate butterflies.  It is so exciting to watch butterflies emerging from their chrysalis, see them being released into their rainforest habitat and then chase them around the room. The Butterfly Pavilion purchases about 500 butterfly chrysalis each week from butterfly farms located in rainforests around the globe, contributing over $80,000 annually to sustainable farming operations in endangered ecosystems!

The Butterfly Pavilion combines science education with hands-on fun to teach visitors about invertebrates, science and conservation. The interactive exhibits are geared primarily towards families with kids ages 2 to 12 years old, but people of all ages embrace the beauty and wonder of 1,200 free-flying butterflies imported from around the globe.

As pictured here you can see what is displayed through the observation window.  There are rows of brightly colored chrysalis or cocoons that look like jewels each different color and shape is a different kind of butterfly. As you watch the butterflies struggle to emerge at the end of a process of metamorphosis then hang there to dry off before they can fly.  Periodically, the care taker collects them and then at designated times they are released into the rainforest habitat.

Currently, conservation organizations across North America, including accredited zoos and aquariums, are engaged in the captive rearing and reintroduction of endangered butterflies, protection of endangered butterfly habitat, and are conducting research about their unique habitat needs. However these efforts have not been focused on all species evenly. Recovery plans exist for fewer then half of the listed endangered and threatened butterfly species in the US!

Butterflies capture our attention and imagination for countless reasons. Their beauty, unique life cycle, and long migrations inspire artists and storytellers worldwide. They have the ability to serve as sentinels announcing large-scale changes within ecosystems. Hopefully people will be inspired to take action to learn about and protect these amazing animals. It is important for us to learn as much as possible about butterflies, visit butterfly gardens and exhibits, plant a butterfly-friendly gardens/habitats and to get involved!