Native Plant Program Restores Lander Watershed While Building Community Support

In Lander’s watershed, invasive Russian olive trees have been crowding out native vegetation, creating monoculture stands that reduce wildlife diversity and habitat quality. For several years, a collaborative effort among local agencies has been working to remove these invasives from properties along Squaw and Baldwin Creeks and replace them with native species at no cost to the landowners. These replacement trees were small though, and property owners wanted more mature native trees to replace the large Russian olives being removed. When a community volunteer and conservation specialist with the Popo Agie Conservation District recognized this gap in the approach, he reached out to LOR for support. LOR’s funding will help subsidize 60 percent of the cost of mature native plants, with property owners covering the remaining 40 percent, making it more affordable for landowners to participate in the restoration effort. This partnership between multiple agencies and private landowners aims to plant up to 250 native trees and shrubs, restoring critical habitat diversity and maintaining community buy-in for this ongoing watershed health initiative.