The Cliffs' Blog

I don’t know whether or not you caught the article in Sunday’s (April 29, 2007) Idaho Statesman: “There's more to Xeriscaping than rock and cacti.” It was a well-written article which really caught my eye – in part because we’ve been working with Stew Churchwell (featured in the article) on native plant restoration at The Cliffs, and also because this week (April 29) is Idaho Native Plant Appreciation Week.

If you live in Idaho, chances are you have a little bit of environmentalism in your blood. I know I do. Does that surprise you? Some people think development and the environment are mutually exclusive – I couldn’t disagree more! Developers can be an important part of the solution by providing necessary resources state agencies lack to restore the land.

Let me give you an example. Did you know Idaho has some 3,000 native plant species? At the Cliffs, our biologists found a bunch -- native grasses like squirreltail and bluebunch wheat, native forbs including yarrow, arrowleaf balsamroot, and crepis, just to name a few. The problem is, they’re under threat from noxious weeds. In Idaho, damages from noxious weeds cost an estimated $300 million annually (from reduced productivity on agricultural and rangelands and reduced property values).

We know the problem all too well. The habitat study we commissioned for The Cliffs reported at least 80 percent of the site is highly degraded, consisting of noxious weeds, invasive foreign species and fire-damaged range, and this has significantly reduced the land’s historic ability to provide food and shelter for a variety of wildlife.

As part of our commitment to correcting past abuses of the land that have left it overrun by weeds, we are excited to begin restorative efforts at The Cliffs, which involve removing weeds and planting native shrubs grown from seeds taken from existing healthy plants at or near the site.

In announcing Native Plant Appreciation Week, Gov. Otter said “Native plant species are an important part of Idaho’s natural heritage, providing valuable aesthetic, economic and ecological contributions that make our state a special place to live.”

We couldn’t agree more. Stay tuned for more news on our plant restoration efforts.