Day 249

As we continue to work on the restored big backyard, we are constantly finding other new discoveries. Seeing the native plants come back to life and beat out the invasive grasses is great. Seeing the multitude of weeds popping up as well is certainly keeping me busy. When I am not spraying thistles or chopping down weeds, I am mowing the trail and planning for the next steps of the restoration process. Besides one more reed canary treatment schedule later this fall, the next step of the projects are still somewhat undecided.

Owning this property for just over two years, we have poured time, energy, and financial investment into the overall restoration project. Now that we have made this commitment and seen the process start to work, we are looking at other options available to assist us in continuing the process. There are a number of programs that I have been researching that could potentially be possibilities. There is no such thing as a sure thing, but I am hopeful that we are eligible and accepted into one of these programs sooner than later so our restoration momentum can keep going strong.

While we continue researching programs with cost sharing and grant opportunities, there is plenty of work to keep us busy.

This fall, I plan on continuing to maintain and potentially add to the trail by creating a path through the woods when the invasive grasses dominating that landscape die down a bit. I also will continue to monitor and eradicate weeds and unwanted plants, preferably before they drop their seeds for next year. 

Once winter comes and the temperature drops, the work will heat up. I have an ambitious plan to clear our ash tree stand. This will involve lots of trees being taken down, cut up into more manageable pieces, and potentially moved or burned. This area is a hotbed for invasives and because of the trees, getting in the area to treat and manage it is very tricky. The better we can clear it, the better we can start restoring this area. It’s going to be a lot of work, but the end result has the potential to be very rewarding.