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Reardan's Audubon Lake
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 Reardan's Audubon Lake in Lincoln County is 277 acres of wetlands, vernal ponds, grasslands, and channeled scablands supporting more than 200 species of birds and other wildlife, mostly in spring/fall migrations.
INLT worked with the Spokane Audubon Society, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Reardan Public Development Authority to preserve this habitat jewel as a Watchable Wildlife site.
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Update on Reardan's Audubon Lake
June 2009 |
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North End - Grassland Habitat Restoration Activities – 2007 to 2010
Starting in summer 2007, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife began the process of restoring native grasslands on the Reardan Audubon Lake property. By the year 2011, the grass fields on the north side of the property will have been converted to fields of native grasses, with a diverse mix of beneficial forbs and legumes mixed in, and the south fields will have been planted with native grasses and forbs in the more dry-upland areas and some “waterfowl” friendly crops is the moist-more wetland areas.
Restoration of native grassland plant species on this property will result in more cover, more food, and better nesting opportunities for native wildlife species such as songbirds, mule deer, and upland game species such as pheasant and Hungarian partridge.
How the process works
1. Restoration of grasslands starts with removal of the pre-existing vegetation on the site. Activities include mowing, harrowing and killing off the pre-existing vegetation with a non-residual herbicide such as glyphosate (e.g. Roundup).
2. After removal of the old vegetation, leaving fields unplanted for a specified period is called “fallowing” the field. Fallowing is an important step in restoring beneficial grasslands. It eliminates the source of weeds while at the same time allows “old” weed seeds to sprout, which are then destroyed by spraying or mechanical means. All this helps to ensure that unwanted plant species don’t sprout up in the “newly planted native vegetation”.
3. Upon completion of fallowing, fields are planted with grass, usually in late fall. It can take a year or two after seeding before the stand looks like a regular stand of “waving” grass, but this new grass stand will be richer and more beneficial to wildlife than it was before restoration. A side benefit is the reduction of noxious weeds on the site, with a corresponding reduction in weed control costs.
These steps are similar to the process for converting farmland to Conservation Reserve Program grasslands, where during the first two years the site looks “awful.” However, upon maturity, the CRP stand has a healthy mix of grasses and forbs that can be used by a variety of wildlife species.
Progress so far, and future plans
In 2007, fields on both the north and south sides of Audubon Lake were mowed down. The north field was harrowed in early September 2007. Glyphosate was applied spring, 2008. Glyphosate will be applied this spring 2009 as well. The field will then be fallowed the rest of 2009. Fallowing will be done primarily using several applications of glyphosate, rather than repeated plowing, to retain more moisture and topsoil. The new grass/forb/legume mix will be seeded in late fall 2009.
The south field will be mowed regularly in 2009, primarily to keep down noxious weeds such Dalmatian toadflax and Canada thistle. Harrowing and fallowing of this field are expected to start in 2010 or later, with planting to be done in the fall of 2010 or later.
This staggered restoration schedule provides for efficient use of available field staff and equipment.
Trails and Blinds
In addition to the restoration work, development of trails and associated facilities – parking lots, toilets and observation blinds is occurring. Planning and permitting for this phase of the project was completed by the summer of 2008. In the fall of 2008, actual field work began with the layout and preparation for the parking lots and toilets, and also the gravel foundations for the asphalt trails and blinds were completed. This spring, 2009, some plantings have already been done by Lincoln County NRCS and the final plantings will take place mid May after the asphalt paving is completed in the first two weeks of May. In the meantime, blinds are being designed, spotting scopes have been ordered and are being built, all in an effort to try and complete this effort by the Reardan Mule Days Celebration on the weekend of June 6th & 7th.
Howard Ferguson
Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
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