SNRE graduate students volunteer at The Nature Conservancy's Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve

On Saturday October 8th, 2011, 8 graduate students from SNRE traveled to Patagonia, AZ to volunteer at The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve.  This marked the second volunteer outing to Patagonia for the graduate students and this time they were assisted by a couple of undergraduate students in the Soil, Water and Environmental Science department.  Students gathered rocks which they used to build check dams in an attempt to prevent further erosion from occurring along a gully near the entrance to the visitor’s center.  Several students with prior experience building check dams were able to suggest alternative methods for decreasing sediment flow along the gully.  One such strategy involved a method known as “induced meandering” where dams are built to force water to move side to side rather than straight down the channel.  Once the dams were in place, seeds from native grasses in the area were spread in front of the dams to encourage vegetation growth in the gully and stabilize the soil.  Next, students hiked along the hills outside TNC, gathering native grass seeds.   The area was dominated by Side Oats Grama so the focus of the collection was put on species like Tangleweed and Black Grama which have become less prevalent in the area.  In total, approximately 21 different species of grass seeds were collected, saving TNC hundreds of dollars in seed costs.  It is costly and nearly impossible for TNC to purchase a seed mix that includes all the grass species native to the Patagonia area.   Once again, graduate students from SNRE were able to provide an indispensable service to TNC.  The students plan to return to Patagonia in the spring to help spread the seeds they collected.