TWIN FALLS, Idaho — The Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) is looking for volunteers for their sage brush planting event on Oct. 22.
The goal is to plant 20,000 sagebrush seedlings in the south hill where the Badger Fire caused damage in 2020. Idaho forest service along with other groups will be out to help volunteer.
“Without the habitat, there’s not much we can do for the wildlife, so we have to restore habitat when we have fires out there,” said Tanarae Alberti with IDFG.
Over 90,000 acres were burned by the Badger Fire making the ecosystem uninhabitable to wildlife, but projects like these can recover lost areas and allow wildlife to live in them again.
“Fire is getting more and more prevalent and that’s destroying a lot of our ecosystem especially for large ungulates like deer and moose,” said Aaron Melville, fuel technician for Idaho floor service.
Restoring land affected by wildfire is a high priority for IDFG due to the importance of wildlife ecosystems in Idaho. Extended wildfire seasons have raised concern when it comes to Idaho's wildlife and land restoration is key to the future of keeping Idaho's landscape.
“If we don’t replenish that after a fire, the animals don’t comeback, so we need help. As a fish and game employee you’re worried about all the wildlife, what happens to them, where do they go from there,” said Alberti.
For more information on the project and how to volunteer, click here.
