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US Fish & Wildlife Service - Journal Entry Native Plant Restoration Region 2, February 28, 2005 Bosque del Apache NWR staff and volunteers completed three major native plant re-establishment projects (about 2700 plants) at Bosque del Apache and Sevilleta NWRs. At Bosque del Apache NWR, 700 wolfberry (Lycium torreyi) and screwbean mesquite (Prosopis pubescens) were planted in Units 5, 8, 9, and 32C. Many were planted using teh rainfall harvest methods, where a shallow "V" ditch is dug, weed barrier is laid in the ditch, holes are cut in the center and plants are planted there. Plants are watered at the time of planting and approximately 4 months later, but other water is supplied by catching rain and channeling it to the center of the ditch. Tall pot plantings (30" planting pots with long established roots) are established using a post hole digger or bobcat equiped with an auger. The watering tube is placed next to the tall pot with holes at the buried end. Watering is done with a hose as needed. In addition, 500 cottonwood poles were planted in Unit 32C. Cottonwood poles were cut from native plant material on ther efuge, the ends soaked in water for at least 10 days, then planted in an auger hole down to the water table. At Sevilleta NWR, staff and volunteers from both refuges planted 1500 black willow (Salix gooddingii) at the Unit B restoration site. Techniques included pole planting and swale planting (dense plants in trenches that mimic the dense planting occupied by Southwestern willow flycatcher). This planting is adjacent to existing willow flycatcher territories. Contact Info: Martin Valdez, 505-248-6599, martin_valdez@fws.gov