Ever drive through the Peone Prairie and think “wow – what a beautiful place”? The rolling hills of wheat, the beautiful farm houses, the wide open blue sky, the little creek corridors that wind between the fields…it’s all so special!
Well, in 2006, the Inland Northwest Land Conservancy and the Wiltzius family protected roughly 95 acres and 5,500 feet of Peone Creek with a conservation easement! We’re now working together to expand the buffer of trees along Peone Creek and the farmland around it to protect water quality in the creek. In April, we planted some native trees and shrubs and now, before the deer get hungry this fall, we need to put some fencing around them!
Deer will eat anything tender when it gets bitter outside, and that includes our young plants. We want the deer to feed on the trees eventually, but they need to wait a few years so those trees can get more established first.
We’ll be driving some metal fenceposts into the soft Peone Prairie soil, then wrapping deer netting around those posts to keep the deer out. The posts and netting will stay in place for a couple of years, then we’ll go back and remove it!
We’ll meet at the Wiltzius Conservation Easement property at 9am, and likely wrap up by about noon. Please bring any water and snacks you might needs, along with a face covering, appropriate layers, and sturdy hiking shoes/boots. INLC will provide all necessary tools and gloves.