There’s 2 weeks left in our Stillwater Creek Early Bird Restoration.  Find out more here.   

What did last year look like.  Check out the photo gallery below, or view the photos in a bigger format here.

This over steepened bank was situated adjacent to a very narrow segment of the students’ access road, posing a safety hazard for student drivers. Students of the heavy equipment operators program and the watershed practicum class were the workforce that stabilized this bank during last year’s Biotechnical Streambank Stabilization Workshop.

The challenging “soil wrap” ….the face must be smooth and free of cobble to obtain good soil-to-fabric contact

The Guys turn to work!! …And the girls turn to work!! Willows were an integral component in this stabilization project adding biological reinforcement that will only improve as root structure develops. Its a great operator who can place soil so carefully AND help manage an unpaid labor force! After the base layers of soil wraps and willows were installed the team switched to the “Soil Flap” -much less challenging than the “soil wrap” to install but still a very effective erosion control technique.

The corners however must still be blended and secured into the existing slope… The Students placed bets on If and How Much width we would gain on the access road…At this point it was starting to look really promising!! We gained 3 ft of road width!!! 8 months after project completion! The willows and native grasses- Elymus glaucus and Nasella Pulchra are well established Th