Seeley-Swan restoration work day April 24

MISSOULA – The University of Montana College of Forestry and Conservation invites UM students and community members from Missoula and the Seeley-Swan Valley to a day of ecological restoration Sunday, April 24. 

MPG North, a Montana conservation organization, sponsors the project and will provide shuttle service to its property east of Condon. Volunteers will meet in the UM Forestry Building parking lot at 9 a.m., but also are welcome to drive themselves to the location. Volunteers are encouraged to bring warm clothing and sturdy footwear.

A small tour and history of the property will begin at 11 a.m., followed by a stream revegetation project of planting skunk cabbage shoots along a small creek bed. Lunch is included, along with complimentary thank-you gifts.

Skunk cabbage, an early blooming aquatic plant with large yellow flowers, serves as a food source for local bears and also enriches biodiversity in the stream ecosystem community.

Only 10 volunteers are needed, so those interested in signing up should call Clare Vergobbi, UM Ecosystem Science and Restoration project coordinator, at 801-699-6619 or email clare.vergobbi@umontana.edu.

MPG North strives to conserve Montana open space through restoration, preservation and wildlife habitat revitalization, as well as research and educational outreach. The MPG North property encloses 200 undeveloped acres in the Swan Valley managed by researchers and field staff. 

To learn more about MPG North, visit http://www.mpgnorth.com/about.