Umatilla Native Plant Nursery Operational Support VI

The purpose of this project was to provide nursery services and locally adapted native plant products in support of restoration projects within the territory of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Plant materials from the native plant nursery were used throughout the Columbia Basin for CTUIRs fish habitat restoration and watershed restoration projects with a focus on the Umatilla, Grande Ronde, Walla Walla, Tucannon and John Day Basins. Project activities included site assessment and treatment prescription development, plant collection and propagation and maintenance of specified native plant species. There are currently very few native plant nurseries in the area and none that specialize in the production of locally adapted stock. The CTUIR has raised many different native plant species including Mountain Alder, Serviceberry, Red Osier Dogwood, Black Cottonwood and Coyote Willow.

During the Corona virus Shutdown, the nursery was closed for business for three months and maintained only half of the normal workforce on site. Some of the seed sowing and seedling transplanting work continued on in the homes of a few employees. The employees on site carried on with the most essential tasks, thereby maintaining the health of the plants and preventing crop loss. Because the timing of this shutdown occurred while we are normally sowing seed, transplanting seedlings and transplanting last year’s seedlings into larger containers, the nursery did not have the manpower necessary to raise the full suite of species or the total numbers that it normally produces. However, due to the concerted and resourceful efforts of the staff, the habitat restoration project orders were completed with some species substitutions and some additional purchases of plants to replace those that did not have time to reach maturity.

The 2020 Funds for the CTUIR Tribal Native Plant Nursery were utilized in paying salaries and for employee fringe benefits. In 2020, the nursery employed 11 personnel. Five are permanent and two were seasonal hires. The remaining were temporary employees hired to help catch up with the weeding and transplanting tasks which we had fallen behind on during the shutdowns. Nine of these employees are enrolled members of the CTUIR and one is a member of a neighboring tribe. In 2021, the nursery has not yet hired additional employees and are working with the five fulltime employees (three are tribal members and one is a member of another tribe.

The funds supplied by the PCSRF for salaries benefitted the CTUIR Tribal Native Plant Nursery by providing a crew to perform everyday needed tasks for running a nursery, maintaining infrastructure and producing plants.
Retaining full time as well as seasonal employees year after year has increased the vision of the program. Crew members contributed more than just their time and energy. Because of their history and commitment to the program they are evaluating procedures in production and suggesting modifications to increase quality and reduce expenses. Challenges of a changing climate are providing new learning opportunities each year as we seek to produce hardy resilient plants with increased ability to survive in the severe conditions of the Eastern Oregon out-planting sites.

Plant materials produced at the Nursery will benefit Threatened summer steelhead, Threatened bull trout, and Threatened and reintroduced Chinook and Coho salmon by assuring the availability of healthy and vigorous locally sourced native plant materials for use in habitat restoration projects by the CTUIR and conservation partners. Native riparian plants provide shade, structure and a substrate for macroinvertebrates that feed native fish stocks. Native plant products support CTUIR’s “River Vision” which identifies a healthy riparian condition as a key component or touchstone to achieving healthy floodplain conditions necessary to protect, restore and enhance tribal First Foods for the perpetual cultural, economic, and sovereign benefit of CTUIR. Use of locally adapted plant stocks helps protect the ecological integrity of the local plant communities while improving overall floodplain health and fish production potential.