Gallatin County Regional Park Gets a Little More Bushy

On Friday, July 7th 2023, over 30 community volunteers assisted the Gallatin Watershed Council, Sacajawea Audubon Society, and Craighead Institute in enhancing habitat at the Gallatin County Regional Park. 

With many helping hands, 58 native trees and shrubs were planted along the watercourse, and volunteers also completed the staking, caging, mulching, and watering. As the riparian vegetation grows, the trees and shrubs will provide food and a nesting habitat for birds and other wildlife, and will improve water quality by providing shade to the watercourse and intercepting stormwater runoff and nutrient pollution. Plant species included: chokecherries, serviceberries, golden currants, mountain ash, cottonwoods, quaking aspens, and more.

To plant nearly 60 trees is no small feat, and it took a village to make such a substantial impact on an area in one evening, especially with rocky soil and a hot sun. We are so grateful for the folks that showed up with a determination to steward the place that we call home.

Our work is not done!  Now that the trees are in the ground, they'll need weekly watering in order to thrive throughout the summer. If you are interested in helping to water trees, please reach out to heather@gallatinwatershedcouncil.org or sign up on this spreadsheet. 

Keep your eye out for more plantings this summer, as we are always adding events! Thank you for showing up for our watershed and all its humans and critters alike. 

Want to learn more about riparian vegetation and some of the specific species that recent plantings have been focusing on? Read this blog!