MDF puts $253,000.00 on the ground in CA
THE MULE DEER FOUNDATION PUTS $253,000.00 ON THE GROUND IN CALIFORNIA TO BENEFIT MULE DEER AND OTHER WILDLIFE DEVASTATED BY THE RUSH FIRE.
The Mule Deer Foundation received a donation of 11,600 pounds of Sage Brush seed from Native Seed Company of Lehi, Utah. The donation is valued at $253,000.00. MDF donated the seed to the Eagle Lake Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Susanville, Calif. They will use the donation to reseed portions of Eastern Lassen County, which was devastated by fire last summer.
One of California’s largest fires in recent history, the Rush Fire destroyed more than 315,000 acres, including some of the most prestigious deer hunting habitat in the state.
MDF California Regional Director Randy Morrison said, “The Rush Fire burned almost exclusively in hunting unit X5B, a limited-entry only area, and 80% of it was burned completely to the ground. It was critical deer habitat that is now gone. “It looks like the dark side of the moon.”
He said the seed donation will help restore approximately 75,000 acres of habitat for both mule deer and sage grouse, as well as a host of other wildlife species.
Morrison worked with Valda Lockie of the BLM and Justin Dean, owner of Native Seed, to facilitate the seed transaction. Native Seed Company will store it until next summer, when the BLM will begin planting.
Volunteers who want to help bring this area back to life are encouraged to contact Randy Morrison with the Mule Deer Foundation at 707-592-9998. There will be seed planting opportunities as well as a number of water development projects.
January 25, 2013
Contact: Randy Morrison
Phone: 707-592-9998
E-mail: randy@muledeer.org