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Table Rock Restoration Moves To Next Phase After Boise Wildfire

Sean Dahlman
Volunteers plant sagebrush and bitterbrush seedlings at Table Rock.

It’s been more than four months since the Table Rock Fire blackened the prominent plateau in Boise.  The fast-moving wildfire ate up 2,500 acres where invasive weed species had taken over, fueling the flames overnight and destroying important mule deer and elk wintering grounds.

That’s where Martha Brabec comes in. Brabec is the foothills restoration specialist for the city. She’s been on the job for two months, and she immediately got to work on Table Rock.

“There had long been motion to hire somebody as a restoration specialist within the City of Boise infrastructure," says Brabec. "The timing was just somewhat serendipitous as it collided with the addition of new staff to do a management project on Table Rock.”

This week, the process will focus on spraying herbicide with a visible purple dye to keep cheatgrass and medusa head at bay. Brabec has led about 300 volunteers who have planted native sagebrush and bitterbrush on the hillside.

“This overwhelming number of volunteers that we have is just evidence that the people of Boise love their foothills.”

Restoration is expected to take three to five years.

Find Frankie Barnhill on Twitter @FABarnhill

Copyright 2016 Boise State Public Radio

Frankie Barnhill was the Senior Producer of Idaho Matters, Boise State Public Radio's daily show and podcast.

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