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The Camas Soil Conservation District is located in the south central area of
Idaho on a high prairie just fifteen miles wide and thirty miles long at an elevation of just over five thousand feet. While
it has an agricultural based economy, the county boasts of an excellent downhill ski area and various winter and summer recreation
opportunities. The Prairie is watered by many small streams and creeks,
most of which drain into Camas Creek which eventually flows into Magic Reservoir which is responsible for irrigating many
thousands of acres of cropland. It is the sediment being transported by the streams into Magic Reservoir that is currently
the main thrust of the Camas Soil Conservation District activities. The
history of the Camas Soil Conservation District illustrates how people have a developed a new way of thinking about natural
resources since the District was formed in 1957. It is an ironic history because today the Camas SCD's top priority is of
correcting a problem it helped create years ago when landowners, with government approval and support, straightened many stretches
of streams and removed willows from the streambanks to gain cropland, The resulting erosion changed the course of not just
the creeks, but of the Camas Soil Conservation District.
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Tuesday, March 29, 2011
we love positive feedback!!
One of our Tree Sale Customers has reported:
NANKING CHERRY is a great growing success on the CAMAS PRAIRIE!
Nanking Cherry, or Prunus tomentosa, is a beautiful flowering
Nanking Cherry shrub that produces edible fruit. The fruit of the Nanking cherry is commonly used for human consumption in
pies and jellies. Nanking Cherry is good for wildlife plantings and windbreaks. Nanking cherry is moderate in its longevity,
having moderate water requirements, and a low salt & alkali tolerance. Plant 6-8' apart for hedges and windbreaks.
Nanking cherry is so tough that it will even grow under semiarid conditions and endure a snowless winter
of -40°F followed by a scathing summer six months later Generally, the bushes grow about 8 feet high
and wide and bear grape-size fruit with a refreshing flavor somewhere between sweet and tart. The pinkish white flowers
and subsequent fruit are borne in such profusion as to practically hide the stems.
Click HERE for an informative how-to on planting your Cherry
You still have plenty of time to make TREE ORDERS! Pick up date is April 29, 2011, here at the SCD office 403 Soldier Road. (south door of Strickland Realty building)
2:45 pm edt
1:42 pm edt
Deadline ApproachingThere is available technical assistance through the NRCS for sage grouse conservation on private land through state and federal programs. A meeting was held March 24th, but
there is still time before the assistance application deadline of April 15, 2011.
Two of the main topics discussed at this meeting were support offered through the NRCS's Sage Grouse Initiative and the US Fish & Wildlife Service's Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances that could affect landowners if
the Sage-Grouse is listed in the future.
If you are a landowner interested in the support from the Natural Resource
Conservation Service regarding the Sage-Grouse Initiative, please contact Steve Thompson, NRCS agent at 208-934-8481 ext. 114 or email him at stephen.thompson@id.usda.gov
1:10 pm edt
Friday, March 25, 2011
LILACS *** A LOCAL FAVORITEAlthough it blooms later than other areas, LILACS in Camas County can be seen in abundance in late May and throughout the month of June.
Lilacs are very fragrant and beautiful, and serve
as great wind breaks and a very low maintenance planting. click HERE for an informative write up about the Common Lilac as well as pictures and planting
information.
1:56 pm edt
mmmm~~ APPLE PIETree of the Week!
Yellow Transparent Apple
Hardiness Zone 4
Growing seasons are shorter in Camas County, so a variety of apple tree that blooms
early, grows large fruit and is very disease resistant is always a good bet.
This apple is tart, good for baking and
sauces, and is an excellent keeper.
The Yellow Transparent Apple, Malus 'Yellow Transparent', has a skin that
is clear yellow, and the flesh is white. The Yellow Transparent tree is very upright, precocious, and productive, so therefore,
is a very heavy producer. It is an early yellow apple, ripening around the first week in July. The fruit is tender, juicy,
and mildly acid, making it a favorite for homemade applesauce and cooking. Pick before maturity for better storage life. Harvest
time is mid-June to July.
Careful early training, annual pruning and shaping are required to insure a healthy and productive
tree. It is scab resistant. Plant about a month after the first killing frost in the fall or about a month before the last
killing frost in the spring. Select a planting site that has good air, drainage, full sunlight and deep, well drained soil.
ORDER FORM
1:38 pm edt
Friday, March 18, 2011
TrEe { SHRUB} oF ThE WeEk!!
this week, we will be featuring one of the wonderful shrubs that are on our list of plants for sale:
~~~AROMATIC SUMAC~~~
Aromatic Sumac is a shrub that best likes Hardiness Zone 4
here is a link to hardiness zones:
it is a deciduous early spring bloomer, and will ultimately
grow to 4-5 feet tall and 5-7 feet wide. It is ornamental and attracts birds and butterflies, and does not
require a lot of water. It produces small berries that can be foraged by birds and wildlife.
The Camas Soil Conservation
District is selling 2-3 foot Aromatic Sumac in bundles of 5 for $10.00. (price includes shipping)
for pictures of Aromatic
Sumac, and added planting information, visit
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RHAR4
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Congratulations to STEVE MILLER! He
has been elected the National Association of Conservation District's Secretary/Treasurer! www.http://www.nacdnet.org/
Steve is currently Camas SCD's Chairman elect, and has served on the Conservation District in Camas
County since the Camas Prairie had Native Americans roaming free and gathering Camas Lily roots! :-)
We are very proud
of Steve.
Please read an article on this exciting event here:
http://iascd.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/steve-miller-of-fairfield-idaho-elected-as-nacd-secretarytreasurer/
this article is from the Idaho Association of Soil Conservation District's
(IASCD) Blog, which has many other interesting articles concerning all things that affect Soil Conservation Districts.
It is a good way to keep up to date on legislative on-goings and useful information.
IASCD Blog :
http://iascd.wordpress.com/
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
NRCS PRESS RELEASE! SAGE GROUSE INFOFor Immediate Release
Contact:
Steve Thompson, District Conservationist, 208.934.8481
ext. 114 NRCS
LOCAL WORKING GROUP MEETING SCHEDULED FOR JUNE 9, 2010 Gooding, Idaho, March 7, 2011 — Landowners are invited to hear
about available technical and financial assistance for sage-grouse conservation on private lands through state and federal
programs. The meeting is scheduled for March 24, 2011 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the
Community Campus, 1050 Fox Acres Road in Hailey. Two of the main topics at the meeting will be support offered
through the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Sage-grouse Initiative and the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s
Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances that could affect landowners if the sage-grouse is listed in the future.
For more information on the meeting, please contact Steve Thompson, Natural Resources Conservation Service, 208.934.8481 ext. 114.
3:13 pm est
~~ Tree of the Week!~~MOORPARK APRICOT
The fruit of a Moorpark Apricot is large and has a deep orange flesh, with a rich yet sweet flavor.
Harvest in late June to early July. Grows best in zone 5.
here is a helpful link with many facts about a
Moorpark Apricot tree from Arbor Day Foundation:
http://www.arborday.org/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ID=99
The Camas SCD is offering Moorpark Apricot trees at $30.00 for a 5 gallon size tree
(a great price!)
Email camasscd@yahoo.com or call 208-764-3223 to place your order today.
2:58 pm est
Thursday, March 3, 2011
~~Tree of The Week!~~Each week CSCD will feature a Tree of The Week. The
tree will be one offered to you through our TREE SALE!
This week:
AUSTRIAN
PINE
Austrian Pines are a moderately fast growing native evergreen with dense dark
green, long needles. It does best in Zone 4. (Fairfield is Mostly Zones 4 and 5) These trees are an excellent
wind break, and can withstand drought conditions--both are elements to consider when living in the beautiful Camas Prairie!
click here for the Arbor Day Foundation's description and detail pictures of and AUSTRIAN PINE!
http://www.arborday.org/trees/treeGuide/TreeDetail.cfm?ID=40
The Camas SCD is offfering AUSTRIAN PINES @ $8.00 for a 1 gallon
size!!
email camasscd@yahoo.com or call 208-764-3223 to place your order today!
For MORE statistics and facts on this tree:
http://www.onlinegardener.com/trees/Austrian%20pine.pdf
3:47 pm est
UPDATE ON TREE SALE!Spring is right around the corner, March came in like
a LION! plant yourself some trees to stand against the wind! The Camas Soil Conservation District is gearing up for our first
annual TREE SALE!
currently, a description of the offered trees are available at www.blainescd.org an order from for your trees can be emailed to you (write us at camasscd@yahoo.com) or stop by the office at 403 Soldier Road in Fairfield.
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Office Hours: Tuesday--Thursday 9:30-2:00 Telephone: 208-764-3223 Fax: 208-764-3223 email: camasscd@yahoo.com
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