18 / SEEDWORLD.COM OCTOBER 2017 “We had to move the creek 125 feet and dig a temporary bypass channel, which feels very invasive when you’re doing it,” Nordfors says. “We moved the creek bank 85 feet to try and get it as close to the pre-flooding alignment as possible. To address the elevation change in the creek bed over the course of the installation, as well as creating brook trout and invertebrate habitat, precise boulder placements were used to create stages of pools, rifles and runs.” The matrix that Nordfors designed uses root wad reflectors to slow down the water and to create habitat at the upstream portion of the installation, custom-quarried R-8 and larger Rip Rap stone to armor the slope, soil to fill in the crevices, a top dressing, willows and dogwoods planted in the joints to hold everything in place as the roots grow and expand — locking the installation together and to the bank — and the planting of native seeds. Key to Success Early in the project, Nordfors had crossed paths at a conference with Greg Kedzierski of Ernst Conservation Seeds and started sharing project ideas with him. The conversation and knowledge sharing that happened there was fol- lowed by a seed order. In recommending a seed mix for the rehabilitation of a site, Kedzierski also asks a number of questions: • What’s the site like? • Is it a streambed or a wetland? • What’s the soil type? While Kedzierski didn’t actually visit the Bowman Creek site, he was familiar with the environment and terrain and asked Nordfors a series of questions to provide the best seed mix and live stakes (dormant, live woody cuttings of a species with the branches trimmed off) possible. “I want to make sure that it matches the environment around it, and that it’s done right the first time,” Kedzierski says. “This means getting the right species into the seed mix at the right ratio. I consider what species can be used to ensure growth, what’s already there, and if part of the goal is to enhance wildlife and habitat.” Nordfors and Kedzierski talked through different techniques, different mixes and how to plant it. Kedzierski, who has taken a number of stream and site construction courses, knew exactly what Nordfors was after, and how to help him achieve it. The Ernst Conservation seed mix Nordfors planted was a riparian and upland meadow mix, comprising 29 spe- cies of grasses and forbs. Kedzierski says because the area was so shady, being down in a valley and sur- rounded by mature woods, it would be challenging to get plants growing quickly. “The team at Ernst are incredibly knowledgeable and wonderful to work with. They have the largest collection of native plant material I’ve seen, and Greg takes the time to help ensure you end up with a mix that will do both the long-term and short-term job,” Nordfors says, noting that the seed mix is critical to initial stabil- ity and getting things started. Once the materials arrived on site, Kedzierski provided instructions on how Before the seed and bioengineered materials from Ernst Conservation Seeds could be planted along the bank of Bowman Creek, the rehabilitation crew had to break up construction compacted soils.