Finally...I was able to get my NRCS agent to send me a JPEG copy of my site map (he sent me a PDF that had alot of identifying info on it and I couldn't clean it up). Here ya go.



He took a whole bunch of GPS waypoints and transferred it to the aerial maps that he had already developed. This is cool stuff; very motivational.
The plan is technically spread out to allow 2 years for application. This is because we are going to plant trees and shrubs in areas that will also be planted with warm and cool season native grasses and forbs (flowers). He could not get the guv to go for the whole shot at one time (technicality), so he split it up and got the green light. In essence, we will plant all the grasses and forbs spring of '07 (right away). Then, spring '08 we will plug in the trees and shrubs we want in the areas we want that were planted with grasses/forbs the prior year. He said that if we knocked out the trees and shrubs this fall, he could get it paid out. As anxious as I am to get stuff going, I will continue to exercise patience and exhaustion in making these development decisions. I can see the trees and shrubs holding until spring '08...we'll see how it and I play out.
The entire pond perimeter is showing warm season grasses and forbs. Actually, the NE section (wetland) and the east end (noted as cleared because it the building site) are a map error and will not be planted. The rest of it, tho, is right on the money.
Field 1 will be filled with warm season grasses and forbs; then a windbreak across the open north end of this meadow area. The windbreak will consist of 3 rows of Norway Spruce and one (maybe 2) rows of shrubs.
Field 2 (this is the 600 ft long meadow that the driveway begins on, eventually disappearing into a wall of tall timber) This area will be filled with warm season grasses and forbs. The driveway will be flanked by a continuous row of shrubs at each side. The balance of the grass/forb meadow will be planted and filled with random placement of Norway Spruce.
The Pond the entire orange hashmarks will be the same warm season grasses and forbs blend used in Field 1 and 2 above. There are three areas (blue/orange hashmarks) that will receive cool season grasses this year and will be overplanted with shrubs next year. These 3 areas are: NW zone = a damp area that is the confluence of 6 small draws into one large draw that we cleared for exactly this reason...grasses and shrubs. SW zone = a drier area that is the bottom 1/3 of the backside of the dam. It sees all the runoff from the top of the 350' wide dam. S zone = a clearing we created that is the emergency spillway area. It is a drier area, also, but fairly flat and holds shallow puddles of water longer than other areas. Anyway, all these zones get the cools and shrubs.
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OK, what's the seed blend?
The state biologist came up with recommendations. To me, they seemed fine. Heck, I have no idea what most of this stuff is anyway. He actually printed up a 4 page instruction packet that includes the vegetation descriptions, their advantages and application, and lbs per acre. He also points out that these are the min recommendations. They are also the maximum allowable for 75% reimbursement. I am invited to add to them as much as I desire within practicality, at my own expense. We are also given tons of latitude on species and mixes, so long as we use a min of certain amounts of veg. types (ie; a blend of at least 3 warm season grasses). The state provides a very long list of players and their pros/cons.
My NRCS guy gets this letter and we go over it a little. He tweaks some of the warm grasses to keep them shorter so my forbs don't get overun. He knows that I am going for the maximum wildflower effect. Then, I get this list of seed vendors in the region. One of them is pretty convenient for location and it winds up that the grass/forb expert is an NRCS alumni that my local NRCS guy knows, respects, and tells me "whatever he says, goes".
Here is where we wound up.
The cool season grasses (the 3 smaller zones at areas around the pond) will be Orchardgrass, Timothy, Red Clover, and Yellow Sweet Clover.
The warm season grasses (the pond perimeter and 2 fields) will be Little Blue Stem, Virginia Wild Rye, and Switchgrass.
The forbs (all the same areas as the warms noted above) will be: Partridge Pea, Purple Coneflower, Black-eyed Susan, Grey Headed Coneflower, Illinois Bundleflower, Upright Coneflower, Plains Coreopsis, Mexican Red Hat, Blanket Flower, Butterfly Weed, New England Aster, Purple Prairie Clover, Shasta Daisy, Indian Blanket, Cosmos Sensation mix, Cosmos Dazzler (crimson), Ox Eye Sunflower.
The seed guy is really into it. He gets me going; good for sales, I'm sure. But, he also warns me to be vewy, vewy patient. He says that most of it is perennial and some of those may take 1 - 2 years before we actually see blooms. There a couple of annuals that will have to hold us through until then. The State bio plans for 3/4 lb per acre; we can receive 75% compensation at this level. My farmer pal, who is prep'ing the areas and planting them with the drill, says that he up's it to 1 lb per acre. I tell the seed guy that wildflowers are the goal; I want major league wildflowers. I want a wide palette of water that runs to a border of wildflower color that runs into the thick green timber that surrounds it all. He up's the forbs to 2.5 lbs per acre. My NRCS guy says that it is indeed alot of flower seed, but he knows what I want and wholly approves.
The seed bill Well, it fit in about 1/4 of my total trunk space of a mid-size sedan. It cost $950 Crikeys!