On July 20th, the US Fish and Wildlife and partners had the opportunity to participate and lead activities for the Mashpee Wampanoag’s “Preserving Our Homelands 2022 Tribal Youth Summer Camp.” Staff from the Eastern MA NWR Complex were joined by several partners including Friends of Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation-Bureau of Forest Fire Control and MassWildlife.
After the opening ceremony, the participants and camp attendees started the day by planting native wetland and upland species in a rain garden next to the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Government Center. Some of these species include Red-Osier Dogwood, Prickly Pear, and Buttonbush. When all the planting was done, the participants spread native wildflower and grass seeds in the empty areas, and the Forest Fire Control crew watered the rain garden.
In the afternoon activities included archery and a seed ball making project. Seed balls, which consist of seeds rolled within a ball of organic materials, can be used to replant areas where natural flora has been destroyed. The wildflower seed mixture used for the activity included wildflowers native to the northeast, such as White Yarrow, New England Aster, and Cornflower. These seeds will grow into plants that give local pollinators food, shelter, and a place to lay their eggs. In return, the pollinators will help these plants reproduce!
[Article contributed by: Hermary Gonzales, Visitor Services Intern/USFWS]
Postnote: The summer drought and heat was a challenge to give the new plants the head-start they needed, but thanks to efforts by the Friends and Wampanoag Natural Resources Department, we were able to set up irrigation and the 400+ plants in the new “rain garden” are thriving! Thanks again to all who participated and to MaryKay Fox for the extensive research and planning that made the planting a success.
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