The Curlew Job Corps recently completed a first phase Xerioscaping at the Tonasket Ranger District off, in Tonasket, Washington.

The Curlew Job Corps Facilities Maintenance crew, instructed by James Moore, put finishing touches on the new Tonasket Ranger Station sign using rocks provided by a local landowner. This effort is part of a larger project to model how water-wise and fire-wise plantings can create a beautiful landscape while conserving resources and reducing the risk of losing homes to wildfires.

The Job Corps crew removed sod, shrubs, and tress, installed heavy-duty weed barrier fabric and thick chipped wood mulch ground cover. The students gained valuable hands-on experience with stone work, having replaced the main sign with a natural rock foundation, as well as constructed small stone retaining walls and a natural stone paver pathway. “The Job Corps crew has been amazing,” said Patti Baumgardner, Challenge Cost Share Coordinator for the Okanogan-Wenatchee. “We couldn’t have done it without them.”

Yet to be completed is the actual planting of the new, regionally adapted plants, as well as installation of the drip irrigation and creation of a private staff patio area behind the office. The final phase plan is the construction and placement of an interpretive sign/kiosk by the front entrance.

Tonasket’s District Ranger, Dale Olson, looks forward to working with the Curlew Job Corps on future projects.