OGDEN VALLEY, Utah — Biologists and volunteers are working to restore habitat that burned after a wildfire swept through the Middle Fork Wildlife Management Area in Ogden Valley. Over the summer, about 400 acres burned.
Led by the Division of Wildlife Resources, people planted native species across the area, aiming to put roughly 3,000 sagebrush and brittlebush in the ground to give wildlife something to feed on.
The work carries significance for the broader region and for wildlife to survive, said Sarah Kapel, a habitat restoration biologist for the Northern Region of the Division of Wildlife Resources.
"It’s really important for mule deer, and the state has a huge focus to grow mule deer," Kapel said.
Among those at work is the Hilton family — Jamie Hilton and her kids, Crew and Elle — who live in Ogden Valley and were busy planting native species at the site.
"We just love the valley and we feel so blessed to live here, and we just want to take care of it and teach these little guys that this is their land," Jamie said.
The family lives close by, so they watched the fire burn across the mountain.
For Crew and Ella, the loss of habitat is what makes the replanting matter.
"Since there was a big wildfire, a bunch of sagebrush died, and so the deer won’t get as much to eat. So, if we want to keep the deer healthy, then we should plant the sagebrush," Crew said.
The area also faces an ongoing challenge beyond the fire itself.
"This area has been struggling with non-native grass, and so, unfortunately, when fires come through here, the first thing that’s going to pop up after that is another non-native grass, and so it’s just going to perpetuate the cycle of non-native grasses dominating the landscape," Kapel said.
When the Hilton family returns, they'll get to see what they put in the ground grow and feed wildlife.
"It makes me feel like I’m part of this and that we can do something to help," Crew Hilton said.