Program helps draw wildlife to land under power lines

GRANBY, Mo. (AP) - On a recent morning, a plot of land underneath the power lines crossing Rhea Ross' property was bursting with buckwheat. Bees and butterflies are attracted to the plant, and deer eat it as well, she said.

It's one of many species she and her husband, Donald, have planted in the space over the past year, a move that has been bringing in more and healthier wildlife to the area.

"It's fun - it sure beats having a bunch of scrubby brush in here," Rhea Ross told The Joplin Globe (http://bit.ly/1MtDIAn).

The couple has been participating for about a year now in a program that partners Empire District Electric Co., the Missouri Department of Conservation and property owners to help those owners manage the vegetation underneath Empire power lines.

Through the Wires Over Wildlife program, property owners maintain the space, which ultimately means fewer maintenance needs, greater reliability of electrical service and increased wildlife, said Jason Grossman, vegetation management coordinator for transmission at Empire.

"It just goes back to being good stewards of the land and that conservation perspective," he said.

Through the program, property owners contact Empire, which decides if the space is suitable. Then, a plan is created between the electric company, Conservation Department and the owner. The Conservation Department helps with consulting on the space to help land owners figure out how to manage the area. Empire checks in each year to make sure the plan's requirements are being met, Grossman said. The money Empire saves from the land's development is reinvested to property owners through a cost share.

Those plans can be anything wildlife-oriented, including those who might be interested in deer hunting or those who just want to see more wildflowers for bee pollen, Grossman said.

Rhea and Donald Ross' involvement in the program started when they became interested in turning the land under the electrical wires into a food plot to attract and feed wildlife. They reached out to Empire, found out about the program and got involved, Rhea Ross said.

The couple has planted the buckwheat, native bedding grasses, wildflowers, forage turnips and other vegetation. The plan is to keep trying different plants to see what best attracts deer, Rhea Ross said. The goal is to bring in as much wildlife as possible - such as turkey, quail and deer - both for the couple to watch and to hunt.

"It's like opening a cafeteria for deer," she said.

The couple is looking at a three-year plan, and Rhea Ross said she's hopeful that by the end of that time, the space will be one that maintains itself and is a space they can show off.

Those interested in participating in Wires Over Wildlife can contact Empire and ask to speak with Jason Grossman, who manages the program for the electric company.

Empire prefers having at least three acres of space to work with under a power line, and the company needs to be able to access those lines, Grossman said.


Information from: The Joplin (Mo.) Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com