Worley, Idaho firm encourages better use of land, nature

While growing up in the up-and-coming area of Lake Coeur d’Alene, Warren “Buzz” Howard grew used to seeing new construction replace wetlands and old growth. Now he’s in a position to do something about what he sees as habitat encroachment. He owns an excavation company, and sees plenty of opportunities through it to offer nature a helping hand. For more than 10 years, Howard’s Worley-based business WEH Enterprises, has operated in the southern end of Idaho’s Panhandle. The company recently added a new service to conventional construction offerings: integrating land improvement projects for landowners, often partnered with Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s Habitat Improvement Program. “I’ve lived here all my life and seen all the houses and growth and improvements made to the area. I wanted to give back to nature in some way, because I’m the one building the roads and home sites,” he says. “I know people need places to live, but we need to give back to the animals, we need to provide them homes just as we develop more into their habitat.” The Habitat Improvement programs create or restore habitat for waterfowl, upland game birds, and other animal species. “This offers a truly enjoyable property enhancement that landowners can enjoy for years to come,” Howard says during a visit to his 75 acres of property outside of Worley, which includes the H2H Bison Ranch. “We try to convince people, if they have a little bit of acreage, to give back to nature.” While watching ducks land on a small pond, and insects buzzing around the edges, Howard adds that the whole reason he got into this new business offering is to offset some of humanity’s impact on the natural order. Howard and his company encourage customers to set aside a section of their property and let it go back to nature. Each tailor-made project fits the landowners’ preferences, while also taking into account factors like available land, water supply and local wildlife needs to provide food, cover or other enhancements to boost well being. The first step in designing a project is a free initial site visit and estimate. Then, WEH performs a soil test monthly before construction begins to see what vegetation or specific project would work best for the local environment. After the project is finished, which often revolves adding ponds or water features on the land, Howard says anything else can be added, from cameras and video equipment to tree stands, so property owners can monitor the progress of the wildlife. “The main goal and objective is to make (habitats) healthier year-round and keep them around,” he said. Habitat improvements include super-charged food plots that attract deer, ducks and turkey, and providing nesting structures and leafy foliage providing cover for various wildlife. A specially formulated blends of plants offer permanent food supplies to animals. Clover, legumes, sunflowers and grains have proven to be favorites for deer and turkey, and a waterfowl mixture for ducks is extremely durable in moist environments, said a WEH press release. Other popular features include a nutritious tuber called chufa, which attracts wild turkeys and waterfowl, and broad-leafed brassicas that provide protein well into late fall frosts and freezes. “Wildlife can get their favorite, nutritional, green leafy plants year-round and also find improved cover for nesting and bedding to hide from predators,” Howard said. “That’s the whole point of the arrangement is to see the animals and make sure they are healthier from the food plots.” Even the smallest members of the natural world are including. When creating wetland, for example, frogs, dragonflies and other crucial components to a well-balanced ecosystem can be drawn to the area. “This wildlife program isn’t just for deer or elk. We try to plant things for the whole ecosystem, down to the frogs and smallest animals,” he adds. While a small fraction of hunters might try to abuse the food plot design by luring an animal to shoot it, Howard said the overall benefits far outweigh any misuse. “Most of the hunters are very conscientious about wildlife, too. They want animals to keep thriving and keep coming back. If you look at the long-term impact of each project, they provide nutrition all year,” he said. Howard has long supported habitat restoration. It’s a viewpoint shared by the state’s Fish and Game Department, which started the Habitat Improvement Program in 1989 through funding from statewide hunting license sales. “It’s been employed in a lot of different manners and around the state in good effect,” said Bryan Helmich, habitat manager for IDFG’s Panhandle Regional Office in Coeur d’Alene. “We’ve engaged in a lot of projects and in a wide variety of projects, for things like fencing repair areas, food plots and creating nesting structures for geese and ducks.” The program has been a success, whether when combined with a third-party such as WEH Enterprises or done directly through the department, because of its diversity for landowners and its cost-sharing arrangement, Helmich said. “It’s a very flexible program. It’s not a money-making project for landowners. It’s more of offsetting the expense of habitat improvement. I’d say it’s a highly effective program,” he says, adding that there are several contractors in the area who work with HIP. “It’s well-known. We get a lot of calls and inquiries about it. There’s an increasing interest in landowners and third-parties to take part in it.” WEH’s Howard says the program can cover as much as half of the total cost, which for the pond construction often runs upwards of several thousand dollars. “We’ll go in with Fish and Game and put together a management plan with the owners. Then we’ll present it to the department and get up to 50 percent off certain projects,” he says. As for the size and scale of a project, Helmich says it depends on the plan’s blueprint. “If somebody comes forward with a good project, we can support it with a significant amount of money, and if it’s smaller we can offer a less significant amount,” Helmich says. As a cacophony of insects filled the air around Howard’s small pond, he says it’s more about giving back than cashing in. “It really doesn’t matter as far as the size. It can be really small and we’ll use an ATV to till and seed, or we can bring in a tractor for larger projects,” he says. “Anything to try and give back to the wildlife we are happy to help out with.”