IAE contractors have gone above and beyond to personally see to the success of the program. When Home Depot in Reno Nevada was having trouble delivering all the needed soil for the three Nevada prisons, IAE contractor Shannon Swim borrowed a truck and collected the essential materials and drove them to the prisons. Boise IAE contractor Nancy DeWitt wrote step-by-step manuals for the prisons so that the AIC could sow the plants without contractors being present to guide the process. Boise IAE contractor Holly Hovis, has hand-delivered sagebrush seed, hoses, and extra vermiculite to DOC staff at their homes to make sure AIC’s have all they need to start the program this season. Tina Russell, IAE contractor working with the Wyoming Honor Farm prison, was able to engage with the inmates to sow the sagebrush seed from a safe distance on May first. IAE contractor Crystal Knittel and her family helped sow 30,000 sagebrush seeds for the Warner Creek Correctional Facility when it locked down. with appropriate social distancing measures. Uma Nicole, IAE contractor working at California City prison is creating special curriculum lessons to keep AIC engaged in ecology during the virus outbreak. IAE staff thank all those involved in the program for getting it off the ground this year.
IAE would like to thank everyone who has donated to the Sagebrush in Prisons project, and for the continued support of the Bureau of Land Management and Department of Corrections in multiple states. To learn more about our efforts, visit the Sagebrush in Prisons page on our website.
