In 2004, IPF experimented with a new method of revegetating the barren slopes that lie below the roadway at the Top Cut--the use of compost blankets impregnated with native flower and grass seed. IPF continued with installation of more compost blankets on the steep hillsides during its 2008 work season.
Buena Vista Correctional Facility inmates first installed lock-down netting on the devastated slope below the Top Cut. Then, a large hose attached to a spray truck was used to apply a four-inch layer of compost. In total, compost and seed were spread over a 25,000 square foot area as far as 300 feet below the road.
Hydroseeding occurs annually and is an important part of both below-the-road and above-the-road revegetation.
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 Native grasses are taking root on the devastated hillsides below the Top Cut. After years of trying different strategies for revegetating the barren slopes below the roadway, a new method undertaken two years ago is showing
With the help of Vic Claassen, University of California/ Davis, IPF determined that the limiting factor for below-the-road reclamation was the lack of organic nutrients in the soil. Severely deficient in organic material, the steep slopes cannot support plant life except for a very few species, and even these plants grow sparsely and remain small.
In 2004, IPF contracted with ELC Erosion Control of Denver to install the first compost blanket on one-half acre. Impregnated with native grass and wildflower seed that draws nutrition from the compost, this experimental blanket showed good results in 2005, and, given this success, IPF duplicated the project last year on an adjacent site.
The infusion of organic material is also improving the vigor of the native plants already in place—they are visibly more robust than in previous years. We will continue our below-the-road hillside reclamation program using this method in future years.
IPF's compost blanket work, which has been ongoing since 2004, is making a difference in greening up the steep slopes below the Top Cut. Federal highways enhancement grants have been used to fund the installation of compost blankets.
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