Since 1992, Wildlife Habitat Nursery has built a reputation for producing high-quality native plants and providing dependable, on-time delivery for restoration projects throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Our roots began as Wildlife Habitat Institute, where we specialized in ecological consulting and habitat restoration services. Our work included habitat assessments, biological surveys, restoration planning, project monitoring, construction management, and hands-on restoration for a wide range of natural resource agencies and partners.
In 2003, we transitioned to Wildlife Habitat Nursery, focusing exclusively on growing and supplying native herbaceous and woody plants for wetland, stream, river, and habitat restoration projects.
In 2023, ownership transitioned from founder Denny Dawes to his son, Levi Dawes, and the business became Wildlife Habitat Nursery LLC. While leadership has changed, our commitment to quality, service, and ecological restoration remains the same.
Today, we grow finished native plants from carefully selected, site-identified seed sources for use in ecological restoration, wildlife habitat enhancement, streambank stabilization, and erosion control. Every plant is produced with a strong, well-developed root system to promote successful establishment in the field.
Located in the rolling hills of Princeton, Idaho, our facility includes a 1,600-square-foot office and workshop, a 1,600-square-foot equipment building, five 4,350-square-foot greenhouses, and one 3,000-square-foot greenhouse. Four greenhouses are equipped with automated AndPro watering booms, while all irrigation water is supplied by our private artesian well. Roll-up sides, backup ventilation systems, and carefully managed growing conditions help produce healthy, vigorous, field-ready plants. We also maintain four outdoor growing areas, allowing us to match individual species and container sizes with the environmental conditions best suited to their growth.
Our plants are grown in Styroblock and Stuewe & Sons containers using custom soil blends developed for native plant production. A fertilization program utilizing Dosmatic injectors and premium water-soluble fertilizers ensures consistent growth and exceptional plant quality.
In addition to container-grown stock, we supply willow and cottonwood poles and whips for restoration projects. We maintain contracts for wild collection sites and operate two on-site stooling beds totaling more than one acre. Together, these beds contain nine willow species and are capable of producing up to 30,000 cuttings annually.
Over the years, Wildlife Habitat Nursery has supplied plants for restoration projects led by state and federal agencies, tribal fisheries and watershed programs, conservation districts, utilities, nonprofit organizations, private businesses, and individual landowners. Our clients have included the Idaho and Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife, the Coeur d’Alene, Colville, Nez Perce, Spokane, and Umatilla Tribes, Bonneville Power Administration, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, The Nature Conservancy, and numerous conservation districts and private landowners throughout the region.
Whether supplying plants for large-scale watershed restoration or smaller private land stewardship projects, we are proud to support efforts that improve ecosystems and strengthen wildlife habitat. More than three decades after our founding, restoring native landscapes continues to be the foundation of everything we do.
