About Us
Company Roots
In 2003, Jeff Klausmann and Katie Salsbury started a company called Native Sod Solutions (NSS) in Driggs, ID. The company grew out of a passion to mitigate for wetland functional losses across a rapidly developing western landscape. Losses were no more apparent than along the Snake River near Jackson, Wyoming where development pressures on aquatic systems were intense.
When Jeff arrived in Jackson in the early 1990s residential pond development and gravel mining were quickly altering natural wetland and riparian landscapes. Working as an environmental consultant Jeff noticed a familiar pattern in constructed wetlands. Despite suitable hydrologic and soil conditions wetland plants were largely absent even after decades following construction. Without wetland vegetation for food and cover these habitats supported little wildlife. Under the best-case scenario some sites supported pockets of weedy invasives like cattail but not the characteristic wet-meadow sedge vegetation associated with natural wetlands. This condition was most apparent in floodplain gravel pits where mining activities inadvertently resulted in wetland creation by intercepting high groundwater tables. "My thought was that if we could get the plants back we could get the wildlife back."
Jeff left Jackson in 1996 and took the problem to Montana State University where he earned a M.S. degree in Land Rehabilitation, his thesis work focused on wetland revegetation. Jeff's graduate research identified wetland plant establishment as the crux of the problem. Many wetland plants, particularly sedges require strict conditions for reliable seed germination. These conditions are so specific that they are unlikely to occur naturally on wetland restoration sites. Seeding these species resulted time and again in complete failure. Wild or nursery propagated transplants performed better but erosive forces, frost, wildlife and weed pressure often limited revegetation success on many sites.
"I had seen at a conference how the Germans were successfully using pre-vegetated coir to revegetate challenging wetland sites in Europe - and the seed was planted", Jeff remembers. After returning from that conference he and Dr. Paul Hook immediately applied for and won a Wetland Protection Grant from the EPA and Teton County to test revegetation techniques for native wetland plants. The team contract-grew pre-vegetated coir and tested it against six other revegetation treatments in a replicated field trial near the Snake River in Jackson, Wyoming. The results were so compelling that Jeff and Katie decided to begin large-scale pre-vegetated coir production and Wetland Sod was born. Since that time NSS has grown into the company we know today as North Fork Native Plants. Currently the nursery propagates thousands of Wetland Sod units every year, along with other bare root and containerized native plants.
Wetland Sod has now been used in eight states, across a variety of wetland and riparian sites with encouraging and productive results. Follow the link below to see projects that have used our native plant products.
Meet the Team
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Tim Watters
OWNER AND MANAGER
B.A. Economics, Denison University
Tim joined NFNP in 2006 after moving his family to eastern Idaho from the Midwest. He has a background in small business ownership and investment banking. Tim leads our sales and marketing team and oversees all operations and finance related issues for our company.
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Jeffrey Klausmann
OWNER, MANAGER AND WETLANDS SCIENTIST
M.S. Land Rehabilitation, Montana State University
B.S. in Wildlife Biology, University of Vermont
Jeff has twenty years of experience in wetland habitat mitigation, restoration and enhancement, bio-engineered erosion control and the restoration of native plant communities. Most recently he has focused on restoration and creation of water bird habitats for sensitive species and the establishment and maintenance of dry land plant communities for upland nesting waterfowl, passerine songbirds and upland game. Jeff has designed over 30 wildlife habitat projects throughout the west.
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Ty Blacker
GENERAL MANAGER
B.A. Business Management, Idaho State University
Ty has been with North Fork Native Plants since 2004 and has been integral in the development and growth of the nursery. He came to NFNP with 10 years of management experience. Originally from Rock Springs, WY, Ty has lived in the Idaho Falls area for 20 years. On top of managing all operations at the facility, Ty is the jack of all trades and facilitates everything from repairs and renovations that are needed, building new infrastructures to water control structure design and installation. Ty has three adorable daughters and enjoys fishing, hunting and being outdoors.
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Jeff Rebernak
HEAD GROWER
B.S. Agronomy, The Pennsylvania State University
An Illinois native, Jeff brings to North Fork Native Plants his 10 years of experience in agronomy. His professional career as a Crop Advisor has exposed him to a variety of agricultural and horticultural production systems across the nation. Jeff has worked in many agricultural regions including Central Pennsylvania, the Chesapeake Bay area of the Mid-Atlantic, the northern Corn Belt, and most recently in the Intermountain West as a Crop Advisor in the Teton area of Idaho and Wyoming. He advised growers on their fertilizer, seed, and pesticide management decisions related to crop physiology and production, as well as land management. He also has experience as a Soil Conservationist with NRCS, where he provided conservation planning assistance to farmers and landowners in Fremont County, Idaho. Jeff holds a Statewide Consultant license with the Idaho Department of Agriculture as well as a Certified Crop Advisor credential from the American Society of Agronomy. In his free time, Jeff enjoys backpacking, skiing, fly-fishing, and gardening.
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Witneigh Buker
BOOKKEEPER
Brigham Young University - Idaho
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Rebecca Wright
SALES AND MARKETING
B.S. Plant and Wildlife Ecology, Brigham Young University - Idaho
Rebecca started with North Fork Native Plants in 2016, helping manage the Greenhouse workers while finishing school at BYU-Idaho. Shortly after graduating in 2019 she moved into our Sales and Marketing position. She communicates with customers and our staff regarding orders and deliveries of our plants. She enjoys hiking, camping, dirt biking, and traveling.
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Tanner Buker
RESTORATION MANAGER
B.S. Plant and Wildlife Ecology,
Brigham Young University – Idaho
Tanner started with North Fork Native Plants in 2019, working with the wetland sod crews to helping maintain the ponds. In 2023, he moved into the Restoration side of the business and now helps manage install projects for wetland restoration. He enjoys hiking, hunting, fly fishing, and video games.
Articles
Pre-manufactured marsh grasses installed along Silver Bow Creek after transplant from Idaho
Company Puts Down Roots
Bio-Engineered Stream Bank Stabilization on the Teton River
SR 202 Stream and Wetland Mitigation: Achiecing a Fine Balance
Wetland plants a big draw
Pre-vegetated Coir Achieves Rapid Results in Reconstructed Stormwater Chanel
Officials work to keep Steed Pond, other waters, healthy
Floating Island Buoys Hope for Trumpeter Swans in Idaho
South Fork Clearwater River Watershed Restoration Project - Kirtner Property
Erosion Control: A Few Good Sprouts
What People Are Saying
“Wetland Sod was the only product that would work to stabilize our creek, which had up to 70 cfs flowing right after the sod was installed.”
— Bill Resor
“We initially installed Wetland Sod in challenging conditions and were concerned about the result. However, it handled these adverse conditions extremely well and outperformed our expectations. Since then, we don't hesitate to use Wetland Sod for our nursery stock wetland needs.”
— Scott Davis, Pond & Stream Consulting
“I found the product to be excellent in quality. The product provided immediate short-term bank stability and has successfully established itself for the long-term. The vegetation has provided excellent aesthetic qualities to the storm channel. The product has proven itself to withstand sizeable storm events. Personnel from Native Sod Solutions provided excellent technical and physical assistance to the project before, during and after the installation.”
— Tom Malloy, Reclamation Manager, Butte-Silverbow Planning Dept.
“Wetland Sod was a cost-effective method versus installing containerized stock and the service throughout the whole process exceeded expectations.”
— Scott Horzen, TN&A Associates
“Our river banks were in very poor condition when the property was bought. After re-grading the banks and installing wetland sod not only were the banks more attractive but were stabilized and have enhanced the fishery. After three years the banks are holding very well and now have a very natural appearance. It would be difficult to tell where the work has been done at this point. The river has a much more natural appearance today. We are very happy with the results.”
— Dave Work, Teton Valley Idaho