Graduate students capturing images of the native grasslands |
The upper third of the watershed has largely been given over to standard suburban development; much of it is already a "lost cause." So, instead of starting at the source of the creek, we began the tour at "my" preserve in the central portion of the watershed and worked our way downstream over the course of the day.
After touring a portion of the protected land we have set aside and reviewing the forest restoration and native grassland creation projects underway, we enjoyed a picnic lunch then headed south into the city of Philadelphia for an overview of the lower third of the watershed. Within the city, the creek flows through a protected corridor of parkland, but the corridor only protects the steep slopes directly alongside the stream, not the creek's tributaries. Outside the park, development crowds right up to the edge of the woods.
Seasonal marsh occupying the site of a former parking lot |
Residential stormwater outfall restoration project |
Check dams and step pools in the stream valley |
Rapids at the creek's fall line |
Students at the fall line, with the King's Road bridge in the background |
Our final stop of the day was on the coastal plain at the mouth of the creek. Here, the creek adds its flow to the Delaware River, which is also tidal. We arrived at low tide, and the mud flats flanking the mouth of the creek were fully exposed. The wetlands around the mouth of the creek are home to a pair of Bald Eagles, which started building a nest two years ago and have fledged chicks successfully each summer since.
Mud flats exposed at the creek's mouth at the Delaware River |
The Philadelphia skyline, about seven miles distant |
A really hard day, or something exciting...? |
They were getting up close and personal with a preying mantis that had caught a sulfur butterfly and was making quick work of the victim.
After we returned to our vehicles, I sent the students back to New Brunswick, New Jersey, and I headed back to the 'burbs. A good day was had by all.
12 comments:
Forced to work outside on a gorgeous fall day, eh? You don't have my sympathy at all! It does sound like a great way to spend the day, too, and I suspect the students enjoyed it just as much.
great pictures...
specially the photographers lying on the road to capture the insects is very interesting..
I loved reading this post and seeing the work being done to help restore some of the natural wetlands and grasslands in such an urban area. Pretty great stuff. As a New Jersey native, I like knowing that there are young people wanting to work on such restorations. That's hope for the future!
I wish I had known about the Kings Road bridge before I moved west. Such a history!
Like that picture of them taking the picture of the praying Mantis.
Realised that you like watching movies.
Have you seen English Vinglish? (see my second last blog on the same movie)
Yeah, Carolyn, it's a tough job but somebody's got to do it. (Let me just add, though, that the field trip day way very atypical; usually, I'm stuck inside and can only wish I could escape like this.)
Thanks, Seema! At first, I have to admit that I just joined the two close-up photographers on the ground, but when I stood up and saw the potential for an interesting image, I just had to get the guys sprawled there. Their lenses were able to focus much more closely than mine, so they got some really great close-ups.
Robin Andrea: These students will be unleashed upon the natural world after one more semester, so I'm glad that I had a chance to get into their heads before they set off on their professional careers. Actually, Rutgers' program focuses very heavily on being respectful of native landscapes, so I think that these students will do as good a job as they can when they find work.
The King's Road/Frankford Avenue bridge has been widened with another lane to accommodate more traffic, but the original bridge is still in use. It's been recognized as an engineering landmark by the Society of Civil Engineers.
Haddock: I have not seen "English Vinglish." I'll check out your post. Thanks for the heads-up.
HI SCOTT - fascinating work-adventure and great pictures and explanations, I felt I was there. Wow!
Brace yourself for the storm, as are we.
Love Gail
peace.....
Gail: I'm pretty much as prepared as I can be. Thanks for the good wishes!
I really enjoyed reading this post, Scott, and getting insight into the fascinating work being done in restoration. I'm certain those grad students were impressed by your grasp of the pertinent issues.
Thanks, Packrat. I host about a half-dozen classes each year, and these students seemed more motivated and interested than most. There's definitely a difference between undergrad and grad students; guess which are the more engaged.
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