 |
| Common cat-tails (Typha latifolia) in the winter marsh |
 |
| Bob Adams, Director Stewardship at the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association, explaining the project to the students |
Two years and $100,000 later, the 2-acre wetland was completed. There are still problems with invasive species - especially purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) - but the weevils that have been imported as biocontrols from the plant's native range in Europe seem to be reducing the vigor of the infestation.
 |
| Bob Adams showing the students a piezometer used to gauge the groundwater level |
 |
| Planted trees protected from deer browsing by wire cages |
 |
| A tree cage damaged by flooding on the bank of Sandy Run |
 |
| The marsh in winter, partially ice-bound |
 |
| Last summer's nest, probably built by an American robin (Turdus migratorius) |
 |
| No one could identify this plant, but I liked its winter profile |
 |
| Pussy willow (Salix discolor) wands |
 |
| Silky pussy willow ovaries |
 |
| Except for the electrical lines, this could be wilderness. Actually, the site is embedded in the middle of the 'burbs. |
 |
| |
8 comments:
Really cool, interesting post, Scott. It's always great to hear about these kinds of restoration projects, though I know they can be quite a headache. Love the photos, too, especially the attractive, well-built nest.
Excellent work there. Yes, a drop in the bucket, but every drop counts.
Robin Andrea: Because this watershed is so heavily developed, and perhaps because two people drowned in their house's basement during one of our hurricanes a few years ago, this watershed has been very heavily studied. A recent report concluded that, if all the dozens of detention basins in the watershed were retrofitted to actually do a good job (many no longer function at all because they are not maintained), it would cost many millions of dollars and the flood heights would only be reduced by a few inches. Discouraging...
Packrat: The project was actually built in two phases. The designers didn't anticipate having any permanent standing water on site--it was supposed to be a seasonally wet marsh. But groundwater monitoring in advance of construction was done during one dry year (state funding constraints on the grant--naturally), and the basin was excavated too low, so the first half of the site includes the open water marsh that I photographed. They got it "right" for the second half of the project, which only holds water when there's a lot of rain. Of course, the wet marsh attracts a lot of wildlife that the seasonally-wet side doesn't, so it certainly wasn't a failure.
It is a wonderful project. I like the prospect of bringing more wildlife back, for me especially the birds. I wish there were more such "wild' areas restored near towns and suburbs. The good news is a remember a time when such ideas were unheard of, so we are coming a long way :^)
Despite its small size and proximity to dense suburban development, the site is remarkably well-used by wildlife, Doug. Last year, when I took the students to the same site, there was a Killdeer guarding a (presumed) nesting scrape on the gravel parking pad--not 10 feet from the verge of a major road.
Very nice blog and thanks for the follow! BTW the unidentified winter plant above looks like it might be a Hibiscus spp. - keep up the cool posts! - Mike
Thanks, Mike. If the plant is a hibiscus (which is a very good possibility), it's likely Rose- or Swamp-mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos), which is fairly common in our wetlands and probably was planted as part of the revegetation effort at the wetland.
Post a Comment