Riparian East, Part 1
Concept
This project is seeking to enhance a section of an
occasional itermitant stream ranging from 5-6 feet to two feet wide, from 6"
deep to dry in late summer some years, and extending some 200 meters east-west
where it joins the Riparian North/South streams and extening upstream to the
east edge of the House Yard. Half of the stream is near the ChicoryLane barn and
a nearby utility area downstream whereas the other, upstream half is adjacen to
the House yard, with a naturalizied border of some 20 feet on the House side and
a natural steep bank and hillside on the other. Thus, this entire segment is
adjacent to the most developed areas of ChicoryLane. The area
of concern extends some 50 feet on each side of the stream, varying according to
the topography and improvements. The stream is the primary natural feature of the area along with
several Aspen groves, numeerous Elderberry shrubs, large stands of Blue Vervain
and Dark Red native Bergamot, and a (troubling) stand of Reed Canary Grass. This
stream also shares the largest and oldest Crack Willow with the North Riparian
stream. The main focus of the project is enhancement
through increasing seleced species, reducing less desirable or invasive ones,
and introduce several complementary new species not ccurrently found in that
area.
Steps
- Select a site
- The section of screen noted above
- Record it
- Identify Features of Interest
- Map the site
- inventory and map vegetation in designated sites of a 50-ft riparian area on each streambank
- Consider changes
- Plan changes
- Stream
- Rest the water for dissolved solids before the cattle crossing is built and
during its u
- Inventory wildlife (fish, birds, insects) in or using the stream
- Riparian
- Replace invasive non-native plants with natives and to control regrowth by cutting and, possibly, herbicide use
- Species reductions
- Species additions
- Implement
- Assess