This wetland preserve is my passion. I want nothing more (and also nothing less) that to make this into a world class nature preserve on the eastern edge of New York City. This is a very personal idea but it is not something that can be accomplished alone. Building a constituency of talented folks, who work together on a share vision, is one of the “essentials’.
This week I had the chance to share ideas about the preserve with two friends and teaching colleagues. I’ve known and worked with Frank Cantelmo for 30 years and with Paula Lazrus for only a few years. Frank is an aquatic ecologist by training and a brilliant teacher of evolutionary biology and ecological thinking. Paula is a superbly creative teacher and trained archaeologist who teaches both history and science from the perspective of human induced changes to the natural landscapes. Spending the day with them, in the preserve, deciding what we can do with our different student groups makes for one of those 'unforgettable' days. We have a great deal of overlap within our student groups whether it is ES major students or beginning freshman science students. How can we work together and with our different levels of students?
We decided to run one major orientation tour and field walk with our classes early in the fall semester. I’ll focus on the preserves overall geography and its watershed character; Frank will do its ecosystems and its wonderful aquatic and estuarine nature and Paula will provide them with the human and landscape perspectives. How’s that for being interdisciplinary! When that is all said and done and the students have seen the ‘whole’ we’ll then allow them to select from a variety of structured and unstructured investigative trips and activities that we will design for them. It will be their option to join in but I’d bet that it will be the highlight of their term.
I have to add that this particular day (7-22-2010) was really hot; it also was exceedingly humid and the mosquitoes absolutely loved it; and because it is July some of the overgrowth was almost impassable. None of us escaped unscathed. So you might think that it wasn’t all that great a day. Well it was a tough day. But sharing something special with friends and colleagues tips the balance. It turned out to be one of those really great, ‘unforgettable’ days.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
A Wetland Dying of Thirst
Dry, Dry, and More Dry.
It is as hot and dry as I have ever seen it. The trails are actually dusty and the sensitive plants like touch-me-not are all wilted. Youngest tree plantings are fairing the worst. We haven't seen ANY rain in three weeks even though other parts of Long Island actually had some real local downpours. Coupled with a string of record breaking temperatures and you can imagine what life is going through out here. The rainclouds just missed NE queens and the dry continues. Forecast for rain later today and tomorrow holds out some hope but nothing so far. Can't help but think: is this just a natural cycle of wet and dry or is it a portent of things to come???
It is as hot and dry as I have ever seen it. The trails are actually dusty and the sensitive plants like touch-me-not are all wilted. Youngest tree plantings are fairing the worst. We haven't seen ANY rain in three weeks even though other parts of Long Island actually had some real local downpours. Coupled with a string of record breaking temperatures and you can imagine what life is going through out here. The rainclouds just missed NE queens and the dry continues. Forecast for rain later today and tomorrow holds out some hope but nothing so far. Can't help but think: is this just a natural cycle of wet and dry or is it a portent of things to come???
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Tidal Marshes of the Alley
As we approach the 4th of July week-end I have a few moments to get back to something I started a couple of weeks ago - describing the ‘parts’ of the preserve which, when added together, form the most beautiful whole; in mid-June I wrote about the main stem -Alley Creek- and now what I’d like to write about is the ‘kidneys’ of the land - the valuable wetlands which line the creek; the metaphor of 'marshes as kidneys' is well placed because they have a remarkable capacity to clean water and reduce waste loading by biological processes; there are many different types of wetlands in the world and we have several different types in this small valley. I’ll talk about the freshwater systems at other points but since I began with Alley Creek last month I’ll talk just briefly about our ‘salt marshes”.
Probably more correctly termed ‘tidal marshes’ these landscapes border Alley Creek either as a ‘narrow ribbon’ or as a broader ‘expanse (from1 to 10+ acres); they have the most remarkable origin, geology, history and ecology of any of our local ecosystems. How, in a brief post, can I convey the importance and character of these living landscapes??? Well I think a couple of well-chosen pictures will help immensely so I will be sure to include those at the end but I’d also like to mention some other sources of information that I value deeply;
first there is this brief quotation:
“Along the eastern coast of North America, from the north where the ice packs grate upon the shore to the tropical mangrove swamps tenaciously holding the land together with a tangle of roots, lies a green ribbon of soft, salty, wet, low-lying land, the salt marshes.”
So begins the finest description of our tidal marshes ever written -the truly famous book by John and Mildred Teal “Life and Death of the Salt Marsh”. This is a somewhat older book (out of print but still widely available in used book stores and libraries). I find that young people, new to this field, are oftentimes unfamiliar with this great work. That is a shame because there is so much to learn here! There is no better exposition of the role of the salt marshes than this short text. If you have not read it (or have not read it recently) it would be an enlightening look into a wondrous world.
The genius of the book is that it is so simple that when you read it you think about the marshes you know best. Read it in Maine and you think of the pocket marshes between the headlands, read it in Maryland or Virginia and you see the great expanse of the Chesapeake, read it in south Queens or Brooklyn and you visualize Jamaica Bay. When I read it, I can’t help but see Long Island Sound, the upper East River and the Alley Wetland Preserve. Besides being beautiful it is also important. This book did more to change the opinion of wetlands and wetland destruction than any other single factor. The New York State Tidal Wetlands Act was passed by the legislature two years after the publication of this most influential book.
A much more recent source of educational information about the marshes of the Alley is our own organization’s publication History and Ecology of Little Neck Bay (62 p) by Aline Euler and Dyan Freiberg, two of our most talented staff educators; they have compiled all the information we have about how the bay and its component ecosystems and written it in a way for teachers and students to understand; I value my copy very highly because it contains the old photos, maps, ecosystem descriptions and organism ‘biographies’ that come together in this valley. It is not an on-line publication but we do have remaining copies for sale at the center and I can guarantee that any teacher or student of this area would be thrilled to own this remarkable collection of ideas.
What about the marshes themselves?
The remaining marshes of the Alley have it all:
Tidal Connections to the Sun and Moon
‘Kidneys of the Land”
Green Ribbons of Life 
Probably more correctly termed ‘tidal marshes’ these landscapes border Alley Creek either as a ‘narrow ribbon’ or as a broader ‘expanse (from1 to 10+ acres); they have the most remarkable origin, geology, history and ecology of any of our local ecosystems. How, in a brief post, can I convey the importance and character of these living landscapes??? Well I think a couple of well-chosen pictures will help immensely so I will be sure to include those at the end but I’d also like to mention some other sources of information that I value deeply;
first there is this brief quotation:
“Along the eastern coast of North America, from the north where the ice packs grate upon the shore to the tropical mangrove swamps tenaciously holding the land together with a tangle of roots, lies a green ribbon of soft, salty, wet, low-lying land, the salt marshes.”
So begins the finest description of our tidal marshes ever written -the truly famous book by John and Mildred Teal “Life and Death of the Salt Marsh”. This is a somewhat older book (out of print but still widely available in used book stores and libraries). I find that young people, new to this field, are oftentimes unfamiliar with this great work. That is a shame because there is so much to learn here! There is no better exposition of the role of the salt marshes than this short text. If you have not read it (or have not read it recently) it would be an enlightening look into a wondrous world.
The genius of the book is that it is so simple that when you read it you think about the marshes you know best. Read it in Maine and you think of the pocket marshes between the headlands, read it in Maryland or Virginia and you see the great expanse of the Chesapeake, read it in south Queens or Brooklyn and you visualize Jamaica Bay. When I read it, I can’t help but see Long Island Sound, the upper East River and the Alley Wetland Preserve. Besides being beautiful it is also important. This book did more to change the opinion of wetlands and wetland destruction than any other single factor. The New York State Tidal Wetlands Act was passed by the legislature two years after the publication of this most influential book.
A much more recent source of educational information about the marshes of the Alley is our own organization’s publication History and Ecology of Little Neck Bay (62 p) by Aline Euler and Dyan Freiberg, two of our most talented staff educators; they have compiled all the information we have about how the bay and its component ecosystems and written it in a way for teachers and students to understand; I value my copy very highly because it contains the old photos, maps, ecosystem descriptions and organism ‘biographies’ that come together in this valley. It is not an on-line publication but we do have remaining copies for sale at the center and I can guarantee that any teacher or student of this area would be thrilled to own this remarkable collection of ideas.
What about the marshes themselves?
How can one understand their life and function?
Well, there is no better on-line source about the marshes of this area than the on-line publication Tidal Marshes of Long Island Sound. If you are a teacher or budding naturalist interested in marshes and estuaries then you must check out this publication. I use it regularly with all of my students and the accessibility of the text and the quality of the diagrams make this a 'must have' for anyone who wants to really understand this system.
Finally, what can one say about our past, present and future marshes?
Today the marshes are actually growing back (YES!) after many years of losses. Some of the regrowth is natural; some has been designed and implemented as ‘mitigation’ projects required as payment for loss of marshes elsewhere; This re-growth of marsh surface is significant and in some ways bodes well for the future.
The area of the entire wetland preserve today is listed by the NYC Parks Dept. NRG as 131.92 acres. However, before being dissected by three major roadways and the LIRR, it was part of a much more continuous, open and extensive ‘wetland complex’ that can only be estimated from old maps and photos; The famous Alley salt meadows stretched to the edges of Little Neck Bay to the north filling this broad glacial valley from one valley wall to the other. It must have been a remarkable sight. Estimates from old maps easily place the extent of former marshes and tidal flats somewhere between 250 and 300 acres (my best guess and I have done this calculation several times from several maps is 272 acres).
Finally, what can one say about our past, present and future marshes?
Today the marshes are actually growing back (YES!) after many years of losses. Some of the regrowth is natural; some has been designed and implemented as ‘mitigation’ projects required as payment for loss of marshes elsewhere; This re-growth of marsh surface is significant and in some ways bodes well for the future.
The area of the entire wetland preserve today is listed by the NYC Parks Dept. NRG as 131.92 acres. However, before being dissected by three major roadways and the LIRR, it was part of a much more continuous, open and extensive ‘wetland complex’ that can only be estimated from old maps and photos; The famous Alley salt meadows stretched to the edges of Little Neck Bay to the north filling this broad glacial valley from one valley wall to the other. It must have been a remarkable sight. Estimates from old maps easily place the extent of former marshes and tidal flats somewhere between 250 and 300 acres (my best guess and I have done this calculation several times from several maps is 272 acres).
In 1988 NRG did an Entitation (plant community) survey (from scaled aerial photos which I still have those photos) of the entire valley and reported that all ‘intertidal’ environments -(tidal flats, Alley Creek, and all the bordering high and low salt marshes) - tallied 38.45 acres(!) Simple math tells us that only between 12 and 15 % (depending on what you would like to use as your starting number) of the original area of tidal wetlands remain (!)
We can not afford to lose another inch to thoughtless, heartless, development.
The remaining marshes of the Alley have it all:
Tidal Connections to the Sun and Moon
‘Kidneys of the Land”
Green Ribbons of Life
Gorgeous wildlife
Living Marsh Landscapes
Home to Countless Organisms
Living Marsh Landscapes
Home to Countless Organisms
People who love them deeply
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Field walk with the leadership - morning of June 18
Its been too long since I had a chance to sit and write but I did have a great field walk with some very special individuals on the morning of June 18.
APEC’s board leadership and key staff met with Tim Wenchus of NYC Natural Resource Group and also Dr. Andrew Kolodny a good friend, neighbor and supporter of the preserve to review plans for controlling invasive species on both side of Alley Creek; New York City Parks through the NRG is applying for grant support to do a major plant restoration project on the east bank of the preserve; we walked to view that proposed project and also to review how our own efforts would fit into the scope of that plan;
After introductions (Rita Sherman APEC board president, Rich Blum VP; Irene Scheid Exec. Dir., Aline Euler Ed. Dir., Carlos Martinez, building and grounds, Tim Wenskus, NYC NRG and Dr. Andrew Kolodny)
and morning coffee we took off and spent the next few hours looking at everything that needs to be done to protect the preserve from the threat of invasive species; the primary invasives (wild rose, porcelain and bittersweet vines, garlic mustard and to some degree Phragmites) are as prevalent as ever and at the height of the growing season they look almost unstoppable;
If (hopefully 'when') grant money become available NRG would hire restoration crews to remove plants, spray the roots and then replant the forest line on the east side of the preserve so that the forest edge would approach the trailside; the amount of removal and planting is simply a matter of dollars and cents but care and sensitivity would matter a great deal; our own efforts are a bit different but aim at the same general goal;
Our work is more labor intensive and more continuous aiming to ‘set back’ the invasives significantly and to clear some areas entirely so that meadow grasses and low shrub grasslands can be added to the mix of ecosystems.
Getting the leaders to see the preserve first hand is always a good idea; we should do more along this line with political and community leaders too who have a stake in what we aim to accomplish.
APEC’s board leadership and key staff met with Tim Wenchus of NYC Natural Resource Group and also Dr. Andrew Kolodny a good friend, neighbor and supporter of the preserve to review plans for controlling invasive species on both side of Alley Creek; New York City Parks through the NRG is applying for grant support to do a major plant restoration project on the east bank of the preserve; we walked to view that proposed project and also to review how our own efforts would fit into the scope of that plan;
After introductions (Rita Sherman APEC board president, Rich Blum VP; Irene Scheid Exec. Dir., Aline Euler Ed. Dir., Carlos Martinez, building and grounds, Tim Wenskus, NYC NRG and Dr. Andrew Kolodny)
and morning coffee we took off and spent the next few hours looking at everything that needs to be done to protect the preserve from the threat of invasive species; the primary invasives (wild rose, porcelain and bittersweet vines, garlic mustard and to some degree Phragmites) are as prevalent as ever and at the height of the growing season they look almost unstoppable;
If (hopefully 'when') grant money become available NRG would hire restoration crews to remove plants, spray the roots and then replant the forest line on the east side of the preserve so that the forest edge would approach the trailside; the amount of removal and planting is simply a matter of dollars and cents but care and sensitivity would matter a great deal; our own efforts are a bit different but aim at the same general goal;
Our work is more labor intensive and more continuous aiming to ‘set back’ the invasives significantly and to clear some areas entirely so that meadow grasses and low shrub grasslands can be added to the mix of ecosystems.
Getting the leaders to see the preserve first hand is always a good idea; we should do more along this line with political and community leaders too who have a stake in what we aim to accomplish.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Alley Creek - the main stem of the preserve
I hope to get a couple of more field days in over the summer but considering the heat, humidity and our national bird - the mosquito, maybe I need to spend a bit more time writing about the ‘parts’ of the preserve. As with any great landscape this preserve has a multitude of component ‘parts’. The parts (landscape features) create a variety of habitat potentials in close proximity to one another. First and foremost this preserve sits in a great glacial valley. It sits between two relatively high and flat plateaus to the east and west and is bounded by relatively steep valley walls. The flat bottom of the valley was at one time filled, wall to wall, with extensive marshes all of which were drained by the central ‘tidal creek’ -Alley Creek.
The 20th century was not kind to this valley. Large areas of marsh were lost to heavy landfilling and the area was dissected by Northern Blvd. the Long Island Expressway the cross Island Parkway and the Long Island Railroad. Urban development sprawled across the plateaus and crowded to the edge of the marsh filled valley. All of these events are stories for another post because I right now I want to focus on the component parts that still remain. The greatest of these remaining landscape features is the ‘main stem’ of the whole preserve -Alley Creek.
Alley Creek is a ‘tidal creek’ or more correctly a ‘tidal estuary’. About 3500 feet of Alley Creek is within the preserve area but it continues another 3000 feet to the north where it empties into the other gem of this valley -Little Neck Bay. Anyone who is interested in what this actually looks like can get a great overview of this area using Google Earth.
The axis of Alley Creek physically bisects the preserve setting up an east and west bank. Freshwater from a multitude of sources flow into the head of the creek in the southern part of the preserve and make its way north until they encounter the tidal waters of Little Neck Bay. This sets up the intimate and complex mixing of fresh and salt water creating the classical ‘brackish’ water condition which defines our idea of ‘estuary’.
The tidal range in Little Neck Bay averages more than 7 feet (8.3 feet when the moon is full) and is one of the largest ranges from Massachusetts to Georgia on the east coast of the US). Each rising tide sends water into the wide mouth of Alley Creek and forces it upstream overwhelming the freshwater inflows for a few hours; then, on the outgoing (falling or ebb) tide, all this water (now well mixed) is released and rushes out into Little Neck Bay. Never missing a beat, twice each day, the tidal creek fills and empties creating a ‘pulsing exchange of water’. This is a wonderful effect and prevents any contaminants from accumulating to harmful levels.
The banks of the estuary are also heavily vegetated with high and low salt marshes and below the vegetation lines are extensive tidal mudflats. Technically, Alley Creek is a tidally dominated, partially stratified, semi-diurnal estuary that is tributary to the much larger estuaries of Little Neck Bay and Long Island Sound. That’s the technical view.
The 20th century was not kind to this valley. Large areas of marsh were lost to heavy landfilling and the area was dissected by Northern Blvd. the Long Island Expressway the cross Island Parkway and the Long Island Railroad. Urban development sprawled across the plateaus and crowded to the edge of the marsh filled valley. All of these events are stories for another post because I right now I want to focus on the component parts that still remain. The greatest of these remaining landscape features is the ‘main stem’ of the whole preserve -Alley Creek.
Alley Creek is a ‘tidal creek’ or more correctly a ‘tidal estuary’. About 3500 feet of Alley Creek is within the preserve area but it continues another 3000 feet to the north where it empties into the other gem of this valley -Little Neck Bay. Anyone who is interested in what this actually looks like can get a great overview of this area using Google Earth.
The axis of Alley Creek physically bisects the preserve setting up an east and west bank. Freshwater from a multitude of sources flow into the head of the creek in the southern part of the preserve and make its way north until they encounter the tidal waters of Little Neck Bay. This sets up the intimate and complex mixing of fresh and salt water creating the classical ‘brackish’ water condition which defines our idea of ‘estuary’.
The tidal range in Little Neck Bay averages more than 7 feet (8.3 feet when the moon is full) and is one of the largest ranges from Massachusetts to Georgia on the east coast of the US). Each rising tide sends water into the wide mouth of Alley Creek and forces it upstream overwhelming the freshwater inflows for a few hours; then, on the outgoing (falling or ebb) tide, all this water (now well mixed) is released and rushes out into Little Neck Bay. Never missing a beat, twice each day, the tidal creek fills and empties creating a ‘pulsing exchange of water’. This is a wonderful effect and prevents any contaminants from accumulating to harmful levels.
The banks of the estuary are also heavily vegetated with high and low salt marshes and below the vegetation lines are extensive tidal mudflats. Technically, Alley Creek is a tidally dominated, partially stratified, semi-diurnal estuary that is tributary to the much larger estuaries of Little Neck Bay and Long Island Sound. That’s the technical view.
To those of us who love it and who paddle its waters at high tide and to the thousands of creatures that come and go and make it their home, Alley Creek is the ‘main stem’.
It is the connective tissue that defines and holds this great valley together.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Annual APEC BBQ
Thursday night June 10.
I hosted the annual APEC BBQ at the center for members and friends; chance of rain may have kept the number down just a bit but we did still get to serve upwards of 70 of our supporters in the annual BBQ event; the early evening was actually a wonderful night with just a very brief ‘sun shower’. We had a great lineup of cooks from the board of directors including John, Rich and Patty and lots of other board helpers serving food and drinks, cutting watermelon, meeting and greeting and helping with all sorts of things; special thanks to Gloria, the new queen of the salad, for adding a new dimension to the menu;
Several of the political supporters turned out to say hello including our long time supporter and friend State Senator Padavan and our newest Assemblyman David Weprin and our former councilman Tony Avella. No speeches this night; everyone just checked their politics at the door and enjoyed the food and good company.
Best part of the night for me is to see our staff members, board members, good friends and neighbors all together sharing this great park space; as far as I'm concerned nothing could be finer than this ‘sense of community’ in the great outdoors; I didn’t get a picture from this year’s BBQ but I did have a couple from years past so here they are. Thanks again for a great evening.
I hosted the annual APEC BBQ at the center for members and friends; chance of rain may have kept the number down just a bit but we did still get to serve upwards of 70 of our supporters in the annual BBQ event; the early evening was actually a wonderful night with just a very brief ‘sun shower’. We had a great lineup of cooks from the board of directors including John, Rich and Patty and lots of other board helpers serving food and drinks, cutting watermelon, meeting and greeting and helping with all sorts of things; special thanks to Gloria, the new queen of the salad, for adding a new dimension to the menu;
Several of the political supporters turned out to say hello including our long time supporter and friend State Senator Padavan and our newest Assemblyman David Weprin and our former councilman Tony Avella. No speeches this night; everyone just checked their politics at the door and enjoyed the food and good company.
Best part of the night for me is to see our staff members, board members, good friends and neighbors all together sharing this great park space; as far as I'm concerned nothing could be finer than this ‘sense of community’ in the great outdoors; I didn’t get a picture from this year’s BBQ but I did have a couple from years past so here they are. Thanks again for a great evening.
Friday, June 4, 2010
A FIELD WORK GIFT
Yesterday (6-3-2010) I had the chance to do a couple of hours of field work in the preserve right after work; of course all day long the weather seers were predicting strong afternoon thunderstorms; all the signs were right for HIGH WINDS, lightning and thunder, hail, downpours and anything else that might fall from the sky; all day it looked like a sure washout but they were both right and wrong. It rained on Long Island, it rained in NJ, it rained in CT but for whatever reason it never did rain in Queens! I lost no time right after working making my way out into the preserve and making the most of my good luck.
Not being out in the distant parts of the preserve for a couple of weeks, I mostly wanted to see how our hard work had held up and how things looked in early June; I also had a couple of loose ends to tie up and wanted to nail together some of the loose building materials we had left at a couple of locations; I didn’t need much more than hammer and nails and a some shears to do some light pruning near the spring.
Our efforts from last year really make a difference in trail access; I had no trouble at all following the way and the trails were in great shape; wild rose, poison ivy and the ever present porcelain berry are growing back strongly but that’s their way and we will always have to stay ahead of them at least near the trails sides;
The planking that I had to nail together only took about 40 minutes; by the time I was finished I was drenched not with rain but with my own sweat. Working alone, at dusk, at my own pace and not having to play the leader was an interesting shift for me. I like hard physical work and being out in the preserve, alone with only my own thoughts as company, is something I haven’t done in a long time, Time to work, time to think, time to feel, - it felt like a rare and precious gift.
After the heavy work I moved quickly through the rest of the trail aiming to get to the spring and make sure it would still be accessible. The Phragmites which are heavy in that area grow back so fast that I was afraid it would begin to close up again. As I round the last trail turn to the spring I came across a recent ‘marsh burn’ in the heaviest section of Phragmites; it was a moderate size burn - not like the 100 acre burn from a few years ago- but it was very noticeable; my guess is that it is between 1 and 2 acres and it burned from trail side into the wet marsh where it must have died out with no where to go; It actually cleared the both banks of a small stream that flows into the headwater of Alley Creek.
Nothing much I could do about this location right now but it got me to thinking that this might be the opportunity to try to recover some of this area before the Phragmites completely regrows; it is quite easy to cut the stems as they grow back from the massive root system. Phragmites only grows from April to July and then they normally stop growing (up) and spend the rest of the growing season building up underground reserves for the next season. . I wonder how the area would respond to some strategic cutting this month and next and to some seeding with meadow grasses and young trees?
The sun was just starting to set. It was ducking below the high tree line on the west valley wall. The mosquitoes noticed it before I did but as they reminded me I called it a day. My few hours in the preserve, alone with my thoughts and with urban nature, were a gift from the weather gods who passed by without looking down. When I got home I said thank you for this gift and I didn’t forget to water the garden late that night.
Not being out in the distant parts of the preserve for a couple of weeks, I mostly wanted to see how our hard work had held up and how things looked in early June; I also had a couple of loose ends to tie up and wanted to nail together some of the loose building materials we had left at a couple of locations; I didn’t need much more than hammer and nails and a some shears to do some light pruning near the spring.
Our efforts from last year really make a difference in trail access; I had no trouble at all following the way and the trails were in great shape; wild rose, poison ivy and the ever present porcelain berry are growing back strongly but that’s their way and we will always have to stay ahead of them at least near the trails sides;
The planking that I had to nail together only took about 40 minutes; by the time I was finished I was drenched not with rain but with my own sweat. Working alone, at dusk, at my own pace and not having to play the leader was an interesting shift for me. I like hard physical work and being out in the preserve, alone with only my own thoughts as company, is something I haven’t done in a long time, Time to work, time to think, time to feel, - it felt like a rare and precious gift.
After the heavy work I moved quickly through the rest of the trail aiming to get to the spring and make sure it would still be accessible. The Phragmites which are heavy in that area grow back so fast that I was afraid it would begin to close up again. As I round the last trail turn to the spring I came across a recent ‘marsh burn’ in the heaviest section of Phragmites; it was a moderate size burn - not like the 100 acre burn from a few years ago- but it was very noticeable; my guess is that it is between 1 and 2 acres and it burned from trail side into the wet marsh where it must have died out with no where to go; It actually cleared the both banks of a small stream that flows into the headwater of Alley Creek.
Nothing much I could do about this location right now but it got me to thinking that this might be the opportunity to try to recover some of this area before the Phragmites completely regrows; it is quite easy to cut the stems as they grow back from the massive root system. Phragmites only grows from April to July and then they normally stop growing (up) and spend the rest of the growing season building up underground reserves for the next season. . I wonder how the area would respond to some strategic cutting this month and next and to some seeding with meadow grasses and young trees?
The sun was just starting to set. It was ducking below the high tree line on the west valley wall. The mosquitoes noticed it before I did but as they reminded me I called it a day. My few hours in the preserve, alone with my thoughts and with urban nature, were a gift from the weather gods who passed by without looking down. When I got home I said thank you for this gift and I didn’t forget to water the garden late that night.
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