SNP Restoration Efforts
Past Mitigation Work
Bulldozers and backhoes are not a familiar sight on the Preserve.
Several pieces of heavy equipment were used in an effort to complete mitigation and restoration projects on the Preserve. The Army Corps of Engineers approved projects included:
The Wallin Farm mitigation project involved re-grading two disturbed mitigations; this project began in 2002. After hydro-seeding and a little moisture, the finished work will allow surface water from snow melt, rain, and storm drainage to find their natural flow patterns of years ago. As a result, the wetlands can be more efficiently maintained and preserved. In the summer of 2005, engineers took water readings to determine if the wetlands were functioning adequately.
The Jarman parcel mitigation project included filling in unnecessary ditches and establishing the grading to support natural wetlands similar to the Wallin Farm project. Jarman mitigation was completed in October 2004 and engineers will be visiting the site this summer to determine if the restoration was a success.
The third project is to restore 533 acres of land included in a conservation easement under the Wetland Reserve Program. The work was initiated in 2002 and included filling in ditches, drainages, dikes, and canals that were used for grazing and ranching many years ago. Working in conjunction with the Natural Resources Conservation District and Ducks Unlimited, three frog basins and three larger bodies of water were engineered and constructed in 2004. The repatriation of the Columbia spotted frog took place within the three smaller basins. The three larger bodies of water now host migrating water fowl, nesting blue heron, and nesting sandhill crane. Additionally, 4,500 individual plants were planted around these larger bodies of water to provide nourishment and habitat for wetland animals.
Sandhill cranes photographed by Mike Flaherty
|
