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Watershed: Coast Fork Willamette River
Sub-Watershed: Row River
2008
Project Goals:
- Enhance native vegetation by removing noxious weeds and
planting tall trees (improve canopy species?)
- Make structural improvements to existing ponds for Western
pond turtles and other native species: slope banks, add fill as
necessary, create nesting mounds or manage vegetation for
nesting, add additional basking logs.
- Maintain and enhance diverse plantings for cover/forage for
migrating song birds and others.
Project Team Members:
- Amanda Ferguson, City of Cottage Grove Planner
- Rob Cox, USFS Wildlife Biologist
- Pam Reber, Coast Fork Coordinator/Project Manager
- Alison Center, Coast Fork Turtle Expert
- Stefan Aumack, Kennedy High School
Instructor/Conservation Corps Lead
Natural Resource Monitoring:
- Photo monitoring at ALL work sites—identify photo mgmt lead
that can have electronic copies available for final report, send
duplicates to CFWWC.
- Western pond turtle tracking and visual monitoring during
May & June
- Western pond turtle nest monitoring late June through
mid-August
- Depth assessment of 3 ponds—and fluctuation correlated to
dam releases.
Volunteer Opportunities:
- Tree protection (from beaver) work parties at both ERP and
Garden Lake (Rob and Pam)
- Kiosk built & ready to be installed at ERP (CFWWC
volunteers/STEP grant)
- Turtle Monitoring: Training & monitoring begins May 3rd at
11:30am.
- Adopt the East Regional Park! Become a team leader for work
parties, including one on May 17th!
- Help decorate the kiosk with natural resource information
displays.
Project Plan:
Noxious Weed Removal:
- Dense stands of blackberry: mechanical removal on __acres;
followed by grubbing.
- Understory infestation of blackberry, Scot’s broom & English
ivy: manual removal on ___ acres (cutting & grubbing)
- Steep banks: cut down, add ~ 3’ of fill (with barrier?) to
suppress
- Maintenance removal: retreat areas by cutting and grubbing
- Mowing/brush cutting of reed canary grass
- Inventory & develop management strategies for other noxious
species in park
- Assess presence/absence of Japanese knotweed, meadow
knapweed, other priority weeds.
- Identify & monitor noxious weeds in ponds
- Decide whether to target more benign species like choke
cherry, holly, etc.
Native plantings:
- Follow all removal by native plantings at density
appropriate to area
o Mature canopy: protect edges with shade plantings.
o Immature canopy: add canopy species, especially in deep
soil areas
o No canopy: add species particular to soil/moisture
condition
- Structural improvement to riparian condition of ponds:
- The steep banks left by historic mining are topsoil
limited, vegetation impaired and difficult for terrestrial
wildlife to maneuver
.Western pond turtle habitat
o NESTING:
- Develop maintenance plan for areas identified to
date
- Identify & manage other areas in the park
- Monitor nesting behavior and areas.
o BASKING:
- Add additional basking logs
- Replace basking logs installed previously
Bird habitat
o Enhance & Maintain good habitat for a diversity of bird
species.
- Migrating song birds: maintain good cover & forage
in areas of use per species: add diverse food species in
plantings.
- Waterfowl—add nesting boxes in key areas
- Herons—retain remote nature in key areas
- Cormorants—canopy limitations are limiting this
species using the park.
- Raptors—retain some open areas and diversify the
vegetation.
- Woodpeckers—retain remote nature in key areas
Project
Area This is a large 1.2 MB pdf file. (zoomable
aerial view.) Restoration and Management
Objectives:
* REDUCE NON NATIVE VEGETATION; INCREASE NATIVE FOREST & SHRUBS
* IMPROVE WESTERN POND TURTLE HABITAT
REDUCE NON NATIVE VEGETATION; INCREASE NATIVE FOREST & SHRUBS
Target species for removal and the target % reduction:
* Blackberry: 85%
* English ivy: 95%
* Scot's Broom: 100%
* Reed Canary grass: 40%
* Yellow flag iris: 95%
Target species for planting:
Floodplain forest (Areas 1-3, 5):
* Big-leaf maple
* Snowberry
* Red-osier dogwood
* Ninebark
* Elderberry
* Ash
* Red Alder
* Osoberry/ Indian Plum
* Cow parsnip
* Carex & Juncus spp.
* Red-flowering currant
* Cottonwood
Shrub-scrub zones (Area 4):
* Willow (Scouler's, Pacific)
* Red Alder
* Black cottonwood (Poplar)
* Spirea
* Ash
* Oregon white oak
* Nutka rose
* Black Hawthorn
* Carex & Juncus spp.
Open grassy transition/disturbed areas:
* Native forb & grass mix featuring: riverbank lupine, blue wild
rye, California brome, California oatgrass, and others.
WHY? What will be the result?
1. Diversify the variety of species present on site. Many non-native
species aggressively form large monoculture stands. Such stands of a
single species no longer have the horizontal patchiness or vertical
diversity of height to provide for a diversity of wildlife
inhabitants. A significant step in achieving a diversity of plant
and animal species in the East Regional Park is the replacement of
the non-native plant species that now occupy much of the area with
diverse native plantings.
2. Create a diversity of habitat structure to attract and provide
for diverse flora and fauna. Various habitat niches are provided in
part by vertical and horizontal heterogeneity of structural
components.
* A variety of niches are provided vertically by different canopy
layers such as overstory trees, understory trees and shrubs, and
ground covers. Horizontal heterogeneity also contributes
significantly to diverse habitats. Horizontal diversity is provided
by patchiness of plant species.
* Habitat structure is provided by vegetation; canopy trees,
understory trees and shrubs, and native grasses and forbs. It is
also provided by downed logs, snags, rocks, etc...
3. Increase SHADE on waterways to reduce temperature pollution--high
water temperatures result in LOWER DISSOLVED OXYGEN levels for fish
and aquatic species.
4. Increase SHADE on native forest & shrub areas to reduce
competition--many native plants are shade loving while many
invasives thrive in full sun. We seek to create shade and
competition in the transition zones so that our vegetation
enhancement work will last into the future.
IMPROVE WESTERN POND TURTLE HABITAT
* Increase number of basking logs--place 40 logs as individual
structures and complexes.
* Slope banks to create a more natural condition where possible.
Completed Work:
Removal/planting on 2+ acres of the site has occurred to date. This
work was led by the US Forest Service in cooperation with the City
of Cottage Grove. |
