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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
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. |
