Busy Start to Winter in the Tryon Creek Watershed
As the days have grown darker and the ground wetter, our volunteers at TCWC have still been active and taking advantage of the wetter conditions to plant natives and pull ivy.
Deer-Coyote Planting with Renaissance Academy
On November 23, we hosted a work party on National Family Volunteering Day with the Renaissance Academy of Arts and Sciences. A group of 9 students in the school’s environmental science class came out with their parents to plant natives at the confluence of Deer and Coyote Creek. If you remember, volunteers removed invasives at this site in September as part of the SOLVE Beach and Riverside Clean Up Event so it was in need of natives to help retain soil where we had pulled ivy and periwinkle.
The students had been learning about watersheds, invasive species, and native species in their class so they enjoyed seeing the concepts they had been learning applied throughout the service day. They each got to select their very own Oregon grape and choose where to plant it.
Aside from the Oregon grape, they also planted a nice variety of cedar, Indian plum, wahoo, and fringe cup. They planted a total of 45 natives, which certainly made the riparian habitat look more robust.
After the work party, the landowners of the site, Mike and Marilyn Duffield, hosted the families in their home and provided a delicious array of snacks! It was great to have the opportunity for landowners and volunteers to meet each other. Overall, the students and the families walked away with a better understanding of how riparian habitats affect bodies of water and what they can do to be better stewards to their own watershed.
Ivy Pull at Tryon Creek State Natural Area Adopt-A-Plot
We also hosted a work party on December 7 at TCWC’s Adopt-A-Plot in Tryon Creek State Natural Area. TCWC has maintained this plot for several years and it spans between the High Bridge and Obie Bridge. We had a great turnout of 17 volunteers, including Torrey and Sharon from our board!
Our volutneers searched meticulously for small patches of ivy that were beginning to encroach on the plot. Since the area has been maintained for so many years, there is hardly any ivy, but it is important to do routine maintenance to make sure it does not return. Our group spread out and was able to cover the entire plot by the end of the afternoon, which will hopefully keep the ivy at bay for the next year or so. Big thank you to Carl Axelsen for organizing, leading, and donating refreshments to the work party!
