NATIVE AREAS DATA BY NUMBERED SECTIONS WITH MAP
Area 10:
Flood Plain
Work Started:
1997
Preexisting conditions:
Some thick Buckthorn patches. Large expanses of Garlic Mustard. Some nice native plant colonies, however, they are changing or disappearing due to changing river and flooding patterns. Virginia Bluebells are disapearing from area.
Work done:
Trees:
(1997) Cut Buckthorn.
(1997) Riverbank project – Thinned native trees along riverbank- Silver and Sugar Maples, Box Elder.
(1999-2003) Wired fifty plus oaks, Hackberry etc. to protect against beavers.
(2003) Cut and herbicided young Buckthorns and Mulberry.
Shrubs:
None
Vines:
(1997) Cut Poison Ivy Vines and some grapes.
Some Cat's Briers present.
Plants:
(1997) Planted along mouth of drainage stream – Obedient Plants, and Sneezeweed.
(1997) Contractors planted sedges and rushes along riverbank - all drowned out.
(1997) Along Southeast slope terracing – Planted Virginia Waterleaf,
(1997) Students- Greenhouse grasses grown-Planted Virginia Rye, Bottlebrush grass, Silky Rye along Southeast slope.
Seeds:
(1997) Forbs along mouth of stream. Seeded in cracks when the soil dried out.
(1997) Along terracing – Southeast slope (adjacent to Area 14). Forbs and grasses.
Weeds:
(1997) Garlic Mustard, Creeping Charlie, Reed Canary grass, Canada Thistle, Stinging Nettle.
(2002-2004) Garlic Mustard, Creeping Charlie and Canada Thistle still bad (some of the worst on campus).
Burn:
None
Other:
(1997) Students cut back a large amount of Buckthorn.
(1997) Wired mature Oaks, Hackberry, Elm, Hawthorn, Silver Maple from beavers.
(1999) Terracing along Southestern slope. This has worked well to hold the soil for plant growth.
(1999) Completed Sugar Maple harvest. Worked
( 2004) A lot of the terracing is rotting in place, as intended.
Southern 2/3 of area does have some nice vegetation along riverbank.
There are some nice Hackberries and Oaks.
Terracing adjacent to Area 14 doing very well. Has slowed erosion greatly. At least two more years left for logs.
Negative:
Relatively low diversity because of river inundations.
A lot of herbaceous weeds.
Central and Northern slopes (adjacent to Area 11) barren of vegetation.
(2003-2004) Still a lot of weeds, mostly Garlic Mustard and Creeping Charlie.
Work to Do: |
Work Completed: |
| Cut Buckthorns | Cut Buckthorns (2003-2004) |
| Thin Silver and Sugar Maples, Box Elder | Thinned Silver and Sugar Maples, Box Elder(2003-2004) |
| Terrace Central and Northern slopes (adjacent to Area 11) | Terrace Central and Northern slopes (adjacent to Area 11) (2003-2004) |
| Burn | Burned (2003-2004) |
| Seed | Seeded (2003-2004) |
| Rewire trees against beavers | Rewired trees against beavers (2003-2004) |
| Weed Control | Control weeds (2003-2004) |
Comments:
Northern section by Central has not been worked on. Very degraded.
(2003-2004) The failed IEPA Riverbank project of vegetation along river's edge has one good result. A tough netting was place over the plants to keep geese and muskrats from eating them. This netting is still there, helping to hold the eroding soil in place so that plants can take hold.
