Stream Corridor Restoration

I have taken on a long-term project, probably longer term than this blog. I am going to watch over the restoration of a small stretch of stream bank at the Village Elementary School (VES) in Montgomery Township (first two photos).

I got the idea from an expert who has consulted on managing Montgomery's Open Space. Her name is Leslie Sauer, and she has written a very interesting book about restoring native landscapes called "The Once and Future Forest." She suggested that all the streambanks in Skillman Village should be restored, and since other parts of the site may be developed or changed, she suggested we start with the VES. My husband was there when she made the suggestion, and he passed it on to Mr. Al Hadinger, the vice principal, who liked the idea. Mr. Hadinger found a girl scout troop that was interested in a project and we got together. They planted some native plants along the edge of the stream last spring, including bee balm (third photo), and now that area is not mowed, so the plants can grow. As the roots get stronger, they can hold the soil and soak up the rainwater, cleaning pollutants out of the runoff and infiltrating the rain into the groundwater. They also provide food for birds and butterflies.

This summer Lauren Wasilauski, the Township's Open Space Coordinator, put me in touch with Alyssa Gartenberg, a Montgomery High School student is wanted to do a Girl Scout Gold Award project. She decided to create a rain garden, and since the Village School stream corridor is very similar to a rain garden but a different shape, she was interested. She has been busy getting permission from the Village School, the Board of Education, and the Girl Scouts. Alyssa is almost ready to plant, and is now buying the plants that her research has indicated would be right for the stream corridor. I am also donating some native plants that I dug up from my yard.

Recently my friend Marie offered me some of her Liatris spicata. I know Marie because we both love English and American country dancing. The American dancing we do is mostly contra dance, and it is so much fun. It has evolved over the generations so that almost any able-bodied adult who can find the beat of the music (and even many who can't) can do this dancing. Like square dancing, there are callers, and at our weekly dance in Princeton, every dance is taught. There is always live music, which sounds a lot like traditional Irish music, and it makes you want to dance! English country dancing is less vigorous and more graceful, and the music is more like the composer Purcell. You've seen English country dancing if you've ever seen a film of a Jane Austen novel. You can probably find Purcell's music and contra dance and English country dance on the internet if you search. I think anything that has been around that long must be sustainable.

Marie is a great dancer, and it turns out that she is a great gardener, too. She lives near the Millstone River and is concerned about the effect that runoff from lawns has on flooding and water quality. One solution: more trees and gardens, less lawn. Marie has been planting lots of native plants in her yard, though she also has other plants. Now her gardens attract hummingbirds, butterflies and goldfinches. Liatris, also known as gayfeather, is a native plant here in Somerset County, with three-foot tall wands of lavender flowers. Marie's has spread, and now she wants to give some away. Today I was on my hands and knees on her front walk digging out Liatris. After a while I gave up and just cut the dried flower heads off the flowers so I can scatter them at the Village School, and she won't get so many new ones next year. I am going back tomorrow to get more. I wish I had some photos that do them justice, but they finished blooming months ago. She also gave me some purple coneflowers, though she doesn't have too many of them; she's just being generous. Thank you, Marie!

Marie also recommended a book that she knew I'd be interested in. It is called "Nature's Second Chance: Restoring the Ecology of Stone Prairie Farm," by Steven I. Apfelbaum. I would like to recommend it to you, too. It tells the story of the author, a restoration ecologist, and how he has restored the farm he bought in 1981 at age 26 and has been working on ever since. The prairie is a different ecosystem than we have around here, which is interesting to learn about, but they have many of the same issues we have. I don't have as many years to work on the Village School stream corridor as Steven Apfelbaum has had to work on his farm, but I'll stick with it as long as I can.