http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler stories of landscapes, conservation, and people in and beyond the Rivanna Watershed Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:11:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 © lmiddleton@embarqmail.com () lmiddleton@embarqmail.com() stories of landscapes, conservation, and people in and beyond the Rivanna Watershed lmiddleton@embarqmail.com No no http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpg http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler 144 144 http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/08/14/98-the-restoration-of-meadow-creek/ http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/08/14/98-the-restoration-of-meadow-creek/#comments Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:49:25 +0000 admin http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/08/14/98-the-restoration-of-meadow-creek/ http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/08/14/98-the-restoration-of-meadow-creek/feed/ 0 00:01:01 August 14, 2008 One of the most degraded streams in Charlottesville, Meadow Creek, will get a major restoration in 2009 when The Nature Conservancy ... August 14, 2008 One of the most degraded streams in Charlottesville, Meadow Creek, will get a major restoration in 2009 when The Nature Conservancy along with its partners rebuild and restore 7000 feet between the City and County.nbsp; This show originally aired in August 14, 2008 on ldquo;The Rivanna Rambler,rdquo; a weekly public affairs show airing every Thursday at 11:55 a.m. on WTJU 91.1 FM or wtju.net You know something is not right when you walk up to the edge of MeadowCreek behind Kmart off Hydraulic Road. The bank drops down vertically to the stream bottom where a small flow trickles over the rocks. You are not sure how close you can get because looking upstream, you can see places where high water flow from storms has tunneled into the bank leaving just a flap of grass, hinged and drooping over the edge like the unruly bangs of a boy overdue for a haircut. And you've seen this kinds of washed-out bank everywhere in the watershed, and especially as you walk along the Rivanna Trails encircling Charlottesville. For years, you may have said to yourself, this canrsquo;t be right, all this dirt eroding away, headed downstream in a brown muddy mess. But how do you ever go about fixing something like this? And can it even BE fixed? Well it turns out that it can ndash; or so a growing number of resource managers think ndash; and for the last decade or so, there has been a learning curve as steep as these banks in developing the science and art of restoring streams. On this warm sunny afternoon, I'm learning about one project in the planning stages that will hopefully bring a mile and a quarter of Meadow Creek back in to equilibrium with its banks. This restoration project being undertaken by The Nature Conservancy will involve physically rebuilding the shape of the river and carefully placing structures and planting new vegetation, so that the creek should be able to withstand the damaging flows that wash down from its watershed. And what a watershed it is! This section of Meadow Creek gathers the rain and runoff from the University below O-Hill, the stadium area, Barracks Road Shopping Center, the Giant Shopping Center, and small subdivisions flanking 29 North. Flattened and paved, it is mostly roofs and roads, asphalt and houses and lawns ndash; all the man-made surfaces that discourage the slow infiltration of rain into the earth that is necessary for refreshing groundwater -- and that reduces the volume and velocity of water from storms that are the engine of erosion. About the only good thing about all this upstream development is that there are not a lot of remaining opportunities to cut trees and further harden the earth with pavement ndash; but even so, any restoration project has to take in to account the likely upstream changes, such as the soon- or sometime-to-be-built Albemarle Place. Walking along the streams margin, I learn more about the Meadow Creek Stream Restoration project from Diane Frisbee of The Nature Conservancy and her colleague, Dan Sweet, a stream restoration specialist who has helped define the segments most in need of help and will be involved in designing the new channel and creating pools and riffles ndash; building back in the curves and dips that slow the flow and create healthy habitat for the bottom of the aquatic foodchain that is presently overwhelmed by sediment-laden run-off. Diane explains that this project is being funded by the Virginia Aquatic Resources Trust Fund ndash; one of the mechanisms used in Virginia to ensure the "no-net-loss of wetlands" requirement of the Clean Water Act. When site development impacts wetlands, and there are no practical means of avoiding or mitigating this loss on the site, the developer may have the option to pay in to the Trust Fund to compensate for wetland loss -- and this money can be used elsewhere in the State to restore important but degraded wetlands and segments of impaired streams. It is bitters... Albemarle,County,,Charlottesville,,Chesapeake,Bay,,Geology,,Meadowcreek,,Stormwater,,Water,Quality,,Wetlands lmiddleton@embarqmail.com no No http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/07/03/93-gannetts/ http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/07/03/93-gannetts/#comments Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:15:23 +0000 admin http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/07/03/93-gannetts/ http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/07/03/93-gannetts/feed/ 0 00:01:01 July 3, 2008 This show originally aired in April 25, 2007 and then again on July 3, 2008 on ldquo;The Rivanna Rambler,rdquo; a weekly public affairs ... July 3, 2008 This show originally aired in April 25, 2007 and then again on July 3, 2008 on ldquo;The Rivanna Rambler,rdquo; a weekly public affairs show airing every Thursday at 11:55 a.m. on WTJU 91.1 FM or wtju.net On a sunny Sunday in April, we finally cast the lines off the boat and leave for a trial run to the Potomac after a long marina-bound winter. With a sweet 12 knot breeze out of the east, we are soon under sail skipping across the Potomac from Virginia to Maryland. The river is mostly empty of boats, a few April adventurers and other folks who know that this can be one of the best times on the Chesapeake and her rivers. And we have other company, too. In the distance, the dive and plunge of birds, repeated again and again, catches my attention. Instinct suggests, and my binoculars confirm, that I am seeing Northern Gannets flocking and fishing. I know these birds from my time working on the ocean, where I saw great numbers, along with thousands of other pelagic birds. Itrsquo;s a striking bird, white with sharp black wingtips, and a white head with a slight buff the color of butter. Once yoursquo;ve seen one, yoursquo;ll know it forever. Strong, large, with a n adult wingspan of over 6 feet, these birds are build to dive, and can be distinguished from ospreys who enter the water chest first. Gannetts, on the other hand, descend in a dive that remains committed to the end. During the descent, their wings are drawn alongside, bent back like a trussed chicken, so that right before impact the bird has the shape of missile. They enter the water with considerable speed and force but have a strong skull that is built for this kind of diving, and a system of air sacs to help absorb the shock of these plunges. The Northern Gannet only comes ashore to nest, on our side of the Atlantic in the Canadian provinces and Newfoundland. They will winter as far south as Virginia but are usually found offshore. I am surprised to see them on the Potomac, but it is April, and in the animal and avian kingdoms, everything that can, is moving, migrating, and making families. The shad are running, the herring are with them, and therersquo;s evidently good food to be had in the Potomac. We see over 50 birds, in various groupings, as they scout the surface, hover, then dive. Sometimes, they fly by, ten yards away at the level of our hull, barely skimming the surface, as they do at sea. Seeing these birds, evidently fueling up for their migration northward, gets me thinking about the whole phenomenon of migration. Birds migrating from south to north, shad and herring running upriver to spawn, the improbable journey thousands of miles of certain butterflies. And then there are the human forms of migration. Our very distant ancestors followed the seasons and the food when necessary. Native Americans from the Piedmont traveled to summer fishing camps along our major rivers to intercept shad and herring coming upstream. But the satisfaction of our need for food and shelter in the modern world is vastly removed from the necessities of harvesting fish or animals on the move. When we, or our food, travels the distance ndash; like trawlers steaming to distant fishing grounds or ttrucks moving our fair weather food crops from Florida or California to eastern markets -- we have the luxury ndash; and some would say, curse ndash; of having fossil fuels and machinery that makes this kind of travel commonplace and indeed necessary to support the so-called global market. And we humans have found our own modern forms of migration. For food, we make the daily trip to the grocery store and the weekend jaunt for recreation, like my trip down here to sail on the Potomac. We travel to distant schools and colleges. We are ldquo;snowbirds,rdquo; wintering in Florida to escape the harsh northern winter climes. Fossil fuels make all this possible, but we now know that perhaps, we may need to start making other arrangements. And mayb... Chesapeake,Bay,,Ecology,,Natural,History,,Wildlife lmiddleton@embarqmail.com no No http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/05/22/89-the-dragon/ http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/05/22/89-the-dragon/#comments Thu, 22 May 2008 20:20:56 +0000 admin http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/05/22/89-the-dragon/ http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/05/22/89-the-dragon/feed/ 0 http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/01/17/73-snow-salt-and-streams/ http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/01/17/73-snow-salt-and-streams/#comments Fri, 18 Jan 2008 01:15:50 +0000 admin http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/01/17/73-snow-salt-and-streams/ http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/01/17/73-snow-salt-and-streams/feed/ 0 00:01:01 The area's first significant snowfall brings needed moisture and the use of salt to keep our roads clear. But the accumulation of sodium chloride as ... The area's first significant snowfall brings needed moisture and the use of salt to keep our roads clear. But the accumulation of sodium chloride as runoff from roads and other impervious surfaces degrades habitat in streams and along roadways.nbsp; This show originally aired on January 17, 2008 on ldquo;The Rivanna Rambler,rdquo; a weekly public affairs show airing every Thursday at 11:55 a.m. on WTJU 91.1 FM or wtju.net. As I emerged earlier this morning to put the trash and recycling on the street, the robins roosting in bushes along side the house erupted in a worried flush. They were late to emerge, having slept in, still awaiting the trigger of daylight that was coming reluctantly on this gray and cold morning heavy with the moisture and a prediction snowfall. At the street, the road was a blotchy white where Public Works trucks had made their first pass spreading salt in anticipation of the accumulation. Salt melts the bond between the road surface and the ice or snow, making it easier to remove by shovel or plow and has been in widespread use since the 1970rsquo;s. But sodium chloride is not good for plants that flank the roads and driveways, as New Englanders learned in the 1950rsquo;s. Damage to roadside sugar maples, which are do not tolerate salt, gave rise to concerns. Evidence of contaminated wells soon followed, as well as corrosion to automobile under parts, highway structures and concrete in bridges and other surfaces. Since then, highway departments and public utilities have used a variety of methods to reduce the use of salt, ranging from sophisticated road weather information systems to calibrated application procedures, training of personnel, and alternative deicing chemicals. But for the most part, salt is still used, however sparingly and now there is evidence from the University of Maryland of the long term and seasonal effects: our streams are becoming more salty and, as one might expect, this is not good for the health of aquatic life. The chloride component of road salt is extremely soluble in water ndash; thus, once itrsquo;s in the watershed, itrsquo;s there for good, free to move through surface and ground waters. High levels of salt are frequently measured in roadside soils, 50 even 100 feet from the road. Salt-tolerant plants such as cattails and the highly invasive Phragmites have largely taken over-taken the fresh-water wetland flora in roadside swales. Thus, de-icers that cntain sodium chloride may pose one of the most significant threats to freshwater ecosystems in the northeastern United States. The long-term presence of salt in freshwater streams has risen dramatically over the last 30 years, with the highest salinity occurring in the watersheds that have the most roads and parking lots, where infiltration is limited by these impervious surfaces. Worse still, the salinity levels donrsquo;t just rise in the winter -- they stay high year round: summer levels in urban areas can be over 100 times higher than those in forested areas. Sujay Kaushal, a researcher at the University of MD, puts it this way: ldquo;Human development has a profound effect on salinity. We need to think about runoff from roads and where we place roads and parking lots. Do we really want them near our headwater areas or places that supply public drinking water?rdquo; The City of Charlottesville tested calcium magnesium acetate, an alternative to sodium chloride touted for its stream-friendliness, but it was found to be less than effective in assisting snow removal. Today, the trucks have spread a mixture of road salt and a milky white compound called Magic Minus Zero,ndash; a biodegradable non-toxic compound of magnesium chloride that binds to the crystals of salt and is claimed by the manufacturer to render the salt more effective, thus reducing the amount needed. We so need this snow to help sustain our reserves in reservoirs and wells and to feed the cold, parched earth in ou... Charlottesville,,Chesapeake,Bay,,Ecology,,Water,Quality lmiddleton@embarqmail.com no No