Successful Applicant:
Kensington North Watersheds Association
Award:
$9,800
Project Title:
Diversification and Improved Habitat in Three Watersheds
Project Summary:
Through funding from WCF, Kensington North worked in three watersheds along our North shore: Cousins Pond, Branders Pond, and Paynters Creek, to diversify and improve wildlife habitat. The goals of this project were to:
Remove fallen trees from Hurricane Dorian and perform routine stream maintenance activities
Plant native trees as required
Remove invasive species within these watersheds
Maintain sediment traps
Perform survey of Cousins Pond
Begin water quality sampling routine
Perform tree maintenance on previous plantings
Participate in Living Laboratories Initiative
We were able to complete most of our gals, including clearing fallen trees with chainsaws and handsaws, completing stream restoration work and removing blockages and other debris causing issues in our streams. We identified an area with prolific glossy buckthorn growth, and managed this invasive through manual cutting and pulling of plants. A sediment trap along the main branch of Cousins Pond was emptied, water monitoring occurred four times throughout the project duration to collect baseline information, and we participated in Living Labs for the second year.
These activities benefit wildlife both in streams and on land in a variety of ways. Through the clearing of blockages and debris, fish passage in improved so that fish can access more habitat throughout the systems. Routine maintenance of our sediment traps removes excess sediment from these systems, improving spawning habitat for fish. Also, participation in Living Labs initiative is facilitating research which will lead to reduced harmful inputs in waterways, which will ultimately benefit the wildlife that use these systems. The collection of baseline water quality data will help us identify any issues occurring in our water, and also provided information to compare against in the future. Finally, the removal of invasive plants provides new areas for native plants to grow, which will provide food and shelter to terrestrial wildlife.