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Wilson Creek meanders through a
valley after being restored to its more original course.
“We are restoring it to
a healthy stage where it is dynamically stable.” Adam
Dattilo, a UK College of Agriculture graduate overseeing revegetation of the
site
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By Laura Skillman
CLERMONT, Ky. - (Nov. 12, 2003) – Wilson Creek meanders through a valley in
Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest much as it did before European settlers
came to the area. But between then and today, the stream had taken a different
course.
Sometime in the past, the stream channel had been realigned into a much
straighter line, perhaps to allow for farming or homesteads. This change
resulted in a degraded stream channel that had cut to bedrock and acted much
like a drainage ditch swiftly moving water through the watershed without time
for sediment to settle and impurities to filter out.
After more than a year of planning, the stream channel has been restored to its
more natural meandering thanks to the efforts of Bernheim Forest, the University
of Louisville and the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.
U of L engineers Art Parola and Bill Vesely did the engineering models and
stream design. Former UK forestry professor Chuck Rhoades worked with soil and
vegetation and Paul Bukaveckas, U of L stream biologist, also worked on the
project. Additional faculty and students at the two universities are also doing
some work and research projects at the site.
Contracted by Bernheim to oversee revegetation of the restoration site is Adam
Dattilo, a UK College of Agriculture graduate with an undergraduate degree in
natural resource conservation management and a master’s degree in forestry.
Margaret Shea, natural areas director at Bernheim, also played a leading role in
the project, he said.
“We are restoring it to a healthy stage where it is dynamically stable,” he
said.
Some 2,700 feet of the stream was realigned and it is about 500 feet longer than
in the past as it winds through the valley. The stream was designed to allow the
backs to overflow and spread out into the floodplain. Additionally, some low
areas designed as seasonal wetlands also are along the floodplain. Cobblestones
collected from the along the stream have been placed in the streambed and logs
also are placed along the way.
The old streambed had dug so deeply into the ground that its banks were high and
did not allow for water to get over them, instead shooting it on downstream
along with sediment and possible pollutants. The restored channel now is able to
access the floodplain during flood events. This allows sediment, nutrients and
toxins to be removed from the water before it moves on downstream.
The result is better water quality and better habitat for a variety of plant and
animal species.
Now that the channel has been restored, Dattilo will spend the next months
planting more than 40 different vegetative species along the bank and in the
surrounding floodplain. All the species will come from seed collected in
Bernheim Forest. The trees are being grown out at a Kentucky Department of
Forestry nursery, he said.
“There’s a whole lot that goes into restoring a stream,” he said.
The work is being funded by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant and is
being overseen by the Kentucky Division of Water.
The site is to be used for demonstrations on streams and stream restoration.
“We want to show people in the area and students the kind of work that can be
done in restoring habitat and water quality,” he said.
Already, the site has been visited by two groups of private landowners, a U of L
biology class and a group of teachers for the visually impaired. Dattilo and
Amanda Abnee, Extension associate for environmental and natural resource issues,
are making plans to use the site for a training session with county Extension
agents for agriculture and natural resources.
“This is something some landowners may be interested in and there is state and
federal cost share money available to help,” she said.
Abnee said she and Dattilo tried to secure a grant to include an interpretive
trail along the stream. That did not pan out, but they are still working on ways
to make that a reality, she said.
Dattilo said the Wilson Creek project is a “Cadillac” version of stream
restoration but there are other things that landowners can do to restore streams
and improve water quality as well as wildlife habitat. Something as simple as
fencing cattle out and planting trees native to the region can mean improvements
in the health of a stream, he said. Just because there is vegetation around a
stream, it does not mean it is the right kind for the overall health of the
stream, Dattilo said.
Once the vegetation has been planted along Wilson Creek, the stream project will
continue to be followed and monitored over time to determine the overall
success, as well as to see what needs to be changed for future projects.
“The work of all the groups makes it a successful project,” Dattilo said. “It’s
been interesting and it’s been nice to work with the different disciplines."
Writer: Laura Skillman
270-365-7541 ext. 278
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