Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Final watershed overview for VT Watershed Systems Stewardship course

As I have progressed through my coursework this semester my final assignment was to produce a comprehensive presentation of my studies of the Monocacy watershed that would be useful to the watersheds practitioners and could serve as the basis for future work in the watershed.  My reworked Prezi is available here.  I hope to be able to present a condensed version of this presentation to my company’s water community of practice in the coming months.


Thanks to Dr. Jim Egenrieder for his guidance, time, and openness in sharing ideas and working with watershed management issues and practices.

Friday, November 11, 2016

Invasive Species- The Rusty Crayfish


Because I introduced some vegetative invasive species in the dendrology post, I decided to look for a impending animal species to the watershed, one of which is the Rusty Crayfish.


Introduced as a bait fish for anglers, the rusty crayfish has established itself across the Monocacy watershed, out competes the native crayfish for habitat and food sources, severely impacts the submerged aquatic vegetation, and generally interrupts the food chain of  impacted waterways.  



Habitat:

The Rusty Crayfish is Native to the Ohio River basin in Ohio and Kentucky , prefers warms streams, flat rocks woody debris, and submerged aquatic vegetation. (SAV).  Opportunistic feeder but mostly focuses on benthic invertebrates, detritus, fish eggs, small fish and aquatic vegetation.

Have a denser shell than native species, which additionally removes them from the food chain rather than replace the crayfish that they push out.

Although the Rusty Crayfish prefers slow freshwater eddies, it has been found to be saltwater tolerant, which makes it a threat to the Potomac River and potentially the Chesapeake bay.  (MDNR, 2010)

Identification:

Reddish brown spot on posterior sides of carapace with a smooth, robust chela, and carapace.
Rostral margins with accessory spines.

The rusty had larger more robust claw than native species. 

Grow to a mature size of 3.5-10 cm and an average length of 6.4 cm (Sea Grant, 2016)

Invasive Characteristics:

·      Displaces native crayfish
·      Reduces the amount and variability of submerged aquatic vegetation
·      Decreases density and variety of invertebrates in the ecosystem
·      Reduces some fish populations due to changing the ecosystem.

There are currently no environmentally sound methods to eradicate the rusty crayfish. Best practice is to limit or slow their expansion.

Similar Species includes:

The native Spiny cheek Crayfish (orconectes limosus), and Alleganey ) Orconectes obscureus) and the virile crayfish (Orconectes virilis ),which is native to the Midwest and Northwest US. 


References

MDNR (2010),  An Invasion in Progress: The Spread of Rusty Crayfish in a Maryland Watershed, Maryland Department of the Environment, Accessed from : dbr2/.maryland.gov/streams/documents/rustycrayfishsurveyfactsheet.pdf

Swecker, C, Jones, T, Killian, J, Roberson, L, (2016), Key to the Crayfish of Maryland, DNR, Maryland Department of Natural Resources,  Key to the Crayfish of Maryland, Accessed from: dnr.maryland.gov/streams/documents/keytocrayfishesofMD.8_18_10.pdf

Seagrant, (2016) Rusty Crayfish: A nasty Invader, Biology, Identification, and Impacts, Accessed from: www.seagrant.umn.edu/ais/rustycrayfish_invader

Sunday, November 6, 2016

History and the Monocacy


Historic Events of  Monocacy watershed.

An aspect of the Monocacy watershed that I would like to highlight as its place in American history  From the Headwaters of the watershed at Gettysburg to the C&O canal aqueduct at the mouth of the river as it empties into the Potomac there are have been  several historical events.  

The human history of the Monocacy starts with the Native American populations of the pre-Columbia era.  The Monocacy river was part of a significant north–south trading route for the native Americans, believed to be either of the Seneca Nation, or the Tuscarora nation.  In the tradition of many native American trade routes, the trade corridor running just east of the Appalachian mountains, and following the Monocacy and Susquehanna rivers became a major trade route for European settlers, and is currently demarcated by state route 15.

The city of Frederick was founded along this trail where it intersected a trade route that ran from Baltimore through Turner’s and Fox’s Gap and Crompton’s gap south of South mountain to pass through the Appalachian Mountains where Interstate 70 now runs.

The watershed has had several significant historical events primarily centered around the Civil war the most famous , the Battle of Gettysburg but also:
·      Catoctin Furnace
·      Battle of Monocacy
·      The Underground rail road
·      The C&O Canal  Aqueduct



Gettysburg

The Geology of the Monocacy watershed played at role in how the Battle of Gettysburg, as both Army’s looked to take advantage of the terrain.

 Before reaching the battlefield, the confederate Army used the features of the valley and ridge Provence to move their forces northward of the union troops, largely undetected and then moved them through the Cashtown gap to Gettysburg

The battlefield its self is generally a flat open basin, underlain by sedimentary bedrock primarily sandstone and shale. The high ground of the battlefield, (Round top, Cemetery ridge, seminary ridge and The Devils Den) were formed by intrusive diabase dikes that sit above the surrounding  farmland.

The union army was able to position its forces on Cemetery Ridge and Round top to give them the advantage of the high ground . s=Some protection  was afforded the union forces some projection, but because of the thin soils in these areas the union army was not able to dig in, and prevented them from securing a more defensible position and open to rifle fire.  The  base of the ridges, were covered with an un-vegetated sill  that gave them an open field to see the oncoming confederate forces. Both the lack of cover, at the top of the ridges and at the base of the ridges, resulted in high casualties for both sides.

Reference

Brown, A, ( 1962), Geology  and the Gettysburg Campaign , Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources,  Accessed from : http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_014596.pdf


Catoctin Furnace:

The Catoctin  Furnace is  located just south of the Mason Dixon line near the  village of Thurmont, Maryland.  It is the third generation iron smelter, this one designed to use coke, while the previous two were wood or charcoal fired.  

Established in the 1770’s after hematite ore was discovered in the Catoctin mountains, Thomas Johnston JR. built the first furnace, utilizing the rich sources of local raw materials, of the ore, limestone from the valley floor, and charcoal produced form the local forests.  According to the NPS website the furnace used these raw materials to produce pig iron, which would go on to be used in Revolutionary War Cannons, and cannon balls,  armament  for the civil are vessel the Monitor, and the Franklin Stove. (NPS, 2016)

The furnace passed through several hands, but provided a source of employment  for the region until it closed for good in 1903.

Interestingly in 1936 Charles Porter, an Assistant historian for the National Park service though some doubt into the historic significance of the furnace. He notes that he furnace passed through several hands, but provided a source of employment  for the region until it closed for good in 1903, but it was unlikely that the furnace contributed iron for the Revolutionary Cannons or the Monitor Iron armament based on the data available at the time. (Porter, 1936)

Reference

Porter, C, (1936) Preliminary Historical Report on the Catoctin Iron Furnace, National Park Service, accessed form:

NPS, (2016) Catoctin Iron Furnace, National Park Service web site, Accessed from : https://www.nps.gov/cato/learn/historyculture/furnace.htm

Battle of Monocacy

In July of 1964 the Confederate Army scored its northern most victory a the Battle of Monocacy just south east of the city of Frederick. The confederate army was marching towards Washington DC, and a smaller Union contingent was tasked with slowing the advance at the Monocacy river.  Although the Union lost the ballet they were able to delay the Confederate advance by a day and allowed the Union army to position itself and defend Washington DC from attack. (NPS, 2016b)

NPS, (2016b) Monocacy National Battlefield Maryland, National Park Service Website, Accessed from: https://www.nps.gov/mono/learn/historyculture/index.htm

The Underground Rail Road

While Maryland was a slave holding state, the underground railroad that helped slaves escape to the north was active in the Monocacy watershed.  I wanted to highlight one reported stop, Cooling Springs Farm.  The farm was founded by a Swiss family , the Michaels and has been passed down through the family through many generations, and is still owned by the family. In the mid 1800’s it is reported that the home was known to be a safe house connected with the underground railroad, the family established St. Paul’s Episcopal church as an integrated parish and was a cornerstone for a significant area of safe passage for slaves moving north. (Cooling Springs, 2016)
Reference

Cooling Springs,(2016), The History of Cooling Springs Farm and the Michael Family in the Underground Railroad, Accessed from: http://www.coolingsprings.org/#History

The Monocacy  Aqueduct

In 1829  construction of  the Monocacy Aqueduct at the mouth of the Monocacy river was begun as part of  the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal system.  The Aqueduct was constructed of large granite blocks and spanned 516 feet across the river.  Operated until 1924  typically barges would carry: lumber, coal, flour, wheat, pork, , fish, salt , plaster or oysters to across Maryland. It is significant in its size and was a common target for confederate troops during the civil war. The first attempt was prevented by the politicking of the local lockmaster and a lack of ordnance in the division, that the commanding general opted to demo a lock and dewater the canal instead. A second attempt to destroy the aqueduct had similar results, after attempts to drill holes in the piers to hold charges failed, Confederate troops were recalled. (Unrau, 1976)


Reference

Unrau, H, (1976), Historic Structure Report, The Monocacy Aqueduct, Historical Data, Chesapeake, and Ohio Canal National  Historical Park, MD-DC-W.VA, National Park Service, Accessed from: https://www.nps.gov/choh/learn/historyculture/upload/Aqueduct-Monocacy-HSR-Unrau.pdf

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Watershed Equipment Research.



The equipment that I have chosen to highlight is Wikipedia. As we all know, when researching a topic , one of the first hits that comes up on any search is the Wikipedia page, making a great opportunity to highlight your watershed or your subject of interest.  My watershed, the Monocacy, did not have a specific page for it, but there is a page for the Monocacy River, that can be updated from my research so far.   My first attempt at an edit, inserting the size of the watershed, was accepted.

Many of us remember when Wikipedia started and anyone could edit the data and often did, since then the requirements for positing information have become much more rigorous.  While you can start a new Wiki page for your watershed, I safe and opted to edit a relevant page, the Monocacy River.

The process:

In order to edit  or create a page it is recommended that you first create an account, similar to any program, with a user name and password.

How you format your submission counts.  Wikipedia wants to be an online encyclopedia, requiring entries to be factual, well documented, and noteworthy. 

 For new pages, Wikipedia has an article wizard that helps format your submission. When using the wizard template or creating on your own, it is recommended that you start with a drat document in the area called “the sand box. “ This allows your work to be reviewed before it is posted on the page, and allows you to submit it for review, creating a dialog between you and other editors, to ensure that your work does not get deleted due to formatting or content requirements.

If you submit a draft, you will get comments back on how to fix it , or it will be posted as a live view on the website.   If you post directly to the web, or “live” your post may be removed if  deemed inappropriate, and there are limited times you can repost  items before you get blocked out.

Wikipedia has a page called the tea house, which is an open forum for writers, and editors to discuss development of pages or issues with posting. So far it has been a very welcoming platform.

The Rule of submittal  include, do not violate copy write laws, use your own words, subject should be notable, (have significant coverage that are independent of the subject), neutral in tone, avoids puffery, can be verified,  and meets style guidelines. (Wikipedia, 2016)

Based on my success on my initial post, it was accepted, I intend to continue updating the page with the relevant information that  have collected for the watershed or that I uncover in future  investigations for the class.

 Reference
Wikipedia, (2016), Wikipedia: Tutorial/Editing, Accessed from https://en.wikipedia.org/wuju/wikipedia:tutorial/editing

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Migration of plants into watershed due to climate change


Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)


I present the Bald Cypress as a species that may be migrating into the watershed. The watershed is currently at the northern reaches of the habitat, but may move northward into the watershed to become a keystone species in the watershed.

The Bald Cypress is a deciduous confer with a slow growth rate , but has been commercially harvested for its rot resistance  for  use as fencing floors and cabinetry.  Harvesting has been reduced due to the slow rejuvenation stands, and the diminished number of trees available for harvesting.

As a pneumatophore, the tree grows from horizontal roots just below the water surface with shoots above the water line that are suspected to bring air to the drowned root structure.

(NWF,2016)



Bark: Brown Gray with a stringy texture
Growth: Slow growing tree that can reaches heights of 120’
Benefits:
  • Provides forage for turkeys, wood ducks, water birds and squirrels; 
  • Traps sediment and nutrients in root structure; 
  • Mitigates flood waters, erosion control. ( NWF, 2016)









Reference

NWF, (2016), National Wildlife Federation, Wildlife Library, Bald Cypress Accessed from:
http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Library/Plants/Bald-Cypress.aspx

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Invasive plants of the region.


As we look at the watershed an added challenge is how to deal with invasive species some of which have been in the system for almost 100yrs, as we look to eradicate them,  and replace with native species, we need to take into account their place in the ecosystem that we have. Do they have a significant role in supporting the watersheds ecosystem, have they changed the ecosystem, in a way that it is now dependent on the services of the invasive species.   Things to consider.

Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana)

 Dan Tenaglia, Missouriplants.com, Bugwood.org

 

Introduced in 1916 to develop fire blight resistance in production pear trees, was widely used for root stock.
1950- became a popular ornamental tree that once established forms dense thickest that push out other species

Growth: 20-30’ tall
Leaves: Simple broad-Ovate, 1-3” in length, shiny dark green in color.
Bark:  light brown with scaly ridges

Treatment: cut trees and treat with herbicide, or manual remove root systems. (NPS,2016)

Fun fact: smells like rotting fish .





Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima)

Introduced by a Pennsylvania gardener in 1748 and made commercially available by 1840.  Threatens agricultural and natural ecosystems due to prolific seed production and establishment of dense stands that push out native plants. (NPS,2016b)

Karan A. Rawlins, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

 
Contains chemicals that can be herbicidal to other plants to help establish and spread its footprint in an area.

Growth: up to 70’
Bark: smooth pale gray, wood is soft/weak course grained
Leaves: compound 1-4 ft long with 11-25 smaller leaflets with teeth near the base.

Mitigation: cut in early summer when demand for food is highest for tree growth, and then repeat frequently to reduce threat of re-occurrence. Use herbicide as needed.   (NPS, 2016b)





Phragmites  (Phragmites australis)

 
Phragmites is a species that comes to mind when discussing invasive species and wetlands. Interestingly enough, there are both native species of this reed  and the introduced European  variation introduced in the late 18th and early 19th century through transfer of ballast material from European ships.  The European variety has established itself  in freshwater and brackish marshes, river edges, shores, ponds, roadsides, and disturbed areas and out competes native vegetation through prolific seeding, and rhizomes that run up to 10’ per year to creating a multicultural stand with limited ecological benefit.
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/phragmites


Description:  Known as Common reed, Phragmites, is a tall Perennial grass that grows to heights of 15’, Has leaves that are usually 1- 1.5 in wide, and a fluffy panicle at the top due to the hairs on the seeds.(NPS, 2016 c)




Photo ©2006 Susan Vincent

http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/graminoid/phraus/all.html


Uses: Young reeds can be used for grazing, but older reads can be grazed, but are lacking in nutrition and potentially for cellulose production for biofuel. 
 
Management:  Over graze, mow repeatedly, prescribed burning, excavation and herbicides.









Parrot Feather (Myriophylleum aquaticum)

Parrot Feather is another long term invasive species originating in South America , with the first identification being reported in the 1890’s.  A water borne plant it forms a surficial mat, blocking sunlight from algae in the water column below, disrupting the food chain, and is a preferred habitat for mosquito larvae. (NPS, 2016 d)


John M. Randall, TNC from: https://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/myaq.htm

Description: Aquatic plant, suspended in the water column with  well developed finely pinnately leaves

Habitat: freshwater slow moving water bodies, prefers alkaline and high-nutrient environments

Propagates: vegetatively, through whole plants or fragments, usual by human or animal transportation.

Uses: Aquarium ornamental

Mitigation: Currently none (NPS, 2016d)


Reference:

Maryland, (2016), Maryland Manual On-Line, A guide to Maryland & its Government, Maryland at a glance, State Symbols, accessed from: http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/01glance/symbols/html/tree.html

National Park Service, (2016), Mid Atlantic Alien Plants, Trees, Callery Pear, Accessed from: https://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/pyca.htm

National Park Service, (2016b), Mid Atlantic Alien Plants, Trees, Tree of Heaven Accessed from: https://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/aial.htm

National Park Service, (2016c), Plant Conservation Alliance’s Alien Plant Working  Group, Least Wanted, Common Reed, Accessed from: https://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/phau1.htm#table

National Park Service, (2016c), Aquatic Plants, Parrot-Feather,  Accessed from: https://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/myaq.htm


USDA, (2016), United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service , Plant Fact Sheet, White Oak, Accessed from: https://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_qual.pdf

USDA, (2016a), United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service , Plant Fact Sheet, Red Maple, Accessed from :http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_acru.pdf

USDA, (2016b), United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service , Plant Fact Sheet, Broad-Leaved Cattail, Accessed from : http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_tyla.pdf

USDA, (2016c), United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service , Plant Fact Sheet, Silver Maple, Accessed from :
http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_acsa2.pdf

Wildflower. Org,(2016), Lady Bird Johnson, Wild Flower Center, University of Texas at Austin, Accessed from: http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ACRU