Texas Community Watershed Partners

The Seeding Crew worked furiously on weeding the Lizard Tail for the day. It was still pretty cool temperature-wise, I was told, but the work was worthy as the Saururus sprigs are really shooting up now (as of 3-21-14). Mr. John Egan was the planting crew this week and got about 150 Juncus effusus in the ground at Pond Dowitcher. Thanks to all for coming out–despite the weather and it being Spring Break.

Today was simply put, a yucky day with the drizzly rain UNTIL I happen upon our little snakey friend shown here.  The precious little guy was under about 8 inches of water, cold and rather slow until he warmed enough in Chatt’s hand to take the picture.  We let him go back into the water a little ways further down from where we were digging. We did manage to collect more material for Ponds Dowitcher and Egret, and for my class on Thursday.  Thanks to the Planting Crew… Read More →

The first thing we all noticed today was the large amount of rain we got at the park!  The prairie team’s pots were close to being inundated.  At least there won’t be any watering for either restoration team.  🙂  Planting team (me, Chatt and John) headed out to Pond Duck and got 180 pots of mixed wetland plants into the nicely soft mucky ground.  Meanwhile, the Seedy Crew (John H, Dick, Diane, Lana, and Ray) worked on cleaning more bushy bluestem seed.

Our Seedy crew were sprigging kings and queens this week, plus they potted up all the collected Thalia dealbata to be added to the grow-out ponds. Planting crew manage to make it to Pond Dowitcher with guest Mary and Paul to join in the muddy maylay.  🙂  The weather was lovely and about perfect for being outside.  I did a short presentation on our current project to update the Team–hopefully it helped.

This week we hosted YES Prep North Central students.  It was still a little cold but definitely bearable.  To be prepared, however, we had seedball work available for the students.  And as the students were new to the park, the Rangers gave them a short walk and talk about the Park.  The die-hard Planting crew “skated” out to Pond Dowitcher and got those supremely lovely Juncus sprigs into the ground.  Thanks to all for your efforts.

      While it was chilly, it was not as bad as the previous week that we cancelled due to the ice.  From what the planting crew said, it warmed up pretty well by later in the morning-although you can’t really tell from John’s picture here.  The Seedy crew stayed in the annex working on more bushy bluestem to clean.  Meanwhile, unbeknowst to us,  Glenn single-handedly sprigged and counted all the Juncus in the potting shed for the crew next week–as he put it, ‘it was a mission’.  🙂 … Read More →

We attacked multiple fronts today…planting, seed cleaning AND seed collecting.  Diggers (Chatt, John H, and John E.) grabbed their dibbles and made the trek to Pond Dowitcher.  Thankfully, a path had been cut and made clear for the crew to get to the pond.  Seed collecting continued with Ray–walking solo through the prairie looking for and plucking all the bushy bluestem (and some other sorted grasses).  The seed crew (Lana, Glenn, Diane, Gail and Dick) began the day with sprigging the pickerel weed and getting final counts (383… Read More →

Today, we helped the park staff clear out extra wetland vegetation from the plaza ponds.  Of course, there is incentive to help as we get to keep the salvaged (and good) material including pickerel weed, horned beakrush and iris.  Diggers (John H., John E., Chatt, Glenn, Lana) jumped right in and made short order of the work.  Meanwhile the Seed Crew (Dick, Diane, Ray and Gail) worked diligently on more seed cleaning.  Thanks to both crews for your work!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful break and enjoyed the down time with friends and family.  Our first workday for 2014 was a nice effort with planting and seed work to occupy everyone.  Lisa, Chatt and John E. ventured out with Cullen to the ponds to plant some Juncus effusus and Erianthus gigantea in pond Anhinga.  Mary joined our seed crew (Diane, Dick, Gail, Ray and Lana) today to work on the seed Ray had collected for the Phase 3 fields.  Thanks to everyone for their work!!

As part of the last day of school, YES Prep Brays Oaks came out to Sheldon Lake SP and planted Spartina patens and Spartina spartinae (mostly spartinae) in Pond Anhinga.  We completely lucked out and the weather warmed up for the day and so unlike their last workday, it was pretty “balmy” making short order of the work.  Thanks to all of our mentors who came out:  Diane, Chatt, Gail, Texas Tom, Lana and Glenn.  We were so grateful to have the Team coverage!! December 25th and January… Read More →