Erosion blankets and seeding (oats and turf grass where applicable) have been placed at most sites where construction work has taken place. The only exception is the east side (OHAC staging area and the Anita Jones access site), as well as the sediment on the school playground.
If you plan to walk around the TNC please try not to walk (includes pets) on the south side. If you decide to walk and see the sites on the south side then please stay on the Pond Circle Trail, as the seeded areas need to get established and grow as quickly as possible. We do not want to pay for re-seeding! Thanks
Erosion blanket and seeding (turf grass) at Yorktown entrance
Around the amphitheater – also has erosion blankets and turf grass seeding
South side – headed west on Pond Circle Trail
Outlet channel also with control blanket and seeding (oats)
Outlet channel and in the distance the new nesting island (seeded with oats)
Wood chips have been placed on south side of Pond Circle Trail (picture is trail to berm from outlet channel)
Trail has chips and new berm extension has the blanket plus seeded with oats
Berm extension and Peninsula trail seeded with oats
Staging area by OHAC parking lot not restored yet
View of mudflat and new nesting island
View of new Nesting Island from Oak-Hickory Woodlot
What’s next?
While the major construction work associated with the actual pond is almost complete, we now move on to the remaining restoration and revitalization tasks we urgently need to tackle.
We have a TNCC meeting scheduled for Sept 10th (check the TNC E-Newsletter for time and location). We will be reviewing this “to do list” at the meeting.
We will need community volunteers to help us do the rest of the restoration work.
In the meantime the outlet valve will stay open and we will continue to drawdown the water (exception is the northeast portion of the pond) as there are some tasks which still have to be carried out in the pond.
By the way we have many visitors dropping by to rest and unfortunately eat the oats and aquatic life.
Visitors dropping (i.e. blue heron on nesting island) by to check things out
Canadian geese and my buddy the white egret visiting the outlet channel as well as checking out the logs we placed for the turtles to bask
A couple of swans show up trying to intimidate the group – notice the blue heron on the nesting island does not move
My buddy left and the swans decide to visit the mudflat – the heron and Canadian geese continue to “hang out
One of the swans heads to the northeast for a swim
There’s my buddy – back at his old hang-out
Thurston Nature Center Pond and Wetland Restoration Project 