Ver. 9-28-2012
SCWA Projects on Copeland Creek (from Keenan Foster and Mike Thompson)
Priority Projects Identified at 2-14-12 SSU Meeting
- Invasive Species
· How do we modify our channels to prevent/minimize the growth of Ludwigia or Cattails?
· Does removal of undesirable understory vegetation and tree limbing increase abundance of desirable understory species? What are the effects on other organisms (e.g., birds), water quality, sediment, in-stream fish habitat? What types of riparian canopy planting work best at shading out blackberry?
- Sediment
· How much and what kind of sediment comes out of the headwaters of Copeland Creek?
· Where does it come from?
· How has the amount and type of sediment changed with settlement (i.e., what was the pre-settlement condition?)
- Water Quality
· What pollutants occur? Where are they and when?
· What is the influence of summertime urban irrigation on water quality?
- Recreation- How do we enhance recreational experiences along the creek?
- Planning Initiatives - Rohnert Park Creek Master Plan, Groundwater Planning (regional and local recharge plan)
- Groundwater Recharge
Additional Projects (from SCWA and SSU Facilities)
· Long-term Monitoring
o Baseline and ongoing inventories of flora and fauna (including invertebrates)
o Patterns of succession in vegetation and long term retention,
o Project locations and methods used for vegetation management and sediment removal
o Water quality sampling
· What are the best instream planting strategies (species selection, densities, arrangement) to:
o maximize soil stability
o maximize habitat development
o maximize native species
o minimize undesirable species
o minimize displacement of hydraulic capacity
· How effective are the instream basins between Snyder and County Club at capturing sediment?
· What is the relationship between sedimentation and vegetation?
o How are sediment patterns related to vegetation arrangement and vice versa? How can SCWA use these relationships to best advantage?
o When sedimentation is removed from outfalls, how can we cheaply and effectively restore vegetation to maximize:
§ Armoring (e.g., use of native wetland sod in bioswales)
§ Filtration and uptake of target toxins (e.g., what is best species complement?)
· What are the most effectiveness approaches for controlling blackberries, Ludwigia and other non-natives?
o Ludwigia:
§ What are the shade and moisture tolerances of the taxon?
§ What topographic elevations can Ludiwigia colonize?
§ What effectively competes with Ludwigia?
§ What habitat features are resistant or conducive to invasion?
§ Does this plant invade existing undisturbed habitat and if so at what dominance or cover level?
o (SSU Facilities) focus on establishing native species that minimize need for fallen tree cutting and other maintenance
· How can we re-establish special status species?
o What is the feasibility of establishing and supporting special status plant species along flood channels as a conservation action?
o How can we design and construct instream structures (abiotic or biotic) to benefit outmigrating salmonids?
o (SSU Facilities) How can we remove blackberry and other invasives in Copeland Creek without increasing erosion?
· (SSU Facilities) What is the best way to stabilize banks and minimize erosion without causing negative impacts to environmental resources?
· (SSU Facilities) Erosion has deposited sediment sufficient to obstruct several outfalls. How do we keep uncover the outfalls and keep them clear?
· (SSU Faculty) What are the opportunities for increasing the natural resource value of the university ponds?