Stafford Lake Reflection
The stream at Stafford Lake is under risk of suffering from extreme erosion. This would cause the banks of the stream to cave in on themselves, effectively blocking the water flow and also ruining habitats for many different species. Another issue is the overwhelming presence of invasive plant species. These plants have overpowered the plants native to the region and have been preventing the native plants from growing. This is a big issue for the ecosystem of Stafford Lake because many plants and animals can no longer survive.
The Marin County Parks Project has been restoring the lands surrounding Stafford Lake. One of their goals is to get rid of the invasive species of plants and reintroduce native plants. To do this they have been using sheet mulching. This strategy can be implemented in many different ways and can use many different materials. The way the Marin County Parks Project has used it is as an impermanent solution. The sheet mulching is used to prevent invasive plants from growing, and to smother the existing invasive plants. Once the mulch decomposes, they will plant native plants in the leftover soil.
I participated in all the steps of the laying down the sheet mulch. Fist we placed a layer of hay and then two layers of cardboard. Next was another, but thicker, layer of hay. It was all topped off with sod that consisted of decaying organic materials such as leaves and sticks. The entire process lasted for three hours.
This project was a part of the Integrated Pest Management approach because it does its best to avoid harming any of the native wildlife.
What I liked about this project was the ideas behind it (encouraging native plants species and using natural materials that would decompose into the environment), how it built teamwork among all of the STEM students, and how satisfying it was to finish a project in three hours due in some part to my own efforts.
Volunteer work in restoring streams and watersheds in important because you are helping your own community flourish and preserving natural beauty and life. Not restoring these areas could also be potentially dangerous. And lastly, volunteers are so important because they are using their own time to bring about positive change in the world.
The Marin County Parks Project has been restoring the lands surrounding Stafford Lake. One of their goals is to get rid of the invasive species of plants and reintroduce native plants. To do this they have been using sheet mulching. This strategy can be implemented in many different ways and can use many different materials. The way the Marin County Parks Project has used it is as an impermanent solution. The sheet mulching is used to prevent invasive plants from growing, and to smother the existing invasive plants. Once the mulch decomposes, they will plant native plants in the leftover soil.
I participated in all the steps of the laying down the sheet mulch. Fist we placed a layer of hay and then two layers of cardboard. Next was another, but thicker, layer of hay. It was all topped off with sod that consisted of decaying organic materials such as leaves and sticks. The entire process lasted for three hours.
This project was a part of the Integrated Pest Management approach because it does its best to avoid harming any of the native wildlife.
What I liked about this project was the ideas behind it (encouraging native plants species and using natural materials that would decompose into the environment), how it built teamwork among all of the STEM students, and how satisfying it was to finish a project in three hours due in some part to my own efforts.
Volunteer work in restoring streams and watersheds in important because you are helping your own community flourish and preserving natural beauty and life. Not restoring these areas could also be potentially dangerous. And lastly, volunteers are so important because they are using their own time to bring about positive change in the world.