Bringing Back Buffers II

Funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Pickering Creek Audubon Center began preparing the buffer strip site during the autumn of 2005.  The Maryland Department of Agriculture sprayed Rodeo herbicide on the plot; in August 2006, we utilized our tractor and bush hog to clear the plots, thus eliminating some very difficult physical labor on the part of staff and volunteers.  Environmental Concern in St. Michaels provided technical assistance by offering a species planting list.  We ordered over 4,700 native herbaceous plants and shrubs and woodies.  By early autumn, we were prepared to begin planting.

Why a riparian buffer strip?

By removing mile-a-minute and Japanese honeysuckle and re-establishing the strips with native herbaceous plants and woodies, we have improved the filtration of water entering Pickering Creek and the Bay.  Native grasses, plants, and trees greatly reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorous, two of the major pollutants in the Bay.  Strips trap sediment and reduce erosion and provide valuable habitat for birds and wildlife, as well as cover.

On Sunday, September 24, during our Autumn Workday, we began repopulating the first plot with native species.  Planting continued throughout the months of October and November.  We removed small amounts of mile-a-minute and Japanese honeysuckle by hand during this time.  With the help of a number of community groups and individual volunteers, we completed the planting phase of the project in early December 2006.

This completed our two-part Bringing Back Buffers project, although maintenance (link to volunteer opps) of the strips continues due to the re-emergence of Japanese honeysuckle and mile-a-minute.

Thanks to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for funding Bringing Back Buffers II; to Environmental Concern for their technical expertise with plant and woody selection and assistance with pulling so many plants and seedlings and helping staff load trucks; to all of the volunteers who made the completion of this project possible, including Boy Scouts of America Troop 8, Phi Theta Kappa of Chesapeake College, Student Environmental Alliance of Washington College, SCOPE of Talbot County Public Schools, Easton High School students, students from Saints Peter and Paul, and Pickering Creek volunteers.

Easton High and Salisbury University Get Planting

Americorps Volunteers visit Pickering on one of the coldest days of February '07 to deconstruct an aged bird viewing blind by the pond.

Just one hour into planting, Easton High School ’sEnvironmental Club and Salisbury University ’s Environmental Health Club had planted nearly 750 plants. They were working together at Pickering Creek Audubon Center to restore a riparian stream buffer, an essential piece of habitat that filters agricultural runoff. The “Bringing Back Buffers” project is being funded by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Chesapeake Bay Trust. The area had become overgrown with Mile-a-minute, Japanese Honeysuckle, and Sweet Briar that were cleared in the Spring. Students and teachers planted a wide variety of plants such as American Holly, Switchgrass, Arrowwood, and New York Ironwood that were all grown at Environmental Concern in St. Michaels. These are plants that are both great food sources for birds and insects, as well as great plants for filtering water. After two hours it was clear that they accomplished much more than any of them had thought possible!

Many other community groups and schools have been involved in the “Bringing Back Buffers” project including Talbot Mentors, Christ Church ’s youth group, the Key School of Annapolis, Queen Anne’s County Master Gardeners, and Maryland Conservation Corps. Progress will continue this year as Pickering Creek volunteers and community organizations plant the second phase of the “Bringing Back Buffers” project. Have invasive plants taken over your yard? Come look at the progress of the project! The restoration area lies along the stream leading into the farm pond behind the Welcome Center . The trail around the farm pond will carry you past last year’s phase of “Bringing Back Buffers” as well as next year’s. This Fall we’ll be planting again, bringing back land ravaged by the growth of invasive plant species, improving our water quality and habitat! Thank you to all past and future “Bringing Back Buffers” volunteers! Please call 410 822 4903 to help out with the project.