Our project included a dynamic set of protocols in order to effectively manage all aspects of riparian health as well as continue the work of the previous ELP teams. Through this page, one can view our process and results by clicking the links below:
Individual Plant Monitoring
The first part of our work included planting native plants along Goose Creek in order to provide pollinator resources and shade the stream. The planting area was divided into plots and plants present were monitored and mapped, in order to monitor our management style, plant health and survival, and make a more developed planting and monitoring plan for next year’s ELP team. For more details about Individual Plant Monitoring and Mapping, click here.
Community Composition Monitoring
We then moved on to monitoring the efforts of the MWC that extend from the beginning of the south bank of Goose Creek all the way down to the entrance of McKenzie River. This is used to see how well plant communities are doing and evaluate the presence of invasive species versus native species. For more information regarding Community Composition Monitoring, click here
Pollinator Surveys
As one of our goals of our project is to increase pollinator resources, we also engage in pollinator surveys, in which we walk transects in the blueberry fields to see what species are pollinating at WWR. For more information about our pollinator surveys, click here
Photopoint Monitoring
In order to monitor the general change overtime of the watershed, our team has continued previous teams efforts of photopoint monitoring. To see what we learned from these photos, click here
Stream Health
Stream health is one of the primary goals of our riparian restoration project and to monitor how our efforts have affected the health of the stream, we have been taking temperature measurements at various points along the watershed. For more details about our monitoring of Stream Health, click here
Spotted Winged Drosophila Monitoring
This is a new task for the project where we try to keep track of an invasive species of fruit fly called Spotted Winged Drosophila that tends to ruin farm fields. This is a very complex insect as it needs two hosts to survive, one of which is blueberries, a big crop for WWR. For more details about our monitoring of Spotted Winged Drosophila, click here
Fencing Monitoring
This protocol aims to monitor the effectiveness of the fencing around Goose Creek at discouraging grazing by wildlife and encouraging plant growth. To learn more about our fencing efforts and monitoring, click here