Branch Hoppers, Cave Dwellers and Short tailed Weasels encounter Connelly Creek!

A riparian zone is the interface between land and a river or stream.

"Riparian zones are significant in ecology, environmental management, and civil engineering because of their role in soil conservation, their habitat biodiversity, and the influence they have on fauna and aquatic ecosystems, including grassland, woodland, wetland or sub-surface features such as water tables." (Wikipedia)

Connelly Creek runs along Happy Valley Park as it ambles to join Padden Creek. The section of the park that borders the creek had been treated as a dump and allowed to degrade as Himalayan Blackberry bushes and Reed Canary Grass diminished the biodiversity of the area to almost nil. The result? The human impacts signified by these changes have diminished the creek’s ability to support migrating salmon.

Undaunted by the probability of getting seriously scratched, these Explorers have taken the motto Challenge by Choice to heart as they wrangle blackberry canes into a trash can. 

Enter Boys (and now, hurrah!, Girls) Explorers Club. Beginning several years ago, Explorers began removing trash and blackberries (ouch!) and stomping down canary grass and covering it with bark mulch. We’ve also planted native species, including Alders that will, in time, shade out the Canary Grass. It was sometimes discouraging work as the grass is very resilient and tended to return between our fall and spring (and spring and fall) work parties. The blackberries….well, I expect you know what it’s like dealing with Himalayan Blackberries!

Our Explorers connect with the land in a very real sense, which reinforces the importance of protecting all that nature provides us. (Motto: Connect and Protect)

But the Explorers persisted. And now the progress if readily apparent. The grass appears to be losing its grip and the boys who’ve done this for a few years point out the clear fence that

a few years ago we couldn’t even see amidst the blackberries.

Blackberries are delicious, but the plant is a non-native, invasive character that can change the habitat in unhealthy ways. And, they're tough to eradicate, thanks in part to their robust root structure. Here, Mentor Jedidiah "plays" a large Himalayan Blackberry root.

Amazingly, we’ve made it to the creek. On Sunday, we learned about “cribbing”. The word has a few very different meanings: for us, the focus is the creation of a barrier to prevent erosion into the creek. 

Split logs provided by Bellingham Parks to be used to create a barrier to
hold back the bark we spread to contain the Reed Canary Grass. Note the
engagement!

You can see the creek in this shot. Without the cribbing, the bank,
along with the bark we were about to spread, would wash into the
water, restricting oxygen need by migrating salmon.

Just about finished. This project makes it blindingly
obvious that all things are connected (motto). Disregard
for the encroaching berry and grass robbed this patch of
necessary biodiversity with associated harm to
salmon migration.

The boys were inconsistent in their focus on our task on Sunday, as if often the case. You can usually fire their interest, however, by reminding them what this place was like a few years ago. Like the rest of us, they are gratified by the positive impact they’re having through this important work.

Could it be that Jedidiah's "guitar" wasn't the biggest blackberry
root unearthed this day?

Notice the hard work on many different tasks in the photo gallery. 

The Short Tailed Weasels next meet on May 21 - Locust Beach.
The Cave Dwellers meet again this very soon; April 30 - Fragrance Lake
The Branch Hoppers will have to wait until June 3 - Yew St. Woods

Enjoy! See you on the trail.

Boys Program Summer Camps and Trips registration is open.