Clover Creek Commons

By Marianne Lincoln

I stopped by the site on Thursday after having a discussion earlier int he week with Brianne Blackburn over email and the Noxious Weed Board. I received a call back and was told Surface Water Management, Public Works Maintenance, and the NWB were having a consultation at the site over the presence of the Poison Hemlock (PH). The Japanese Knotweed is popping back up as well.

I am expecting a call back from the NWB after a plan for remediation has been established. Obviously, we don’t want people walking around on any remnants of the PH. What kind of delay this will create is unknown.

I the meantime, I submitted a grant to the Watershed Small Grants Program for a riding lawnmower with a bagging unit. That way we can begin to mow more often that Public Works. Due to the PH it will have to be bagged and disposed of properly.

Clover Creek Restoration Alliance also submitted a grant for money to purchase native plants for the site. Although Al Schmauder recently expressed concerns about the need for regular watering and some trees along the creek drying, many of us are still optimistic that we can make some native plants work on the site. Many of the trees planted in 1993 are getting their leaves now that it is Spring. The site looks more alive than ever.

That said, the creek has now become dry from 138th and B Street through to the Parkland Prairie at 10 Avenue S. The Tule Lake Avenue Section past Washington High School still has a small qualtity of water.

Here are some photos of the Poison Hemlock from May 7. It appears limp, so it may have already been treated.

Some other creek condition photos.