Wetland Management Plan Update

Newsletter of the White Oak Bayou Wetland Management Plan

thecypressknee@swbell.net

The Cypress KneeThe Cypress KneeThe Cypress KneeThe Cypress Knee

O ctober was a busy month for data collection. The UCA students were out in the wet-lands several times per week collecting data for plant sur-veys, herpetological surveys, soil chemistry and invertebrate surveys, and HGM assess-ments. Most of the groups have collected all their data, and they will spend the next several weeks analyzing their data and preparing for final presentations on December 15.

HGM subclass mapping is in its first draft form for the lower watershed. The TAC is meeting later this month to discuss the maps and make any changes necessary before the maps are finalized.

The White Oak Bayou WMP logo is now complete. For

more details about the logo, check out the Community Fo-rum on page 2.

Scott and Sara Owen pre-sented a poster about the wet-land mapping in the White Oak Bayou watershed at the southcentral chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists meeting in Oxford, Mississippi, October 22-23. Participants at the meeting came from 5 states, including AL, AR, LA, MS, and TX.

The Steer-ing Com-mittee met October 25. Due to time constraints, the public form meet-ing date

has been pushed back to early

2011. The wetland survey was

approved by the Committee,

and the survey will be given to

participants at the Arbor Day

Fair on November 6. Later

this month, the survey should

be available on Maumelle’s city

website. The information

gained from the survey will

guide the SC in setting new

goals and objectives for 2011.

T his month’s column ex-plores the evolution of a bea-ver dam from a stream to a forest ecosystem, something that occurs over many, many years.

Beavers build their dams on flowing streams. Once the

dam is in place, the flow of water is slowed and begins to pond upstream of the dam. If the riparian zone adjacent to the stream was forested, the rise in water kills trees that cannot survive in continuously inundated conditions.

After the trees die, the edges See Wetland Ecology, pg 2

Wetland Ecology: Beaver part 2

November 2010

Volume 2 Issue 11

Wetland Management Plan Update

1

Wetland Ecology: Beaver part 2

1

Animal of the Month: Great Blue Heron

2

Community Forum 2

Inside this issue:

Important Dates:

• November 6 —Arbor

Day Fair, 10:00am.

Lake Valencia, behind

Maumelle city hall.

• November 18-20 —

Arkansas Watershed

Advisory Group’s water-

shed conference.

Mountain View, AR. For

details: www.awag.org.

Bayou logo, page 2.

Story Ideas? Want

to be put on the

mailing list? Con-

tact us at

thecypressknee@

swbell.net

Exploring the functions and values of wetlands in the ecosystem

Current developments, meeting updates, and future plans

Find this newsletter on Maumelle’s Planning and Zoning website: http://maumelle.org/city-departments/planning-a-zoning.html

Many beaver complexes in White Oak

Bayou are shrub-scrub communities with

a few snags that offer perches for birds of

prey.

Left: Scott Owen shows the soil chemistry and HGM groups a

soil profile. Right: The HGM group estimates leaf litter cover

in a 1 square meter plot.

will become populated with

herbaceous wetland vegetation,

such as sedges, smartweeds,

and rushes. Water-tolerant

shrubs and small trees may

colonize the area next: button-

bush, green ash, swamp privet,

to name a few common spe-

cies in Arkansas.

Water flowing into a beaver

dam slows considerably, and

any sediments in the water will

fall out of the water, sinking to

the bottom of the beaver

pond. As sediments continue

to build up in the ponds, the

water becomes more shallow.

When the water becomes too

shallow, beaver will abandon

the site. Without the beaver to

maintain it, the dam will even-

tually be breached, and most

of the water will drain out of

the pond. Areas that were

once open water will soon be

covered with herbaceous vege-

tation. As the vegetation

grows, dies, and decomposes,

the organic matter from these

dead plants will continue to

build up on the ground.

Eventually, if the hydrology is

not altered and beaver do not

come back, the accumulation

of organic matter will raise the

elevation of the bottom of the

former beaver pond such that

non-wetland vegetation may

colonize the area. The stream

will have defined a new channel

or relocated to its former chan-

nel, and the area will become

forested again. It will look

similar to the forested stream

prior to the beaver building its

dam. Then the cycle may start

all over again.

This cyclical process is known

as secondary succession, and it

occurs over the course of many

decades.

M eet Cayla French, the designer of the logo for the White Oak Bayou Wetland Management Plan. Cayla is an 8th grader at Maumelle Middle School. She designed

the logo last May, as a 7th grader in Mrs. Laura Mewborn’s science class. Mrs. Mew-

born’s classes participated in the logo contest as part of Wetland Appreciation Week.

Cayla’s design was inspired by the cattails that grow near her house. She says when

she thinks of wetlands, she thinks of cattails. When she found out she won the con-

test she was excited, but it never crossed her mind that her design would actually win.

Cayla enjoys taking photographs, particularly of sunsets, and she would like to pursue

a career in photography. Congratulations to Cayla on a great logo design!

Wetland Ecology, continued

Community Forum

Great blue herons are graceful in flight,

and their large wingspans allow them to

cruise through the air at 20 to 30 miles

per hour. Photo by Sara Owen.

small fish, but eat a variety of

foods, including shrimp, crabs,

aquatic insects, small mam-

mals, amphibians, reptiles, and

even small birds. Their long

legs allow them to search for

prey in waters that most other

birds cannot wade. They lo-

cate their prey by sight, then

stab it with their sharp bills.

Great blue herons usually

breed in colonies, with up to

500 nests per colony. They

build bulky stick nests in which

females lay 3-6 pale blue eggs

that she incubates for about 28

days. Both parents feed the

young by regurgitating food.

Great blue adults have few

natural predators, though they

can be taken down by bears,

raccoons, bald eagles, great

horned owls, and occasionally

red-tailed hawks. Eggs and

hatchlings are preyed upon by

vultures, hawks, and raccoons.

Great blue herons are found in

Arkansas year-round.

Animal of the Month: Great Blue Heron

Scientific Name:

Ardea herodias

T he great blue heron is a common wading bird near the

shores of lakes, ponds, and

wetlands throughout North

and Central America.

The great blue is the largest

North American heron, with a

standing height of about 4.5

feet and a wingspan of 5-6 feet.

Great blues feed primarily on

Page 2 The Cypress Knee Volume 2 Issue 11

Think you’ve seen a large

beaver dam? The largest

known beaver dam in the

world was identified by

satellite imagery in 2007.

The dam is located in Wood

Buffalo National Park, Al-

berta, Canada. It is ap-

proximately 2,790 feet

long—that’s over 1/2 mile!

Wetland Trivia

Showcasing the community’s photos, stories, and more

Featuring plants, animals and other critters in your area.

Left: Cayla French, designer of the White Oak Bayou

Wetland Management Plan logo. Right: the new logo.