Wildcat Creek -
The Stream at DNC
Urban Forestry: The Anti-Concrete!
A brief look at the Wildcat Creek stream restoration project, sponsored by the Georgia Forestry Commission, Urban Forestry Council.
The purpose of DNC’s project was to expand its wetlands restoration, developing a tree inventory and site plan, stabilizing stream banks, and educating the community on forestry best practices. Objectives included baseline documentation of the forest resources, education of volunteers and neighbors, and demonstration of appropriate plantings. DNC removed virtually all the invasive non-native plants in the wetlands area, funded a site survey and baseline tree inventory, educated hundreds of visitors on forestry principles and practices. The final push of work to stabilize the stream bank began in mid-November 2005. Ads in local papers and additional educational materials showed off the end results.
Five hundred thirty-nine students and scouts participated in twenty-three field trips in the wetlands during the project term. Four hundred forty one volunteers learned about the effects of invasive exotics and the role of native plants in creating stable habitat, not to mention providing over 800 hours of labor to remove the invasives. About 3500 Park visitors during several major events, Earth Day, the Garden Tour, Butterfly Festival, and DNC Family Reunion, viewed posters and flyers describing the problem and proposed solutions. Prior to the messy work of installing the stream structures and vegetating the new bankfull bench, a detailed site survey and tree inventory were completed, and baseline macroinvertebrate counts conducted. We have recruited an Eagle Scout working on his Hornaday Award to follow the changes in tree inventory over time.
New collaborations brought students from Georgia Perimeter College, Dunwoody High and Holy Innocents Episcopal School for service-learning projects. University of Georgia landscape architecture professor Alfie Vick visited the site created a student project to develop a rain garden in Dunwoody Park. DeKalb Park and Recreation Department officials enthusiastically supported the project, providing plants and trees, staff expertise, hauling of boulders, removal of dirt and debris, and paying the large expense of the major contractor as match. Boy Scouts completed their Forestry Merit Badge during Arbor Day weekend 2005, meeting foresters, learning basic principles of forest management, trying out tree ID, and performing hours of service in the wetlands. Typical of initiatives at Dunwoody Nature Center, this project is bearing fruit beyond the life of the grant, as relationships with participants will yield new ideas and programs.
The tree inventory was conducted in the summer of 2005. DNC members attended the 15th anniversary celebration where design engineers and county staff educated participants on the project. “Nature Sounds” newsletters throughout the project term detailed its progress. The Northside Neighbor and DeKalb Neighbor ran front-page articles on the project, the Dunwoody Crier covered it extensively. The new Web page was created on the DNC Web site early in the project. Additional deliverables not anticipated in the original proposal include new “borrow and return” cards for the wetlands and forest.
DNC trained over 400 volunteers on the impact of invasive plants, and remedies using best forestry practices. Over 500 students and scouts studied forestry, plants, trees, and watershed issues during the project term. Thirty trees were planted on Arbor Day 2005, and another 185 plants installed upon completion of the dirtwork and matting.
Click the links below to see some of the work...
Photo 1 | Photo 2 | Photo 3 | Photo 4
Photo 5 | Photo 6