Kara Horwitz Paper for Senior Sem

8/2/2019 Kara Horwitz Paper for Senior Sem

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Kara Horwitz

Revitalization Project at Meadowbrook Farm

Senior Seminar

Fall 2011

Introduction:

Meadowbrook Farm, located in Abington Township, Pennsylvania, is a 25 acre private

estate, garden, and nursery encompassing18 acres of second growth forests. Situated just outside

of North Philadelphia in Montgomery County, Meadowbrook falls into the Lowland Piedmont

Physiographic Section and lies within the Pennypack Creek Watershed. Prior to development,

the site of Meadowbrook was historically a part of Pennock Woods, a large forest system once

reflective of the classic Piedmont ecology. Although the second growth forest still maintains

characteristics of the traditional mixed deciduous plant communities of its earlier days, rapid

fragmentation has led to its existence as a typical woodland edge ecosystem which poses

relatively high risks of ecological disturbance.

The property of Meadowbrook has both woodlands and a series of demonstration gardens

that reflect a range of different habitats found locally in the region. Within the woodlands, there

is a small pond near the perimeter of the Meadowbrook property. This man-made pond was

established in the 1950s for the purpose of recreational fishing. Following the ponds

installation, the site was replanted with both native and exotic species which included a small

patch dedicated to a peat bog. However, over the latter part of the century the pond has lacked

sufficient attention and has thus been subject to invasive threats, overcrowding of the bog flora,

and excessive storm water runoff.


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Currently, the area surrounding the pond remains as an overlooked parcel of land.

Overgrown with species competing against the beneficial pond flora, it presents a need for

reestablishment to a well-functioning pond/riparian edge and bog. Although the area is unkempt,

it has great potential due to its nice stand of native plants already present. While undertaking the

renovation of the pond area, we aim to both complement and preserve its existing plant

composition. Yet, we will also improve the site to particularly highlight the bog section, and to

support and sustain more native plant and wildlife species associated with wetland ecosystems.

In order to perform the tasks of restoring the pond, we plan to eliminate undesirable plant species

and create a larger buffer zone on the riparian edge. With a larger buffer zone, the site will be

more equipped to handling the ponds high water levels during storm events. While doing this,

we will maintain an aesthetic appeal for garden visitors, and provide a site for educational

observation.

In addition to enhancing the direct border of the pond, we plan to create and install a

bioretention area near the pond for when its water holding capacity does exceed its limits.

Presently, there is an overflow outlet from the pond that empties out approximately ___ feet

down slope. The space that the overflow deposits into is a mess of underbrush and eroded soil.

The landscape there does not adequately capture the excess water, but merely creates a channel

for it to run along the side of the property. The water eventually drains to the lowest point of the

land, which consequently happens to be the property of a neighboring suburban homeowner. To

prevent this from further occurrence, the implementation of a bioretention area will help mitigate

the impacts ofthe ponds overflow outlet. In the form of a rain garden, this area will comprise of

all of the appropriate components and plants to capture absorb and infiltrate storm water runoff

into the soil. Through the use of these plants, we intend to greater ensure habitats and food


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sources for local wildlife as well, and hope that the site will autonomously develop into a

healthier ecosystem.

Materials and Methods:

In preparation for the tasks we set out to achieve, we have organized a detailed strategy

explaining the processes of renovation. We then grouped specific steps into larger phases of the

overall project. These phases include: accessing the current site conditions; researching the

principles of rain garden construction, riparian buffer restoration, and invasive management;

planning a renovation strategy and design; implementing the strategy and design; and monitoring

the management and development of the site post-renovation. These phases were further divided

to deal specifically with the bog area, riparian zone, and rain garden area, separately. In addition

to the physical and theoretical phases of the project, collaboration and communication between

Meadowbrook staff was also a primary and ongoing task.

Before beginning the renovation project we contacted Tom Reber, Grounds Manager of

Meadowbrook Farms, and met with him to discuss the potentialities of the site. While addressing

its principle needs, he informed us of his general hopes for the site and to what extent

Meadowbrook was able to participate in the project. After deliberation and brainstorming, we

then re-met with a developed proposal of how to incorporate the needs of the site and both

Meadowbrooks ideal and our restorative vision. At this time, we also laid out the framework for

the projects scope, and the intended calendar of events. Eventually initial proposals and

procedures were decided, and we were granted access to Meadowbrooks property and

equipment.


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Site Analysis:

Once receiving full support from Meadowbrook we began the foremost task of surveying

the site. The site assessment was broken down to measure both cultural conditions of the site,

and plant and wildlife species present. A primary measure was to track sun exposure.

Measurements showed that the eastern portion of the site, the majority of the northeastern

section, and small southeastern section had full sun exposure. The western and southern sides

were predominantly heavily shaded. Due to these factors, the designated rain garden area would

need to be comprised of shade tolerant species and the designated riparian area plants would

need to range from species tolerant of anything from full sun to full shade. Another key factor

observed was the hydrology of the soil which varied from highly saturated, to moderately

saturated, to upland dry soils. These factors gave us clues as to which species to plant in which

locations and also revealed the prosperity and diversity of existing species and their dependence

upon the conditions in which they were growing.

In order to determine the current health and integrity of the landscape, we did an

extensive survey and map of the site. After identifying all of the plant species we plugged them

into an online database called the Bowmans Hill Plant Stewardship Index Calculator (PSI). This

database, which is somewhat similar to the Floristic Quality Assessment, is a tool specifically

developed to evaluate the ecological integrity of native plant communities in the Piedmont

region of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The PSI works by designating each plant with a certain

coefficient of conservatism (CC). These numbers range from 0-10 representing their relative

ecological tolerances and their range of abundance in varieties of plant communities. Higher

numbers denote a decrease in plants ecological tolerances and an increase in their specificity to

more advanced ecological habitats. For instance, invasive plants are given the number zero


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because they are tolerant to a wide range of ecological conditions and are found in abundance

across many different habitats, whereas endemic plants, of higher numerical values, have less of

a capacity for ecological stresses and are found in a more narrow range of undisturbed locales. In

addition to assigning species with a figurative number, the resources also gives comments on

each species in terms of its nativity, wetland indicator status, optimal growing conditions, and/or

other notable factors. Once recording each plant into the database, it formulates an average CC

that indicates the sites relative levels of naturalness and disturbances.

Below is a copy of our site survey using the Bowmans Hill Stewardship Index Calculator


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This list contains 27 plants, of which 67% are native to PennsylvaniaPlant Stewardship Index Total Mean C Native Mean C Floristic QualityIndex12.26 2.89 4.33 18.38

PLANT STEWARDSHIP INDEX Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve P.O. Box 685, New Hope PA 18938 215-862-2924www.bhtp.org

For restoration purposes, the PSI calculator also allows for continual addition of new species, so

as to monitor the sites progress over time. In the results section of the paper there is an adjusted

version of the above survey to include both the plants we hope to introduce and eradicate. We

have done this to show a hypothetical representation and evaluation of the repaired sites

ecological quality.

Research:

Plan and Design:

Implementation:

Monitoring and Further Maintenance:

Results:

Conclusions:

References:


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Documents

Kara Horwitz Paper for Senior Sem