In regards to the support for native plant preservation and usage, I have long been disappointed in most city/county parks. What they consider “greenspace” is mostly ballfields, tennis courts,
and playgrounds. Any natural areas and streams that might be in them are often
ignored, degraded, and covered in invasive plants. But there are some streams
that are important and attention to the buffers that protect them are required.
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| Signage |
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| The end of restored section |
At Wills Park in Alpharetta near me, I recently came across
a buffer restoration project. While it seems the work is recent, I found this description of the project
dating back to 2018: “Foe Killer Creek is a perennial stream that flows through
Wills Park in Alpharetta, continues into Big Creek and eventually into the
Chattahoochee River. Unfortunately, the creek has been identified as an
impaired (polluted) stream due to increased presence of fecal coliform bacteria
and sediment load.”
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| Sediment-filled area not yet restored |
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| Restored area with willow |
Only part of the stream has been restored so far and
hopefully other sections will be addressed as well in the future. The plants
installed include trees (oaks, blackgum, sweetbay magnolia, hollies, black
willow); shrubs (Virginia sweetspire, dwarf wax myrtle); and perennials (ferns,
lizard’s tail, river oats).
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| Lizard's tail, Virginia sweetspire, river oats, wax myrtle |
The stream in the restored area looked pretty clear and small fish and water strider bugs were visible from a pedestrian bridge and I saw a frog hop in. Signs and orange mesh fence help to inform the public and keep people out while the plants get established.
I look forward to seeing how they manage the area over time and hope that other communities take steps to improve their streams as well.
