s2ary
09-19-2007, 09:33 PM
The wetland restoration plan is composed of many independent facets which will combine into a complex project that reaches out to improve the wildlife values beyond the boundaries of the former drive-in theater. Like a string that connects two tin cans, the stream that flows through our site has the potential to allow the ocean to pass messages to the larger Paul’s Island Swamp watershed owned by the Essex County Greenbelt Association. Unfortunately, due to the cumulative impacts of urbanization these transmissions of productivity stopped long ago.
As the City of Gloucester grew up around this small, 300 acre watershed, the gently sloped lower portions became modernized with commercial and residential developments. Overtime, the watershed was further divided by residential streets and a major highway. The Paul’s Island Swamp area of the watershed remained mainly untouched, thanks in part to the steep slopes and thin rocky soils. As the impacts in the lower watershed continued to accumulate, the upper watershed became isolated from the ocean it once fertilized, and the productivity of both resources has suffered.
The changes that have impacted this resource were put in place nearly a half century ago, and because geological time passes slowly, these impacts continue to degrade the area to this day. As our plan unfolds, we will systematically address the negative impacts and slowly return the site to a sustainable trajectory that overcomes the impacts from the surrounding urbanization, and instill a commitment of stewardship to ensure its success.
The proposed project for the primary development site has been broken down into six restoration goals. These six goals will work independently with additional off site considerations that are designed to enhance the viability of the six goals for the primary development site. The additional off site considerations will be included in peripheral projects such as traffic routing and utilities improvements.
Restoration Goals for the Primary Site
1) Develop Innovative Watershed Management Methodologies for Urbanized Watersheds
More and more resource managers are beginning to understand the extent of the cumulative impacts from the years of urbanization. Many of the telltale signs we are becoming increasingly aware of are similar to the early ecological shifts noted 20 years ago in the sprawl communities surrounding New York City. This is of great concern to resource managers. If these potential indicators such as; primary vegetation shifts in the interiors of ‘unrestricted’ salt marshes and anadromous species declines are the indications of a significant loss in ecological resources, than steps towards identifying and abating these effects are a priority.
In the primary site restoration plan we will be combining five relatively new site planning considerations in an attempt to reverse many of the ‘urban’ impacts that currently limit the resource’s potential. It is our beliefs that with documentation and future refinements, these considerations could become standardized for use at most redevelopment sites. In the goals to follow great attention has been place on abating thermal retention, maintaining permeability within the landscape, infiltration and utilization of storm water runoff, isolation and treatment of impacted sub watersheds, and the fostering of long-term stewardship relationships to help manage the restored resources.
2) Riparian Corridor Restoration
The perennial stream that runs through the site has been impacted many times during the land use changes at the site. As mentioned above, we feel that these changes have degraded the stream’s potential significantly and because the stream is the link between two larger resources, our primary efforts should be focused on restoring and enhancing the stream’s potential. To accomplish this we are proposing to relocate the stream to an approximate location as shown on a map from the mid 1800’s. Proposing such a bold move allows the project to establish many more intrinsic riparian values than if we were to utilize the existing streambed. This move will also allow us to avoid any potential issues with entrained materials from the Rt. 128 runoff that discharges directly into the existing streambed.
Locating the stream in the approximate 1800’s location allows for the maximum buffering of the streambed in the center of the restored riparian corridor. This will aid in isolating the high quality water from the sub watershed that originates in the Paul’s Island Swamp Area (PISA Watershed). In addition we will further isolate the PISA Watershed by day lighting an intermittent stream originating from the north sub watershed and maintaining and enhancing the existing streambed to treat and isolate the runoff from Rt. 128.
The day lighted stream from the north sub watershed will function as a buffer to the PISA Watershed by flowing parallel to the developed areas of the site and along side the PISA Watershed streambed for as long as is practical. Running these to streams adjacent to each other will prevent the potential degradation of the PISA Watershed’s high quality water from the north watershed’s stream flow and groundwater discharges. In addition, by maintaining and enhancing the existing streambed adjacent to Rt. 128 with the installation of settlement chambers and aerobic bacterial filtration units the project will improve and isolate the intermittent Rt. 128 discharges for the entire length of the riparian corridor. These steps will help maximize the fisheries potential of the PISA Watershed.
As the City of Gloucester grew up around this small, 300 acre watershed, the gently sloped lower portions became modernized with commercial and residential developments. Overtime, the watershed was further divided by residential streets and a major highway. The Paul’s Island Swamp area of the watershed remained mainly untouched, thanks in part to the steep slopes and thin rocky soils. As the impacts in the lower watershed continued to accumulate, the upper watershed became isolated from the ocean it once fertilized, and the productivity of both resources has suffered.
The changes that have impacted this resource were put in place nearly a half century ago, and because geological time passes slowly, these impacts continue to degrade the area to this day. As our plan unfolds, we will systematically address the negative impacts and slowly return the site to a sustainable trajectory that overcomes the impacts from the surrounding urbanization, and instill a commitment of stewardship to ensure its success.
The proposed project for the primary development site has been broken down into six restoration goals. These six goals will work independently with additional off site considerations that are designed to enhance the viability of the six goals for the primary development site. The additional off site considerations will be included in peripheral projects such as traffic routing and utilities improvements.
Restoration Goals for the Primary Site
1) Develop Innovative Watershed Management Methodologies for Urbanized Watersheds
More and more resource managers are beginning to understand the extent of the cumulative impacts from the years of urbanization. Many of the telltale signs we are becoming increasingly aware of are similar to the early ecological shifts noted 20 years ago in the sprawl communities surrounding New York City. This is of great concern to resource managers. If these potential indicators such as; primary vegetation shifts in the interiors of ‘unrestricted’ salt marshes and anadromous species declines are the indications of a significant loss in ecological resources, than steps towards identifying and abating these effects are a priority.
In the primary site restoration plan we will be combining five relatively new site planning considerations in an attempt to reverse many of the ‘urban’ impacts that currently limit the resource’s potential. It is our beliefs that with documentation and future refinements, these considerations could become standardized for use at most redevelopment sites. In the goals to follow great attention has been place on abating thermal retention, maintaining permeability within the landscape, infiltration and utilization of storm water runoff, isolation and treatment of impacted sub watersheds, and the fostering of long-term stewardship relationships to help manage the restored resources.
2) Riparian Corridor Restoration
The perennial stream that runs through the site has been impacted many times during the land use changes at the site. As mentioned above, we feel that these changes have degraded the stream’s potential significantly and because the stream is the link between two larger resources, our primary efforts should be focused on restoring and enhancing the stream’s potential. To accomplish this we are proposing to relocate the stream to an approximate location as shown on a map from the mid 1800’s. Proposing such a bold move allows the project to establish many more intrinsic riparian values than if we were to utilize the existing streambed. This move will also allow us to avoid any potential issues with entrained materials from the Rt. 128 runoff that discharges directly into the existing streambed.
Locating the stream in the approximate 1800’s location allows for the maximum buffering of the streambed in the center of the restored riparian corridor. This will aid in isolating the high quality water from the sub watershed that originates in the Paul’s Island Swamp Area (PISA Watershed). In addition we will further isolate the PISA Watershed by day lighting an intermittent stream originating from the north sub watershed and maintaining and enhancing the existing streambed to treat and isolate the runoff from Rt. 128.
The day lighted stream from the north sub watershed will function as a buffer to the PISA Watershed by flowing parallel to the developed areas of the site and along side the PISA Watershed streambed for as long as is practical. Running these to streams adjacent to each other will prevent the potential degradation of the PISA Watershed’s high quality water from the north watershed’s stream flow and groundwater discharges. In addition, by maintaining and enhancing the existing streambed adjacent to Rt. 128 with the installation of settlement chambers and aerobic bacterial filtration units the project will improve and isolate the intermittent Rt. 128 discharges for the entire length of the riparian corridor. These steps will help maximize the fisheries potential of the PISA Watershed.