Wetland Delineation of Parslow Road Conservation Area in Oaksville, New York
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Wetland delineation of Parslow Road Conservation Area in Oaksville, New York Katherine Berdan1 INTRODUCTION Wetland areas play a unique and vital role in the hydrologic cycle. As scientists gain a better understanding of the many different functions that wetlands provide (such as flood control, improving water quality, and providing habitats for a wide variety of organisms), it is apparent that wetlands need to be protected to maintain these important wetland functions (Edinger 2014). Disturbances created by humans can greatly alter the productivity and diversity within a wetland, potentially limiting its ability to reduce downstream flooding or remove nutrients from runoff. Today, wetlands are being threatened by construction, pollution and nuisance species. A study comparing the estimated acreage of wetlands in 1780 and the findings of the National Wetlands Inventory of 1980 shows a 60% decrease in wetland acreage in New York State (Welsch 1995). This huge loss of wetland environments is not limited to New York; the entire Northeastern Area of the USDA Forest Service has seen a 59% decrease in wetland acreage (Welsch 1995). It is vital that landowners understand the extent of a wetland before altering nearby areas (Browne et al. 1995), since wetlands come in all shapes and sizes. To obtain the approximate location of a wetland boundary, a wetland delineation is required. A wetland delineation consists of a field survey to observe and record changes in vegetation, hydrology, and pedology (i.e., the nature of soils) to determine the approximate location of the boundary between upland and wetland areas (Browne et al. 1995). Parslow Road Conservation Area (Figure 1) is an 86 acre property in Oaksville, New York purchased by the Otsego Land Trust in April, 2012 (Parslow 2013). It is bordered on one side by Oaks Creek, which flows out of Canadarago Lake for approximately 15 Km before joining the Susquehanna River. Several power lines run through the property, as does an abandoned rail bed. Portions of the parcel were previously used as a nursery for trees, most of which are dying due to the high water table in the area. Land cover types within the property include state and federal protected wetlands, as well as upland areas. Through a partnership with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the Upper Susquehanna Coalition, and the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, the Land Trust is planning to develop public access to this property and the creek that flows through it as part of the Blueway Trail system (Parslow 2013). The property owners’ ultimate goal was to gain a better understanding of the extent of the wetland and insight into the functions it may provide in the local and/or regional landscape. In order to accomplish this, the boundary of the wetland was determined via wetland delineation survey, yielding the wetlands’ size (areal extent) and location within the property boundary. Additional delineation surveys in winter or spring (when water tables are typically highest) would ensure the boundary presented in this report reflects the full extent of the wetland. 1 BFS Intern, summer 2014. Current affiliation: State University of New York at Geneseo. Funding for this project was provided by the Otsego Land Trust. Figure 1. The Parslow Road Conservation Area, Oaksville, Otsego County, New York. MATERIALS AND METHODS The process used for the Parslow property delineation project followed that found in Browne et al. (1995). This manual outlines the delineation methodologies used by the DEC and provides specific factors and indicators to evaluate when determining a wetland boundary. To determine a wetland boundary, zones with an undetermined wetland or upland status were evaluated. Randomly placed square meter grids (made out of pvc piping) were then set in each zone. At each grid site, vegetation, hydrology and soil types were evaluated and sampled to determine whether the site was characteristic of a wetland. Wetland indicators included the plant communities at each site. Obligate wetland species are those which are highly associated with wetland sites, while obligate upland species are indicative of upland areas (facultative species are those occurring in both wetland and upland conditions). Thus, communities comprised largely of obligate wetland and facultative plant species would indicate wetland conditions. Other factors considered when evaluating wetland status included the presence of gleysols (a type of hydric, or perennially waterlogged soil found in wetlands), a high water table, exposed roots, and water lines (Browne et al 1995). A Munsell Color Soil Chart was used to evaluate soils. Any samples of soil or vegetation that could not be identified were taken back to the laboratory for identification. After the initial site, the grid was moved to several other random sites nearby. After identifying both upland and wetland sites within each zone, flags were placed between the wetland sites and the uplands sites, showing the approximate location of the wetland boundary. The GPS location of each flag along the wetland boundary was recorded in order to map the extent of the wetlands. Throughout the delineation process periodic heavy rains saturated the soils and inundated low-lying areas. These weather conditions were carefully taken into consideration when determining hydrology indicators as per NYS Freshwater Delineation Manual instructions (Browne et al 1996). It should be noted that dense stands of the exotic multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) made traversing the upland areas extremely difficult. Machetes were used to access the wetland areas. RESULTS Sixty five boundary points were marked after surveying the main portion of the Parslow property, which excludes the parcel of land on the other side of Parslow road and the small section of property that extends in the northwest corner of the property (see Figure 1). In total, 147 sites were surveyed to identify these 65 boundary points. Figure 2 shows the wetland boundaries for the site. Since the property boundaries were not well marked, some of these markers were placed just beyond the property boundary (as seen in the northern section of the property). Plant species found within the boundary zones and their wetland indicator status were recorded for all sites and are listed in Table 1. As the following list is only comprised of species found within grid sites along wetland boundaries, it is not necessarily an exhaustive list of the total plant diversity at Parslow Road Conservation Area, but it is still useful in generating a species list for the property. Figure 2. Wetland delineation map of Parslow Road Conservation Area, 2014. Table 1. List of species found at Parslow Road Conservation Area delineation sites. WIS= Wetland Indicator Status (FAC= Facultative species, FACU= Facultative Upland species, FACW= Facultative Wetland species, OBL= Obligate Wetland species). Common Name Genus Species # of sites present WIS Alfalfa Medicago sativa 2 UPL American Beech Fagus grandifolia 3 FACU American Hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana 1 FAC Arborvitae Thuja occidentalis 21 FACW Black Ash Fraxinus nigra 3 FACW Black Cherry Prunus serotina 1 FACU Bladder Sedge Carex intumescens 3 FACW Blue Flag Iris Iris versicolor 6 OBL Canada Windflower Anemone canadensis 2 FACW Canary grass Phalaris canariensis 15 FACU Red Cedar Juniperus virginiana 1 FACU Common Reed Phragmites australis 4 FACW Table 1 (cont.). List of species found at Parslow Road Conservation Area delineation sites. WIS= Wetland Indicator Status (FAC= Facultative species, FACU= Facultative Upland species, FACW= Facultative Wetland species, OBL= Obligate Wetland species). Common Name Genus Species # of sites present WIS Cow Vetch Vicia cracca 7 FACU Dewberry Rubus invisus 5 UPL Dogwood Cornus alternifolia 7 FACU False Hellebore Veratrum viride 3 FACW Field Bedstraw Galium mollugo 5 FACU Forget-Me-Nots Myosotis scorpioides 1 OBL Fox Sedge Carex vulpinoidea 15 OBL Green Ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica 3 FACW Green Bulrush Scirpus atrovirens 7 OBL Hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli 10 FAC Hay Scented Fern Dennstaedtia punctilobula 4 UPL Hemlock Tsuga canadensis 10 FACU Horsetails Equisetum palustre 12 FACW Japanese Honeysuckle Lonicera japonica 4 FACU Jewelweed Impatiens capensis 9 FACW Katsura Tree Cercidiphyllum japonica 1 FACW Lance-Leaf Goldenrod Solidago graminifolia 15 FACU Linden Tilia americana 1 FACU Lurid Sedge Carex lurida 5 OBL Manna Grass Glyceria melicaria 6 OBL Marsh Bedstraw Galium palustre 4 OBL Marsh Thistle Cirsium palustre 1 FACW May Apple Podophyllum peltatum 1 FACU Meadow vetchling Lathyrus pratensis 1 FACU Moneywort Lysimachia nummularia 13 FACW Multiflora Rose Rosa multiflora 7 FACU Ostrich Fern Matteuccia struthiopteris 5 FACW Raspberry Rubus strigosus 1 FACU Redosier Dogwood Cornus sericea 9 FACW Rough Bedstraw Galium asprellum 2 OBL Sensitive Fern Onoclea sensibilis 33 FACW Silver Maple Acer saccharinum 4 FACW Skunk Cabbage Symplocarpus foetidus 33 OBL Speckled Alder Alnus incana 12 FACW Sticky Bedstraw Galium aparine 1 FACU Stinging Nettles Urtica dioica 2 FAC Tall Goldenrod Solidago altissima 29 FACU Tussock Sedge Carex strica 16 OBL Table 1 (cont.). List of species found at Parslow Road Conservation Area delineation sites. WIS= Wetland Indicator Status (FAC= Facultative species, FACU= Facultative Upland species, FACW= Facultative Wetland species, OBL= Obligate Wetland species). Common Name Genus Species # of sites present WIS Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia 4 FACU White Pine Pinus