June 28, 2024
This week was both busy and fulfilling as we embarked on various crucial activities to protect and restore our local water ecosystems. We started the week by enjoying the company of a friendly american toad at our fish ladder project and then set out for some vegetation surveys and salt marsh mapping in the beautiful Tryon estuary. Our team meticulously documented the diverse plant species and their distribution, which is vital for understanding the health and dynamics of these critical coastal habitats. These surveys help us track changes over time, helping us adapt our conservation strategies.
On Wednesday and Friday, we shifted our focus back onto stream restorations, and headed to sections of some local streams and gave Ryan the opportunity to showcase his newly learned chainsaw skills. We carefully cut trees that had fallen into the water and cleared debris to facilitate better fish passage. This approach ensures that natural habitats are preserved while enhancing the stream’s function. These hands-on projects are crucial for mitigating erosion, enhancing water quality, and providing safe fish passage, and each restored stream section is another step towards a healthier watershed. Not to mention it’s nice to cool down in the water on hot days!
Despite the busyness of the week we found the time to plant some trees and native shrubs. It may have been soggy work but it is a good thing our crew likes to play in the mud!
We also said goodbye to a majority of our tree swallow families this week. The chicks are all grown up and the time came for them to leave their nests. Although we will miss them dearly, we are so thankful we got to watch them grow and we hope that they will come back to us next year.
Go talk to some birds and dry your raincoat out.
-Love SSWA
