LESLIE BARTON
Marking the perimeter of a future pond in a dense field of cattails is not easy!
But members of the Armstrong Wetlands Association and Hill Environmental took on the challenge at the wetland parcel on the west side of Okanagan Street in downtown Armstrong.
A team met on the morning of Jan. 17 to lay the groundwork for the excavation of a pond which was scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Using a GPS and Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) grid to create reference points, they then used compass bearings and a measuring tape to mark the perimeter.
Wooden stakes were hammered in around this perimeter and longer bamboo sticks with flagging tape were attached so that they would be visible to the operator of the excavator when the digging begins.
The pond is step one of the enhancement plans for this small wetland.
In addition to a pond, the site will be enhanced with a small island and a hummock (built from the soil removed for the pond). The resulting change from a flat monoculture of cattails to more varied terrain with open water will increase the diversity of available habitats for local plants and animals.
After forming the pond, island and hummock – the next step will be to plant native grasses, shrubs, and trees on the areas of exposed soil.
Leslie Barton is a director with the Armstrong Wetlands Association
