As rain runs off our rooftops and streets, it drains down into the stormdrains and is directed to the streams. This rush of water swells the stream which can then overtop the banks of the stream channel and flow into the riparian zone. The roots of the vegetation along the channel and banks help hold the soil in place and prevent erosion. As large volumes of water inundate the perennial plants and grasses, the weaker plants bend over and blanket the soil. The blanket of plant material covers and protects the soil (Figure 2) and provides shelter for young tree and shrub seedlings that have been growing in the shady nursery.
Habitat=more fish
In aquatic systems, an important component of the ecosystem is the type and abundance of “habitat” present. Habitat, also referred to as “structure”, are things such as submerged aquatic plants, emergent aquatic plants and floating periphyton, overhanging trees, and large woody debris. These components provide the materials, surfaces, and niches upon which algae and microorganisms colonize, insects can feed and breed, and small and large fish can spawn, feed, hunt, and hide. Together, habitat supports, diversifies, and enhances the food web of aquatic systems.
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Austin’s Grow Zones are beginning to transform into urban forests and aid in carbon sequestration.
Our Grow Zone program began in 2012 in about a dozen parks. The creeks were mowed all the way into the channel, like this photo of Bartholomew Park in 2012.
And then, it stopped! No more mowing on the creek’s edge! Massive growth has occurred in these three ye…
The water quality of the Barton Creek Watershed is the best in Austin as evaluated by the 2015 Environmental Integrity Index. Where does your creek stand?
Ladies and Gentlemen, please put your hands together for the 2015 Watershed Winner of the Environmental Integrity Index……Barton Creek!
This was a to…
A recreated stream from Eliza Spring will be home to Barton Springs Salamanders
Long before Zilker Park was home to Barton Springs Pool, the Barton Springs Salamander made its home at the springs in Zilker Park.
Although we would not rec…
A small-scale lake ecosystem, “microcosm” was designed to learn more about the growth of native cabomba and invasive hydrilla in Lake Austin and Lady Bird Lake.
Have you wondered why over a 13 year period Lake Austin would get choked with mats of the invasive exotic plant, hydrilla, yet Lady Bird Lake, just downstream, never experienced a hydrilla take-over?
Instead, what we have witnessed in Lady Bird Lake over the past five years is the growth of the native plant cabomba, notably between…
The Mearns Meadow Grow Zone is a beautiful site and would love to be adopted by you!
The Mearns Meadow Grow Zone at Quail Creek Park.
The Mearns Meadow Grow Zone is tucked away in the southwest corner of Quail Creek Park. This park is adjacent to the Restore Rundberg neighborhood revitalization area and has recently been the focus of Keep Austin Beautiful’s Beautify Austin initiative.
(Trivia: The creek running through Quail Creek Park is actually Little Walnut Creek. There’s…
Jollyville Plateau Salamander
Understanding what habitat conditions are important for a species provides valuable information whether you’re trying to prevent it from spreading or make a case for its existence. This is especially true for threatened and endangered species when we are trying to protect them or improve their habitat…
With a healthy creek here and a dirty creek there, how do we measure creek health? The Environmental Integrity Index (EII) is a program designed to continuously monitor and assess the water quality of Austin’s creeks and streams.
Austin’s creeks once ran clear in the wilderness, but now they run through the wilds of the city, picking up pollution and absorbing runoff from impervious cover and heavy rain storms. In order to understand how these urban challenges affect our creeks and develop policies that can protect them, the City of Austin uses a program called the Environmental Integrity Index (EII).
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Mosquitos are in your face again. Every year around this time a few citizens reach out to the Surface Water Team of the Watershed Protection Department because they think that droves of mosquitoes are emerging from the neighborhood creek or pond. City environmental scientists have found that this has not yet been true and that the real story is much more insidious.