Tuesday July 26, 2011

The Results Are In

The results for the coliform bacteria are positive both for the mid-stream sample

and the two smaller streams that join to form Turkey Branch. 

Here is a map showing the points where the mid-stream and upstream smaples were taken.

Sunday July 24, 2011

I dedicated today to removing Mile-a-Minute vines (Polygonum perfoliatum).  Today was another hot day.

This vine is everywhere, tangled with native vines such as this Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia).

This ridge was covered with Mile-a-Minute vines.

There is an exposed sewer pipe at mid-stream.

The lack of rain is promoting the growth of algae in the still water.

I walked up-stream, to the place where two smaller streams join to form Turkey Branch, in order to take water samples from each stream to test for coliform bacteria.

Saturday July 23, 2011

Today is another 100 degree day.  I dedicated this afternoon to removing Wine Berry bushes along the Matthew Henson Park trail.

Before:

After:

I chopped and pulled 45 larger Wine Berry bushes.  I also went back to check on the huge canopy of Mile-a-Minute vines:

These appear to be composting well.

I am now conducting a water quality study of Turkey Branch.  The first test is to detect Coliform bacteria - which is indicator bacteria used to detect fecal contamination of the water.  Coliform bacteria are  rod-shaped Gram-negative non-spore forming bacteria that can ferment lactose with the production of acid and gas when incubated at 35-37°C.

The test requires 44 to 48 hours to show the results.

Saturday July 16, 2011

Today was another hot day in the park.  I spent much of the time removing Mile-a-Minute vine.  They are especially thick and hearty this year, covering both the ground and climbing over trees. 

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

I spent some time walking the stream.  There is less trash than usual - which is a good sign!  I also ran into a resident of the stream!

The Stream's Darter population is doing very well this summer:

I picked up a bag of the usual bottle and other trash.

Saturday July 9, 2011

Today is a very hot day - temperatures are in the 90's and the humidity is about as high.  Today, I began by cleaning out an area of Japanese Stilt grass.

Before:

After:

I went up-stream where I found a huge area, along with a number of young trees planted by the State of Maryland, covered by Mile-a-Minute vines:


Before

After

Porcelain berries are also a problem in this area.

Before

After

The failure of the rip-raps (which were built by the State of Maryland and Montgomery County) are becoming worse:

Here is a video showing how Turkey Branch has by-passed the rip-rap and has continued to down-cut, exposing the roots of a large tree.

I spent the rest of the day collecting trash.