RogueAngler

From Tom Herder of the NEP:
We have 13,300 plants to plant, but we won’t need boats to get to them. We’ll lay the site out on Thursday and Friday, stage the plants at the Mobile Yacht Club, begin at 8 am on Saturday, and hopefully be done in time to catch kick off of the CBS 2:30 telecast.

On behalf of the Mobile Bay NEP, thanks for considering giving us a hand getting the marsh planted with productive native marsh plants on Saturday, November 7. We’ll meet at the site at 8 a. m. and work until we get done. We have 13, 300 plants to get in the ground, so there’s lots of work to do, but a team of two can get several planted in a minute. We’ll show you the techniques before we get started.

The marsh was infested with Phragmites australis (the common reed), but we have excavated the site to get more water in and out, treated the Phrag with an environmentally friendly herbicide, and now it’s time to restore the good stuff to provide ecological services to the local residents! I provided a picture of the restoration site. The remaining Phrag has been treated, and there is some good stuff (Schoenoplectus sp.) already filling in!

Please understand that you will NOT be clean (nor real dry) when this job is complete. I pulled my foot right out of my knee boot last week, so count on the mud being soft and deep. We’ll bring old timber, to help keep us up as we plant, but I’d wear a pair of old, good-fitting tennis shoes and lace’em tight! Shovels aren’t necessary, but a 2” by 2” piece of timber or a hand trowel works great creating the holes in which to place the plants. I’ll try to have some on hand, as well as some shovels (and we’ll probably use the handles rather than the blades).

The site is located just northeast of the Dog River Bridge, adjacent to and north of the Mobile Yacht Club (who is allowing us to stage the plants on their property). We’ll meet at 8 am, but if you’re racing in the Senior Bowl Run or attending the open house at the Environmental Studies Center, come on over when you’re finished. To get to the park head south on Highway 163, but instead of going over the bridge, veer right before you get on the bridge, follow the road as it curves around to the east towards the Yacht Club, then back north and into the parking lot of the Park. We’ll be there to meet you.

If you have any questions, please call Tom Herder at 251-431-6409 or email therder@mobilebaynep.com. Please send us an RSVP so we know to expect you and can gauge our work force.