A number of people were quite shocked to notice yesterday that there were two ships running the Jolly Roger in Reed Lake yesterday and, understandably, had some concerns. Pirates are not to be trifled with, after all.
The explanation? Once a year, Canyon Crew takes some canoes out on the lake to do some work that we just can’t manage from the shore – picking garbage out of the water, pulling water-loving invasives such as nightshade, planting cuttings and seeds along steep banks and logs. More often, and we’d ruffle a lot more feathers than would probably be healthy for the resident waterfowl, so don’t be getting any ideas.
The previous day, we had collected and prepared cuttings of willow, dogwood and ninebark. While summer is not really the best time of year to make plantings – the plants are thinking more about making babies than putting down roots – we don’t really have that much of a choice in the timing. Approximately half the cuttings we put out there, along steep banks and on felled logs in the water, will take in the first year. Beavers particularly like the taste of willow and dogwood, which while good in its own way – the gnawing encourages the plants to take on a more bushy habit – also ends up killing a number of them. So, at the very least, we’ve supplied dinner to our resident beaver population, and hopefully helped ensure their long term meal plans in the process. These will also stabilize the banks somewhat, which tend to be undercut by the beavers. (Check out this Canyon Blog entry for some of their dam shenanigans.) Placing a cutting into a bank:
Earlier this summer, we collected and husked large quantities of lupin and native grass seeds. We brought these out on the lake with us to smear along bare surfaces. In particular, we made a point of covering the barren concrete pilings – which used to hold up a water pipe – with some nutritious muck sludged up from the lake bottom, and then a liberal portion of seeds. Hopefully the canyon will start looking a little less industrial and a little more restored down at that end if the seeds take!
This also gave us a beautiful perspective of the Canyon that not everyone will get to appreciate, being right on the water as opposed to walking well above it – working Canyon Crew has some pretty amazing perks.
On that note, summer Canyon Crew would like to bid everyone adieu for a few weeks while we get our student alter egos sorted out. We’ll see you in a bit!
