Stream Rewilding

This multi-agency, multi-phase wetland restoration and stream rewilding efforts across 130 acres previously used for agriculture was initiated in 2015 (See the time lapse below!). Mosaic Ecology was responsible for implementing the site preparation, installation, and maintenance of the long-term revegetation effort at the site. Engineering consultants and construction contractors worked to daylight previously buried streams, restore bank contours, and re-established natural hydrology. Small segments of remnant forested and scrub-shrub wetland habitat were used to guide revegetation efforts and form project objectives. 

Site preparation involved the control of non-indigenous species such as Phalaris arundinacea (Reed Canary Grass) and Rubus armeniacus (Himalayan Blackberry) through a variety of chemical and mechanical control methods. In 2018 planting efforts in Phase 1 reintroduced native plant communities, with 60,000 bare root shrubs and trees and over 100 pounds of native seed across 20 acres. During the same year, thousands of tires used to bury a stream were removed, thus “day lighting” the stream that historically ran through a large segment of the site. Other water control structures were removed, and large woody debris structures were installed. The reintroduction of native plant communities along the newly exposed channel began in winter of 2019 with over 100,000 bareroot plants, live stakes, and plugs being installed. Additionally, 200 pounds of native grass and forb seed were sewn. All live cuttings were made on site, or from other healthy wetlands nearby. Both invasive species control and the reintroduction of native plant communities have continued to this date, with a total of 260,000 bare root trees and shrubs, 45,000 live cuttings, 400 pounds of seed, and a combination of 50,000 plugs, bulbs, and rhizomes. Since the project began, Mosaic Ecology has spent over 3,500 hours controlling invasive species, over 3,000 hours reintroducing native plants, and 150 hours monitoring and mapping site conditions.