By Judy Reed
The third part of a wetland restoration along Cedar Creek was completed this week with the planting of almost 3,000 native plants to create a pollinator garden that will help improve water quality and filter storm water.
Josh Zuiderveen and Jamie Vaughan of Trout Unlimited headed up the restoration that was done on city land just north of the creek and to the east of the White Pine Trail.
The restoration was made possible by a $200,000 grant two years ago from the Department of Environmental Quality to Trout Unlimited for this project in the Rogue River watershed. The City of Cedar Springs and the Cedar Springs Community Building Development Team contributed $22,000 to this project.
The first two projects took place behind the Cedar Springs Public Library and further upstream. This third project included excavation of the land that lies to the north of the creek and up to Pine Street. They installed a berm for water to flow over, and volunteers planted 2,850 plants, made up of a dozen different types, according to Vaughan. She also said the Cedar Springs Brewing Company donated lunch for volunteers that day.
pollinator garden as part of the wetland
restoration. Post photo by J. Reed.
Zuiderveen explained that the pollinator garden will help capture stormwater runoff from the road and reduce flooding downtown. It will also help clean the water. “The area is pretty flat,” he said.
He also explained how the berm would work. “During a rain event, a little puddle will get bigger. And during a big rain event, that puddle will get all the way up to the top and then slowly overflow over here,” he said pointing at the berm.
He said maintenance will involve a periodic check to make sure the drain isn’t clogged, and they may have to scrape out the basin once every 10 years to clean out a build up of sediment.
Cedar Creek is one of the coldest tributaries to the Rogue River and supports healthy populations of brook, brown, and rainbow trout, but is at risk due to the continued development of the watershed and wetland loss.
These wetlands will not only improve water quality of Cedar Creek and the Rogue River but also provide the Cedar Springs community many opportunities to experience nature through enjoying the birds and butterflies, observing the blooms of native flowers throughout the seasons, and hearing the songs of spring peepers and other wildlife.
