On Monday, September 12th, 2011, the Friends of Shelby Park & Bottoms began a field management project (near the observatory adjacent to the wetland near the Bottoms main entrance) to:
• Encourage native plant growth, diverse habitats and wildlife use;
• Control non-native invasive plants;
• Maintain views and vistas for visitor enjoyment.
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The process of ecological restoration will begin with the mowing of invasive exotic vegetation, to clear the field for native restoration. The time of early September was chosen to protect native vegetation on the site and minimize the impact on wildlife by avoiding nesting seasons.
Over the years since it opened to the public in 1997, Shelby Bottoms has been increasingly plagued by the invasion of non-native plants, in particular: privet, bush honeysuckle, and Bradford pear. The lack of Parks Dept. funds for periodic mowing has also led to the dominance of a youthful forest of sycamore trees.
But the concept behind the Bottoms as a planned greenspace, in addition to its recreational and alternative transportation opportunities, is to present the land as a succession of growth patterns: mature forest, youthful forest, forest edge, shrub and grassy fields, and wetlands. The point behind this concept is educational, a matter of habitat maximization, and even safety perception, by preserving vistas through the parkland.
Through a comprehensive presentation of life cycles in the Bottoms, visitors are able to apprehend how Nature performs; e.g., which trees triumph during the growth stages, with oaks dominating the mature forest, and sycamores, sweet gums and pines flourishing during earlier cycles.
The presentation of the growth succession also ensures that the greatest diversity of wildlife can coexist within the Bottoms. For example, birds that live and nest in shrubs near wetlands, such as red-winged blackbirds, are attracted to a section of the Bottoms different from the habitat available for owls and hawks.
This was the plan for Shelby Bottoms. The present reality, however, is that the Bottoms is rapidly devolving into a monoculture.
To halt this loss of horticultural diversity, the Friends of Shelby Park & Bottoms has contracted with EcoLogic of Bloomington, Indiana to clear a field near the observatory adjacent to the wetland near the Bottoms main entrance to demonstrate how a restoration project can work. EcoLogic is an expert on habitat maintenance and native plant restoration that has conducted many projects for parks systems in Indiana and Ohio.
Please watch for the return of beautiful native wildflowers in the spring.
Many thanks to FOS Board Member Christine Kreyling for leading this initiative.
