Living on the Riparian Edge
- Friends of Bachman Lake
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Along the banks of rivers, streams and lakes, you can find the riparian edge. The soil and vegetation here is different because of the presence of water. In the southwestern United States they are a rarity, making less than two percent of the land area, yet supporting the highest density and abundance of plants and animals of any habitat type there.
We are blessed with riparian edges along Bachman Lake and Bachman Creek. Though the edge at Bachman Lake is not natural because it was formed through the establishment of the dam, we can still increase ground absorption along the edge by adding native prairie grasses with very deep roots. This will be a great consideration as we work with the City on a master plan for Bachman Lake Park and the Greenbelt.
The edge along the creek though, is natural as can be. Trees hug the edge of the water and provide shade, while turtles, fish, birds and even our local beaver enjoy the habitat.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest impacts of the privet invasion at the Greenbelt has been the loss of the native plants and grasses that used to grow along the edge of the creek, helping to stabilize the soil. As a result, we continue to lose large mature trees and chunks of precious land every time the creek floods.
With the recent removal of much of the privet, we now have access to land alongside the creek where we will be planting grasses like Inland Sea Oats, Soft Rush, and Eastern Gamagrass. We also need to plant those deep rooted grasses up in the meadow. Thanks to Texan by Nature (Laura Bush's non-profit), we were able to network at an event last fall where we met Angie Tripp with Inevitable Technology. Angie is growing native plants hydroponically, making them accessible year round at very reasonable prices. Our first acre of Texas native plants was planted in April by volunteers with AT&T.
What about you? If you have a team you would like to bring to the Greenbelt to help plant grasses along the creek, drop us an email!
