July 2010
Volume 2 Issue 7
[email protected]
The Cypress Knee
Inside this issue:
Wetland Management
Plan Update
Newsletter of the White Oak Bayou Wetland Management Plan
1
Wetland Ecology: HGM 1
Export Organic Carbon
Plant of the Month:
Resurrection Fern
2
Community Forum
2
O’possum, my possum,
page 2.
Important Dates:
• July 6—Maumelle City
Council meeting, 6pm.
Scott Owen will provide
a 6 month update to the
council.
• July 20—Steering Committee Meeting, 3 pm.
South Room: Maumelle
Community Center
Wetland Management Plan Update
Current developments, meeting updates, and future plans
J une began with another field
trip by the Technical Advisory
Committee. The driving tour
examined the upper White Oak
Bayou watershed. A TAC
meeting mid-month answered
a few questions about sampling
logistics, but also raised several
more. Another field trip is
scheduled this month. After
that, it will be time to map the
subclasses and decide exactly
which wetlands are going to be
assessed in this phase of the
project. The two subclasses
that are going to be the focus
of this phase include the flats
and riverine backwaters.
The Steering Committee met
on June 14th. Chairman Scott
informed the committee that
his colleague in the Honors
College at UCA, Dr. Phillip
Frana (rhymes with piranha), is
very interested in the oral history of White Oak Bayou.
This will be an extraordinary
resource, not only for the Wetland Management Plan, but for
the community at large.
The SC also voted on a logo
for the White Oak Bayou
WMP. Mrs. Laura Mewborn’s
students at Maumelle Middle
School participated in the logo
contest. Nearly 100 entries
were narrowed down to 22 by
the members present at the
meeting. The finalists were
scanned and emailed to the SC
members, who are currently
voting on the winning logo.
The winner will be revealed at
the SC meeting on July 20.
In other news, Scott Owen
presented a talk to the Maumelle Citizens’ Association
June 17 that included a photo
tour of the watershed and an
introduction to the WMP. The
city of Maumelle submitted
another grant request to EPA
June 28th. This grant will help
the city complete the draft
WMP by December 2012.
Scott Owen will provide a 6
month update on the project to
the Maumelle City Council on
July 6th.
The TAC met June 21 to talk strategy.
Wetland Ecology: HGM function: export organic carbon
Exploring the functions and values of wetlands in the ecosystem
F
Story Ideas? Want
to be put on the
mailing list?
Contact us at
thecypressknee@
swbell.net
or anyone not familiar
with the biogeochemistry of
aquatic ecosystems, the term
“export organic carbon” may
seem pretty enigmatic. Never
fear! It’s not all that complicated. For starters, this function is defined as the ability of
a wetland to export both dis-
solved and particulate organic
carbon. Clear as mud, right?
Actually, you’ve probably seen
both of these without knowing
it. Particulate organic carbon is
large pieces of decayed leaves
and animals. A familiar site
around Arkansas for sure. Dissolved organic carbon is generally formed as a result of decaying plants and animals coming
into contact with water. Have
you ever seen a still pool of
water in a stream or in the forest that looks like dark tea? The
dark color is a result of organic
carbon compounds leaching out
of decaying leaves—dissolved
organic carbon. Tanins and
lignins are examples of organic
carbon compounds that turn
See Wetland Ecology, pg 2
Find this newsletter on Maumelle’s Planning and Zoning website: http://maumelle.org/city-departments/planning-a-zoning.html or at www.maumellewetlands.org.
Page 2
The Cypress Knee
Volume 2 Issue 7
Wetland Ecology, continued
pools of standing water dark
brown or even black. Make
more sense now?
Why are these organic compounds important and why
does it matter if they get exported from a wetland? These
forms of carbon may be very
important as a source of energy for organisms in downstream ecosystems. Dissolved
organic carbon is a major
source of energy for bacteria,
which form the base of the
food web in aquatic systems.
By the HGM definition, organic carbon can only be ex-
ported from wetlands that
dead snags) or through groundhave a hydrologic connection
water (O horizon of the soil),
to streams. In order to measand the frequency of flooding.
ure this HGM
function, the
model takes
into account
organic production (trees,
groundcover,
and shrubs), the
presence of
organic materials that may be
mobilized during a flood
(dead leaf litter, Periodic flooding of wetlands is required in order to export organic carbon.
Wetland Trivia
The resurrection fern has
traveled aboard the space
shuttle so astronauts can
observe how the plants
respond to rehydration in
zero gravity.
Plant of the Month: Resurrection fern
Featuring plants, animals and other critters in your area.
Scientific Name:
Pleopeltis polypodioides
T
he resurrection fern is
probably not a plant you are
likely to notice on your average
walk in the woods, but they are
interesting little plants.
What makes this plant so special? These ferns are epiphytes,
meaning they grown on other
trees. They have long, slender
rhizomes, which are similar to
roots in that the rhizomes attach the ferns to their substrate
and absorb water and nutrients.
They obtain all their water and
nutrients from the air or what
collects on the bark of a tree.
It gets its name because it can
withstand long periods of
drought by curling its fronds
inward. During a dry spell
these ferns appear brown and
completely dessicated. Dead,
right? Not quite! Just a small
amount of water can cause the
fern to revive itself to its green
color within 24 hours. Experiments have shown these ferns
can lose up to 97% of their
water and still survive. By comparison, most plants would die
if they lost 10% of the water in
their cells.
Their distribution is restricted
to the hardwood forests of the
southeastern U.S., and they are
commonly found on oaks and
cypress trees.
These resurrection ferns were climbing the
trunk of a dead tree near White Oak
Bayou. Photo by Sara Owen.
Community Forum
Showcasing the community’s photos, stories, and more
Y
ou never know what you may stumble upon while on
a walk in the woods, but it pays to have the camera ready at
a moment’s notice.
Far left: A dragonfly takes a brief rest on a twig near
DeVore Lake. Dragonflies are voracious predators of mosquitoes. Near left: Peek-a-boo! This possum was spotted
hiding in a hole in a tree. Good eye, Paul Lee!
Photos by Sara Owen.
Send ideas to [email protected].