[MAIPC] Woodend's stream restoration and the Stormwater Partners Network

[Kathy Daniel]

Dear Ken:

I think you will be very pleased with what is happening at Woodend. Check
out the ANS December Conservation Blog "Woodend Restoration Watch: Stream
and Trail Restoration Updates" (
http://conservationblog.anshome.org/blog/woodend-restoration-watch-stream-and-trail-restoration-updates/),
where Alison Pearce, Director of Restoration & Deputy Director of ANS,
replied to a comment asking about why the Woodend stream restoration
includes tree loss:





*The stream restoration was necessary to stabilize the stream banks, which
had eroded into a 15-foot deep canyon below Jones Mill Rd. This erosion was
not only unsightly, but also washed hundreds of pounds of sediment and
pollutants downstream to Rock Creek and the Chesapeake Bay. With climate
change and increasingly intense storms, this situation would only have
gotten worse. Likewise, our main woodland trail at Woodend was eroded from
heavy stormwater runoff, forming tripping hazards and making it completely
inaccessible to those using wheelchairs, walkers or strollers. We combined
the stream and trail restoration into one project to minimize the amount of
disturbance in our forest.Counterintuitively, restoration does sometimes
require the removal of trees. The trees that are being removed as part of
the project are those directly along the stream banks and in the area that
must be graded to construct the accessible trail. Logs from the trees that
are being removed are being put to good use on-site as part of the dams
that make up the stream restoration. At the end of the project, the entire
area will be planted with 370 native trees, 800 native shrubs and nearly
10,000 native herbaceous plants. While it is painful to lose mature trees,
the replanting gives us the opportunity to improve the health of our forest
in meaningful ways. We will plant a diverse assemblage of native tree
species including those with high wildlife value, such as oaks and
hickories that are currently lacking in our forest. We will replace the
non-native invasive bush honeysuckle with native shrub species, such as
chokeberry and arrowwood that create quality bird habitat, and we will
replace the forest floor vegetation that was decimated by decades of
overpopulated deer.This project achieves major ecological improvement for
habitat at Woodend. We have also placed 23 acres of forest at Woodend into
a permanent conservation easement as part of this project.*

I understand that you worked with Woodend's Director of Conservation and
other advocacy coalition members of the Stormwater Partners Network on a
recent letter on Montgomery County’s overall stormwater permit. The
position you came to as a coalition made it clear that, while there isn't
full consensus on the issue, the various groups all agreed that caution and
care are warranted on any decisions about stream restorations.

“…we do not have unanimity on every detail of the recommendations, nor on
the overriding question of whether stream restorations are ever or at all
appropriate. But *we do all believe that if they are done, they should be
done with extraordinary care, caution, and forethought to ensure that they
result in benefits to the ecology of the local stream valley and riparian
system, as well as downstream beneficiaries of reduced sediment pollution
such as the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. And, they should be tightly
coupled with extensive upland retrofits, ideally before restoring the
stream valley*.”

There is a need for stream restorations of some types in some places (e.g.,
at Woodend), so I am concerned that a 'pause' at this point could
completely upend the current MS4 (stormwater) permit process and cause
significant delays to other, much-needed stormwater management projects
throughout the county.

Kathy

Ken Bawer
Feb 16, 2021, 8:16 PM (10 hours ago)
to me

Hi, Kathy.

My assessment of the Montgomery County projects was based on the publicly
available data on DEP's web site which provides goals vs. results. I only
looked at projects done through the DEP. Unfortunately, Parks did not post
any of their results even after I requested them. It will be interesting to
see the results at Woodend.

Regards,
Ken

Kathy Daniel <kdaniel20816 at gmail.com>
Feb 16, 2021, 7:16 PM (11 hours ago)
to Ken

Dear Ken:

I couldn't agree with you more that "stormwater from developed areas needs
to be addressed by keeping stormwater out of stream valleys to begin with."
Absolutely! However, I am afraid that those efforts will make a small dent
in the amount of stormwater that we get from our ever-increasing deluges. I
am sorry that you think none of the stream restorations in Montgomery
County have been well designed. Do you include Woodend in that assessment?

Kathy

On Tue, Feb 16, 2021 at 7:08 PM Ken Bawer <kbawer at msn.com> wrote:
Hi, Kathy.

I certainly respect your opinion. My review of the scientific literature
and a review of the results of *"stream restorations" in Montgomery County
tells me that none of them have been well-designed.* (KD emphasis added)
The root cause of the problem - stormwater from developed areas - needs to
be addressed by keeping stormwater out of stream valleys to begin with.

Regards,
Ken

From: Kathy Daniel <kdaniel20816 at gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2021 5:32 PM
To: Ken Bawer <kbawer at msn.com>
Cc: Marney Bruce <marneyb3 at gmail.com>; MAIPC Listserve (
maipc at lists.maipc.org) <maipc at lists.maipc.org>
Subject: Re: Pause "Stream Restoration" Letter

Dear Ken:

I applaud your efforts to push the Montgomery County government to more
narrowly define "stream restoration," but I am afraid that a "pause" may
quash some well-designed, much needed stream restorations.

Please take my name off of the letter as written. Best wishes with future
success.

Kathy Daniel
MNPS, MAIPC, Wild Ones
Brookmont, MD
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