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RALEIGH, N.C. (May 18) – As a blue heron circles above in search of an early morning meal, Mark Fowlkes stands on the bank and looks out over the stream that has occupied much of his life for the last two years.
“Goose Creek was, at one time, an important economic and recreational asset to Union County,” Fowlkes, a biologist with N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, said. “Many older residents remember playing in the creek as children, around the old grist mills that once lined the creek. They swam, they fished, they even collected mussels in Goose Creek. Unfortunately, those days are gone.” Today, Goose Creek is of little recreational use and has virtually no economic importance. Few people swim in it, few people fish in it, and no one collects mussels in it. As the agricultural lifestyle in Union County has changed to a rapidly urbanizing area, Goose Creek has changed as well. The clean, clear water of yesterday has degraded into a murky, silty creek that worries Fowlkes and a growing contingent of landowners, local governments and volunteers, who have made restoring the imperiled watershed their number one priority. Why is the diverse group so concerned about restoring a stream that has generated little public interest over the last 50 years? According to Fowlkes, the answer is simple: good wildlife habitat and water quality are essential. They are essential to the health and well being of the aquatic species who call the watershed home as well as the people who live in and around the watershed. Improving the water quality and wildlife habitat in the Goose Creek watershed has been a priority for several years. In 1998, the Wildlife Commission approached landowners to acquire conservation easements on their properties. To date, 23 easements have protected permanently 156 acres along Goose Creek and its main tributary, Duck Creek. “Permanent protection means these areas will never be developed,” Fowlkes said. “Current forested areas will remain forested, and we have planted trees and other kinds of vegetation on non-forested areas. The goal is to benefit wildlife and landowners alike by returning these places to a more natural state.” Protecting the Goose Creek Watershed to Save Rare Aquatic Species Protection of the 42-square-mile Goose Creek watershed is important because it is one of only six places in the world where the Carolina heelsplitter, an endangered and extremely rare freshwater mussel, is found. Along with the heelsplitter, other rare mussel species living in Goose Creek include the Atlantic pigtoe and Carolina creekshell, the creeper, the notched rainbow and the eastern creekshell. “Mussels may not rate high on the warm-and-fuzzy scale, but they’re excellent indicators of water quality and stream health so saving them is imperative,” Fowlkes said. “When mussels disappear from streams due to loss of habitat and poor water quality, people should worry because their disappearance could mean that a stream may no longer be suitable for recreation.” Due to rapid expansion and development of urban areas, water quality is the number one environmental issue facing Union County. “Fields and forests are being replaced by roads, driveways and parking lots. Rain that normally soaks into the soil now flows into storm drains and, eventually, to Goose Creek,” Fowlkes said. “Over time, this tremendous volume of water overwhelms the stream, eroding stream banks and creating silt-filled bottoms that smother aquatic wildlife and degrade the water quality.” Because of sediment and other pollutants, parts of Goose Creek do not meet state standards for safe, recreational wading and support of aquatic wildlife — a status Fowlkes hopes to change for the better through numerous watershed-enhancement projects already completed and others planned for the future. Working Together to Improve the Goose Creek Watershed To purchase conservation easements along Goose and Duck creeks, the Wildlife Commission turned to the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund, which provided a $1.8 million grant that specifically addressed Goose Creek’s water-pollution problems. In addition to buying conservation easements, the Commission used the grant to fund other projects, including the restoration and stabilization of five tributary streams and ditches bordering Goose Creek. “We sloped the banks back and created a beneficial flood plain for the stream. Then, we stabilized the banks with vegetation,” Fowlkes explained. “These enhancements will improve the water quality by reducing sediment going into the water. Creating a more stable stream should reduce problems for landowners because they won’t be losing their properties to erosion. Plus leaving buffers along these streams improves water quality by filtering nutrients and other pollutants from runoff.” The Commission has teamed with local citizens and municipalities such as the towns of Stallings and Mint Hill, as well as Mecklenburg County, for several water-enhancement and public-awareness efforts, including storm drain stenciling in several Union County neighborhoods. “By organizing these events, we hope to make residents more aware of local water-quality problems and help them learn how they can minimize pollution coming from their properties to streams,” Fowlkes said. “For instance, if homeowners recognize that the fertilizer and weed killer they’ve applied to their lawns will, at some point, wind up in Goose Creek, they may realize that proper application of these chemicals will help keep the stream safe for their kids to play in, as well as help protect aquatic life.” Fowlkes also helped coordinate the restoration of 20 acres of creekside habitat bordering Goose and Duck creeks. Volunteers planted trees along the banks to create a riparian buffer that provides ecological benefits to landowners and wildlife alike. “Besides being aesthetically pleasing, a tree-lined stream bank reduces soil erosion and sedimentation of stream beds, while shading and cooling the stream, which provides optimal temperatures for wildlife,” Fowlkes said. “Riparian buffers add to the overall quality of life in rural areas by providing green, open space and natural areas where people can go to hike and watch wildlife.” Last month, Commission biologists planted a wetland area with native vegetation. In addition to its aesthetic appeal, native vegetation filters pollutants and provides habitat for a diverse array of wildlife. They also treated the area with an herbicide to help control invasive exotic species, such as Chinese privet and multiflora rose. “Invasive plant species can take over a landscape quickly, smothering or out-competing native vegetation,” Fowlkes said. “This reduces plant biodiversity and eliminates a valuable food source and shelter for wildlife.” Educating the Public to Increase Awareness of Water-Enhancement Issues While these efforts so far have helped improve habitat and water quality in Goose Creek, much work remains. Fowlkes, along with Bianca Bradford, Goose Creek outreach education specialist for the Commission, are working with local citizens, the N.C. Division of Water Quality, Mecklenburg County and other local municipalities to identify major sources of pollution in the watershed. They also are coordinating efforts to educate the public about the secondary impacts of development on natural resources. “The Commission wants to help people identify ways to protect the natural resources in the Goose Creek watershed while maintaining their quality of life,” Fowlkes said. “Our goal is to focus on positive, on-the-ground projects that will produce benefits for wildlife and the residents within the watershed.” The Commission also plans to work closely with governments, town planners, developers and builders to incorporate concerns for wildlife and natural resources into construction projects. “By getting involved early in the planning process, we hope to minimize impacts associated with growth, which should streamline the permitting process for building developments and road projects.” For more information on upcoming watershed-enhancement projects, including volunteer opportunities, contact Fowlkes at (704) 875-5370. |
