Salt River Explorer » restoration

Burning Cattails – Aftermath

Dick Richards — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:41:46 +0000

As I described in my previous post, Burning Cattails, cattails were subjected to a controlled burn at Tres Rios Wetlands in Phoenix last Saturday. I returned there three days later to take a look at the aftermath of the fire.

The photo above shows the gazebo that is in the center of the cattail basin and so was at the center of the fire. The fireman cleared that area of cattails before the burn and kept the gazebo from damage during the burn. When the fire was extinguished, the basin was flooded as shown in the photos below.

Ron Elkins, Phoenix Water Services Department Operations and Maintenance Supervisor with responsibility for Tres Rios explained, “The burn was to deter growth by damaging existing foliage with the heat and then drowning the shoots before they can go into winter dormancy. This effects the growth cycle of the spring rush when the plant uses it’s reserves to push up new stalks. Hopefully when spring comes around the plant densities will be slightly less than current conditions.”

See previous posts about Tres Rios:
Wandering Tres Rios Wetlands
Bobcats At Tres Rios Wetlands
Burning Cattails
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Burning Cattails

Dick Richards — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:57:42 +0000

Last Saturday the terrific folks at Tres Rios Wetlands in Phoenix teamed up with other terrific folks from the Phoenix Fire Department to do a controlled burn of cattails. Cattails make a valuable contribution to a wetlands, providing habitat for wildlife and purifying water. However, their value diminishes when they become so thick that they choke the area that they inhabit, as in the photo below.

Along with a few other observers, I watched from the southern edge of the 3.2 acre pond shown above as the fireman ignited the northern edge and the fire moved toward us. The three photos below show the fire’s advance.

We onlookers had to change our position as the fire approached, but not out of danger from the flames; knowledgeable onlookers remarked several times that the fire was “well behaved.” It was smoke that drove us to new positions.

The fireman managed to burn the cattails while protecting a gazebo that they surround at the center of the pond and a bridge that crosses the pond at its western side.

I will make another visit to Tres Rios soon to see how the pond and cattails look after the burn. Stay tuned!
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See two previous posts about Tres Rios Wetlands: Bobcats At Tres Rios and Wandering Tres Rios.

(Thanks to Ron Elkins, Operations & Maintenance Supervisor at Tres Rios, for the invitation to watch and for lots of other things as well, and to Phoenix Fire Department Battalion Chief Walt Loerzel for sharing his wisdom about fire.)

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Wandering Tres Rios Wetlands

Dick Richards — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:02:57 +0000

The Tres Rios Wetlands is a beautiful and serene oasis tucked behind a waste water treatment plant east of 91st Avenue and just north of the Salt River bed in Phoenix.

But make no mistake about Tres Rios; it is not just a pretty face. It is also a serious experiment to understand how wetlands can improve water quality and provide a rich wildlife habitat. While I was there I met birders who were excited about red-tailed hawks, spoke with a photographer who was looking for a bobcat, and saw trees recently felled by a beaver.

Aquatic plants that produce oxygen while assimilating dissolved solids and carbon monoxide coat the pond in the photo below, giving it its own kind of beauty. And, yes, that small speck in the left center of the photo is a duck.

Tres Rios has pedestrian trails, a ramada and picnic area, a riparian trail, and a butterfly garden (pictured below).

For more information about Tres Rios, visit the website HERE. Also, see a Phoenix Magazine story about Tres Rios HERE.

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River News Updates 10-11-09

Dick Richards — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:59:32 +0000

Last week’s major news stories that involve the Salt River were both about wildlife in Tempe:

Endangered birds find a ‘Safe Harbor’ in around Town Lake – AZ Central.com

Endangered wildlife finds haven in Tempe – Arizona Republic

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Audubon Center Grand Opening

Dick Richards — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:04:43 +0000

The brand new Rio Salado Audubon Center will open on Saturday, October 10. It is located on the east side of South Central Avenue in Phoenix, just south of the Salt River.

The center aims to be, “…a gathering place where our neighbors can observe, learn from and celebrate the beauty of nature in their own back yard.”

Refreshments will begin at 9:30 a.m., and the opening will be at 10:00, followed by nature activities for adults and kids until 2:00. The opening is free and open to the public.

For more information about the Audubon Society in Arizona and the Rio Salado Center see:
Audubon Connecting Community With Nature (South Mountain District News)
Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center opens in October in Phoenix (Arizona Homegrown Solutions)

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