At a Glance
The result of the project is a stable stream channel, one acre of new wetlands, a large vernal pool, and three acres of invasive plants removed from a popular public park. The community now enjoys an educational stroll through a new and improved forest reservation.
Project Description
Biohabitats was chosen by the City of Hagerstown to lead a design-build effort to restore an unnamed tributary to Hamilton Run, which is a tributary to Antietam Creek. The stream begins at a storm drain outfall and flows approximately 1,000 feet along the edge of a park to Hamilton Run. The two-acre, wooded site was infested with non-native plant species such as Catalpa, Osage orange, Bush honeysuckle, Multi-flora rose, and Clematis. Because the stream channel was mostly on bedrock, Biohabitats recommended enhancing the floodplain with forested wetlands in order to achieve the project’s ecological improvement goal. The project also included a hiker/biker trail with educational signage through the site. Biohabitats assembled from its staff a diverse and experienced project team with a fluvial geomorphologist wetland scientist, forest ecologist, landscape architect, and invasive plant specialist. The design-build team included Meadville Land Service, Ecological Restoration & Management, and Invasive Plant Control. This assemblage of experts in ecological design and implementation provided the City of Hagerstown with a Supplemental Environmental Project that was beyond their initial expectations yet within budget.
Details
Bioregion
Chesapeake/Delaware Bays
Physiographic Province
Ridge and Valley
Watershed
Middle Potomac
Expertise Areas
Design & Build, Ecological Restoration, Urban Ecology, Water
Owner
City of Hagerstown
Location
Fairgrounds Park, Hagerstown, Maryland, United States
Project Team
- Meadville Land Service
- Ecological Restoration & Management
- Invasive Plant Control