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construction photos

The construction process for the wetland began by rupturing the early Twentieth-Century drainage tiles buried under a few inches of soil.  Once the tiles were broken, the area started filling with water.  After a few days, the soil was quite soggy.  (Photos in this sequence were mostly taken by Pam Morris.)

 

View of the site from the northeast; before the tiles were broken it was mostly a meadow.  (Autumn 2001)

View from the southwest; small "pocket wetlands" already existed in the lowest areas.  (Autumn 2001)

View from the northeast, just after the tiles were broken.  Areas destined to become islands were fenced off, and the surrounding area was excavated to varying depths to create a naturalistic pond habitat.  (Autumn 2001)

 

View from the southwest showing the typical water level in the constructed wetland; the water is mostly three to four feet deep, but some deeper holes were created to provide overwintering locations for fish and amphibians.  (Winter 2002)

 

Click here to see a plant list for the wetland.

Some of the native wetland vegetation that thrives at the site.  (Spring 2004)

Click here to see comparison photos from before and after the wetland construction.

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