A few posts back, I offered up Kris Wraight's thoughts (as submitted to the Mail Tribune) on the matter of the "Cleanup" of the Bear Creek Greenway for safety. Wraight argues (correctly) that the focus on clearing the balckberry bramble and other shrubbery along the path did very little to address the underlying issues that brought about the rape of a 15 year old by several apparently homeless men living in the brush-shielded areas along the path.
Now before people miss my particular aim in this post, let's just note: #1 Rape is Bad, and #2 We Have a Obligation to Preserve a Safe Society. But this Greenway cleanup doesn't directly address either of those points. Instead, perhaps, we should consider some of the numbers highlighted at today's Poverty Summit - that 12.5% (one of eight) of residents of Jackson County lives below the poverty line... that average earnings in Jackson County lag 8% behind the state average... Maybe if we addressed these issues, we would find the very real problem created by a large transient population along the Greenway may be significantly addressed. On the Greenway, we respond to the rape of an innocent girl with the rape of nature.
photos by me, now hosted on
The majority of songbirds nest in shrub-type vegetation. About three-fourths of all birds build nests less than 15 feet above the ground with an average height of eight feet.
http://www.dfr.state.nc.us/stewardship/wwwildlife/www04.htm
Not only have we denuded huge amounts of habitat alongside a stream, including several seasonal tributaries once completely covered now exposed, we have managed to do it during nesting season. Songbirds are - pardon me, WERE - sitting on eggs, eggs were hatching out, and chicks were starting to fledge as the mowing booms swept through over the past couple of days.
Not only have we denuded huge amounts of habitat alongside a stream, including several seasonal tributaries once completely covered now exposed, we have managed to do it during nesting season. Songbirds are - pardon me, WERE - sitting on eggs, eggs were hatching out, and chicks were starting to fledge as the mowing booms swept through over the past couple of days.
Thickets of blackberries, with their bristle- and prickle-covered stems and leaves, provide excellent, protective habitat for small mammals and nesting birds. The fruits, of course, are relished by many animal species.
Hedgerows also serve as wildlife corridors to provide food, nesting and shelter year-round for birds and small mammals. Small animals such quail, rabbit, squirrel, and fox use the corridors as protective cover and to feed. Kingbirds, robins, goldfinches and song sparrows sing and nest in the hedgerow. Red winged blackbirds and meadowlarks rely on the tall shrubs for perching. Other birds such as wrens and thrushes will use the hedgerow extensively for food, habitat and protection from predators. Chose hedgerow shrubs that produce fruits, nuts, acorns, seeds and insects at different times of the year.
The combination of hedgerows and buffers planted along riparian areas will increase shade over the river and decrease water temperatures necessary for spawning and rearing salmon. Adding conifers such as sitka spruce and Western red cedar to the buffer will increase the amount of woody debris in the river which in turn increases insects and other macro-invertebrates, the main food of salmon.
These are from a few other states' wildlife departments, so reference species we don't neccesarily find here.
Collectively, blackberries and dewberries are one of the most important groups of plants to wildlife in the Southeast. The berries are a preferred soft mast food due to their succulence, high sugar, and vitamin content. The fruiting cycles of the native blackberries and dewberries provide wildlife with a supply of tasty and nutritious fruit from spring through late summer. Black bears, foxes, coyotes, raccoons, opossums, voles, and mice readily consume the berries. Gamebirds, songbirds, and woodpeckers all feed on the berries. The pollen-rich flowers are visited by an abundance of native insects...deer...rabbits browse the stems readily. Blackberry thickets also provide desirable nesting sites for many species of songbirds and important escape cover for birds, rabbits, and small mammals.
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