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This particular site had a polluted history: "Nine Mile Run underwent a $7.7 million restoration from 2003 to 2006. At the time, it was one of the largest #urban #stream #restoration projects in the United States.
Prior to the project, the stream had been known to locals as “Stink Creek.” Toxins leached into the creek from a slag heap — a 120-foot high pile of industrial waste — covering 238 acres along the stream."
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I love this so much: "Sewer lines discharged into the water, and much of the waterway had been diverted from its natural path.
This years-long effort to detoxify the #stream, led by the City of #Pittsburgh and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, included rerouting the stream channel by adding curves and ripple rocks to slow down the water and the rate of #flooding.
A decade and a half later, #fish and #beavers have continued the work of improving the surrounding #wetland environment."
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Park rangers are managing #beaver conflicts nonlethally: "To protect the trees they want Castor to stay away from, park rangers and conservation groups put protective cages around nearby trunks, prioritizing those that are young and native to the northeast, like oaks, aspens and maples.
#Invasive #species taking over the park’s #wetlands, like Tree of Heaven and Japanese honeysuckle, on the other hand, are fair game for Castor to munch on."
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This article actually reminds me of the #beaver conflict that brought me into the world of #beaverbelievers. My #beavers likely migrated to our suburban retention pond from the West Fork North Branch of the #Chicago River.
When I spoke to Margaret Frisbie, Executive Director of Friends of the Chicago River, she pointed out that beavers in the river were a sign of its recovery and health.
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Frisbie also pointed out that having #beavers on #urban streams is an #environmentaljustice issue. People who spend two hours in #nature per week have better #health outcomes. Beavers on urban streams improve the #water quality and create #habitat and #biodiversity, all of which provides more access to nature for #urban residents.
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My idol Heidi Perryman has written and advocated in support of #coexisting with wildlife, particularly #beavers, in #urban settings. #Nature and #wildlife doesn't have to happen only in #rural or undeveloped areas. In fact, allowing for pockets of open space and #habitat for wildlife in urban areas is just as important as preserving open space in rural settings.