BOTANICAL SURVEY
The Arcade Creek does not just consist of water. It's a home, an ecosystem, a community. It could never house or support the diverse life without the surrounding vegetation which makes the creek a great ecosystem for many species.
The Arcade Creek does not just consist of water. It's a home, an ecosystem, a community. It could never house or support the diverse life without the surrounding vegetation which makes the creek a great ecosystem for many species. However plant species from other ecosystems "invade" the creek and harm the native plants. It is necessary to look at the different types of plants at the study to judge the health of the Arcade Creek. That's where our study comes in.
The purpose of the Botanical Survey (Botany) study is to collect, preserve, and identify samples of plants that grow within the riparian corridor of the Arcade Creek. This study's first objective is to produce an extensive herbarium of all fall and spring samples, which will function as a reference to the area's plant diversity. In addition, Botany maps the percent coverage of invasive plant species, such as Himalayan blackberry. This helps to determine the general health of the Arcade Creek and serves as a reference to other studies, such as Habitat and Restoration, so that they may eradicate the nonnative species, allowing indigenous species to thrive. Moreover, Botany maintains a list of nonnative/invasive species and a list of native species present at each site along the arcade creek, as another indicator of the ecosystem's health.
Check out documents that the Botany team recently put together: