Project Leader: Kara W. Conner Corp Member Dates: May 19 - September 17 2010 Project Leader Dates: April 12 - October 1, 2010 kconner@theSCA.org [1]
Final Reporting and Thank You [6]
A detailed final report of the East and West Crew Vegetation Removal Projects is available from the Native Plant Corps of The SCA.
(*Report is too large to be uploaded to this site*)
I would like to thank all whom have been involved in the hard work it took to pull this season off. The C&O Canal staff has been wonderfully encouraging and appreciative of the work. The SCA staff has been amazingly patient and supportive through all the chaos.
Every name, every face, every person has made an impact on the lives of the SCA NPC East Vegetation Crew.
We thank you all and wish you only the best in the future!
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Brent Cemetery [9]
Brent Cememtery is located appx. 3/4 mile off the towpath. One must hike up a hill, through the thicket of woods, to discover a historic cemetery hidden by nature. Although the NPS owns this property, the cemetery is not marked for public access due to a grave robbery several years ago in this cemetery.
Over the many years, the vegetation has grown over the headstones/footstones, pushed over the fence, and enveloped the area so much that you cannot find the cemetery until you are already in it. Thus, this make photo taking very difficult.
Wisteria had taken over as well as Virginia Creeper and some Ailanthus. THe crews had to work from the outside in, cutting and swamping just to get room to turn around! This project took 2 days with both the East and the West crew. The smaller woodys were removed on the first day until all ground cover was removed. The second day was spent cutting and treating the mature trees and raking the area clear of all debris. The ground was foliar sprayed with Garlon 3A as a preventitive measure.
The NPS will remove the large trees that the SCA crews could not remove safely (3 trees).
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Sideling Hill Creek Aqueduct [18]
Sideling Hill Creek Aqueduct is Located just a few miles past Hancock, MD. Many large saplings were growing out from the stone in this structure. Care had to be taken when falling these trees due to the metal raining and proximity to the Creek. Virginia creeper covered the railing and Ailanthus saplings were scattered all around the Aqueduct. All stumps were treated with Garlon 3A and the area was foliar sprayed with Accord.
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Rohr House [24]
The Rohr house i slocated within the FOur Locks district of the C&O Canal (Easter Portion). The Rohr house is located off of the towpath and is currently not used by the NPS for any specific reason.
Over the years of abandonment, the vegetation along the perimeter of the house/property is encroaching upon the house threatening property damage.
Pathces of Ailanthus trees were removed from the garden area and overgrown trees were removed from the front porch (onto the roof). All stumps were treated with Garlon 3A.
Chris Stubbs, Chief of Resources Management Division of the C&O Canal, joined the crew for a day of work. He removed an unruley pathc of Wisteria from the side of the porch. He worked up some sweat and got to witness first hand the work of the SCA Vegetation Removal Crews!
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Lock 59 and 60 [31]
Lock 59 and 60 are located in the Western portion of the C&O Canal near Little Orleans, MD.
Lock 59 was highly covered with Virginia Creepers and Ailanthus saplings. Al69l vegetation was removed from the historical structure. All stumps were treated with Garlon 3A. The top of the Lock was foliar sprayed.
Lock 60 was covered in Virginia Creeper as well. The vegetation was foliar sprayed with Garlon 3A. The dying vegetation will be removed later by the NPS. Ailanthus saplings were removed from the waste weir and treated with herbicide.
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Kara W Conner [37]
Kara Conner is serving her first role in the SCA as Project Leader for the C&O Canal East Native Plant Corp. Previously, she has studied the invasive plant, Ailanthus Altissima, for 3 years in partnership with the PVAS and Yankauer Nature Preserve in West Virginia. Kara holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies concentrating in Resource Management (Shepherd University). She enjoys traveling and has been honored to have the opportunity to assist in Rotary service work in India and Nepal (2008) and will be returning later this year to build schools in rural areas. Kara is eager to be outdoors and get her hands dirty!
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Naomi Hawk [41]
Naomi Hawk has been involved in 2 SCA High School crews in the D.C. area. She was chosen to join the C&O Canal East Crew for the remaining 3 weeks of the season. Naomi is a delighful, energetic young lady who is a hard a worker and is excited about future SCA opportunities!
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Dam #4 [44]
There were many Ailanthus saplings and Wineberry bushes located on the stones of Dam #4. Vegetation was removed and the area was treated with herbicide. As you can tell in the first few photos, there were some vines along the side wall of the structure that were out of our reach. Following safety procedures, we decided to let the ivy stay....
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Hancock Historic Barn Foundation [50]
The SCA East Crew collaborated with the SCA West Crew and the YCC Crew to tackle the vegetation hiding the historic barn foundation located near the Hancock Maint. Shop. Trees were cut and treated with Garlon 3A. The brush was swamped and fed into a chipper ran by the C&O Canal Maint. Dept. (Thank you!)This project took apx. 1 week to complete.
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Yellow House - NPS Property [55]
Small saplings and weeds were removed from the perimeter of the house. All stumps were treated with herbicide.
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Weber House - NPS Property [62]
This stone enclosure has been taken over with several ivys and small saplings. The crew had to lop from the top to create a small work space from inside the vegetation to fully remove all of the vines. This structure is located next to our NPS house (aka. The Weber House). The crew will foliar spray the area to ensure minimal regrowth.
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Lock 56 [68]
Lock 56 is located near Hancock MD along the towpath. When we arrived at Lock 56b we discovered large Sycamore trees growing from inside the (dry) canal. The trees were so large that they had to be cut from the bottom and drug out from atop the lock wall.
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Aroni Johnson [74]
My name is Aroni Johnson. I was born in linden Guyana and i am 22 years old. At the age of 8 my family and myself migrated to Washington, DC. I spent my duration of high school at Calvin Coolidge Senior High. I am currently a college student studing Biology at the university of the district of columbia, which is located in Washington, DC. My mentor, who was the director of the Upward Bound Program, told me about the SCA program. I have always admired nature and conserving our environment. After about the SCA and what they do for the environment i was more then eager to become a member. In the summer of 2009 i became a member of the SCA crew. I worked as a Botany and conservation intern with the National Park Service out of the Urban Ecology headquater in Georgetown. Being involved with the SCA program have made me more appreciative to my environment and have change my views of the world. I am currently serving my second year as a Botany and conservation with the C&O Canal Historical Park. I don't know what my future holds as my carrier develops. But it is my goal to continue giving back to my community and implement conservations for the future.
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Jaret Griffiths [77]
* JARET IS NO LONGER WITH THE NPC C&O CREW * My name is Jaret Griffiths, and I'm from Boise Idaho. I look forward to be working somewhere as beautiful as C&O Canal and to be working in new eco systems from what im use to in the Pacific Northwest. I look forward to the well rounded work that I have been offered, that will work my body as well as my mind. The scholarship money will help me get back to college and finish my degree in enviromental science.
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Lock 51 and Lockhouse Ruins [80]
Lock 51 is located along the C&O Canal near Hancock Visitor Center. Lock 51 was covered in select areas with Licorise Root, Mile A Minute and Ailanthus Saplings. The Lockhouse Ruins and stone wall were becoming encraoched with Ivy and various invasives.
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Collaboration of youth in action! [90]
The East side crew has had the pleasure of collaborating with the West side crew, two Youth Conservation Corps (YCC), West Virginia Conservation Corps (WVCC), The Centennials, and the C&O Canal Maintenance staff to work on the long wall between Lock 33 and 34. This is a 1.27 mile section of the canal/towpath that contains two historic stone walls that have become encroached with vegetation in the recent years. With the combined efforts of all 7 crews the vegetation is being cleared and the (select) trees are being cut and treated. Historically, there was no tree line between the towpath and the river. Our efforts are to preserve the historical integrity of the canal and its structures. This will be an ongoing group project until the vegetation is completely removed from the two stone walls.
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The East Side Crew [97]
The East side crew sporting smiles at a natural hot springs in McCall Idaho!
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Round Top Cement Mill Tree Removal [100]
Round Top Cement Mill is located along the historic C&O Canal. The site is the runis of an old cement mill from the 1800's. Over recent years the mill has become overrun with Ailanthus Altissima (Tree of Heaven)and the integrety of the historic structure has been comprimised.
The East crew teamed up with the West crew, two YCC crews, and several maintance staff from the C&O Canal. The crews worked together to remove the Ailanthus and treat the stumps with herbicide. The trees were bucked and fed into a chipper.
During this project several C&O Canal visitors stopped to chat and see what the crews were to. They were all very impressed at the large collaborative effort to keep the integrety of these structures.
Thank you to all of the hard working crews who made this project possible!
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Lets Learn about the Canal! [107]
We were invited to take a historical canal boat ride in Great Falls (near Georgetown) and come enjoy the park we are working in. We stated the day off with a leisurely hike through gorgeous scenery, tall trees, abundant wildlife, and....lots of invasives! The boat ride in the afternoon was very quaint and laid back. Our interpreter was very informative with a great sence of humor. The boat went through a lock and we were raised appx. 8 feet in elevation and continued downstream for 1/2 mile, all the while being pulled my mules. It was exciting feeling the history of the park. After our boat ride we hiked to see the Great Falls of the canal which is the Potomac River George. It was energizing seeing the beauty of the park today. We are all very happy to be here!
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