Much progress has been made on the wetland restoration project at Pleasure House Point. Construction can be ugly, but I hope, like me, you are able to imagine the beautiful, bountiful wetland that will be there when the work is completed, bringing it back to what nature created before it was used to store dredge material. The photo below is similar to what this site will look like when the work is complete.
If you have been to Pleasure House Point recently, you may know that parts of the perimeter trail are currently closed. The ditch that goes from the end of Marlin Bay Drive to Pleasure House Creek is being widened to allow water to flow into the new wetland. The storm pipe under the trail is being removed and will be replaced with a pedestrian bridge similar to the existing pedestrian bridge on the trail to the east. The trail will be reopened as soon as this work is completed.
We regularly monitor water quality in Pleasure House Creek. Right now, we are especially interested in the turbidity, or cloudiness, of the water. If sediment is running off from the construction area, it will increase turbidity and potentially damage the thriving oyster population in the creek. Any increases will be reported to the city and the contractor so that more measures can be employed to prevent sediment runoff. The water quality monitoring data is available on our LRNow website here.
Another species we are monitoring are the diamondback terrapins who nest at Pleasure House Point starting mid-May and continuing through the summer. They prefer the sandy areas to the east of the construction site and are frequently found under the Brock Environmental Center building. Barriers have been installed between the water and the construction area to prevent them from entering the construction area. We are working with a William and Mary professor to monitor terrapin activity at Pleasure House Point and will have that information available on our website soon.
I hope you are still enjoying the wooded area at Pleasure House Point even while the construction is underway. The photos below are from our Bird Walk at Pleasure House Point on May 17th.
Karen Forget