Butler Area School District Completes Growing Greener Watershed Restoration Project

The Butler Area School District in the Connoquenessing Creek Watershed, Butler County, recently completed a Growing Greener II project which implements recommendations from the conservation plan prepared by Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.

The Butler Area School District Watershed Study Area is a long-term project started in 2003 on a tract of district-owned land in the heart of the city of Butler known locally as the “Athletic Field.”

The site was the previous location of the high school football field and used by physical education classes. The field is now the home for the high school lacrosse team and junior high school soccer teams, while a cinder-surfaced track is utilized by many residents of the city for exercise purposes.

The Connoquenessing Creek borders the entire length of the field, and is stocked with trout by the Fish and Boat Commission during the spring.

The school district developed a master plan for stream and riparian improvements to the area in 2004. An inventory was made of issues that needed to be addressed at the site. Options were discussed and reviewed by the Fish and Boat Commission, the Butler County Conservation District, DEP and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. The master plan calls for future improvements to the stream, riparian corridor, and athletic complex.

Recommendations include streambank erosion control, plantings to help shade the stream, removal and replacement of invasive plant species with native species, construction of a “boat ramp” access area, development of an interpretive environmental education trail, removal of a dilapidated chain-link fence and replacement with a living hedge, updating of athletic facilities on site, and eventually an entire outdoor classroom with aquaculture facilities.

During the summer of 2005, the boat launch was installed and seeded allowing students to perform testing along the stream as well as offering an area for handicapped residents to access the stream for angling purposes. Historically speaking, this is the first canoe launch ever installed along the Connoquenessing Creek.

A large stand of Japanese knotweed was targeted for removal, as it had replaced much of the native plant life along large stretches of the stream bank. The knotweed was removed, and plantings of live stakes of shining willow (a native plant species) were made in its place. It is hoped that in future years these stakes will flourish and provide shading for the stream and stabilization of the streambank during times of high water.

In 2006, with the allocation of County Environmental Initiative grants, BASD was selected to receive $25,000 of the monies designated to Butler County. This money was earmarked for work on the master plan, specifically for stream bank stabilization, further removal of invasive species, and signage at the site.

In the spring of 2008, the streambank area next to the foot bridge access was stabilized with over 300 tons of R-7 limestone riprap. At the same time, the chain link fence that had been damaged by Hurricane Ivan was removed and the area re-graded.

After the excavation activities, the site was planted with Canadian Hemlock trees to start the regrowth of a native riparian buffer, and further spraying and removal of Japanese knotweed took place. Unfortunately, the knotweed persisted, and overtook the new hemlock plantings. The knotweed problem has been a continuing issue at the site, with many different methods of control attempted with limited success. However, the summer of 2008 may have been a turning point for invasive control.

Mechanical removal of several stands of the weed, and then application of a riparian glyphosate herbicide to the stems seemed to provide very good control. Native grasses and small shrubs were planted, hoping for a return to a more natural riparian buffer.

Twenty-five large native trees were planted along the rim of the athletic field, to provide shading for the stream in the future. Knotweed has been kept in control throughout the 2009 season, with only spotty reappearances along the stream. These areas have been quickly retreated and reseeded with native plantings.

A steel bridge was donated by the Pullman Standard Co. to the Butler Area School District in the late 1940’s to allow access to the field. In the fall of 2008, an inspection of the bridge determined that the supports needed maintenance work before painting could be accomplished. Finally, in 2009, the foot bridge had the required maintenance completed on the supports and the bridge was painted, with total restoration costs over $35,000.

The last item purchased with CEI grant money were recycled plastic message boards to begin the creation of an environmental interpretive trail around the top of the streambank. These message boards will allow students from the BJHS to create various informative displays for visitors to the site to understand the local environment and school projects.

Possible topics include invasive species, stream corridor management, riparian buffers, local fish species, and the “Trout in the Classroom” project.

The BASD has pledged support to the continuation of this project area for years to come. There will be continued spraying of Japanese knotweed and maintenance of the riparian buffer, along with replacement of native plants as needed. Students at the junior high school will continue to create informative displays for the message boards that are in place.

Further maintenance work at the current building on site is needed, and additional grant funding will be sought to enable the construction of the environmental education building at the site, as well as planting of a warm-season grass demonstration plot. Many of these goals can be easily accomplished, but new funding sources will need to be found to complete the master plan.

The final step is to have a grand opening of the site when all parts of the project are complete, including the creation of a digital map of the area by students as part of an environmental education Global Positioning System project.

The school and community are proud that the athletic field complex has become much more environmentally friendly. The banks of the Connoquenessing have been secured from further erosion, access to the field has been refurbished and protected, and a riparian buffer has been created. This site has become a beautiful area for both students and residents of the city of Butler to enjoy the local streamside environment.

For more information about the Butler Area School District project, contact Science Teacher David Andrews, at 724-214-3600, ext. 5725.