Watershed Ecology

 

​The land preservation efforts that have occurred around Parkers Creek have made it one of the most protected watersheds in the state of Maryland. Approximately 60% of the land in the watershed is in some sort of land preservation program, it is comprised of over 70% forested land, and it has less than 3% impervious surface. Pretty incredible for a watershed that contains a good portion of the town of Prince Frederick.

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According to the latest Report Card prepared by ACLT's Science Committee, yearly ecosystem services provided by ACLT forests and wetlands:

• Absorb over 150 tons of pollutants that would otherwise be in the air we breathe or in the Bay.

• Contain an estimated 215,126 tons of stored carbon, and continues to soak up another 1,970 tons per year out of the atmosphere as the forests grow and mature.*

• Replenish over 65 million gallons of water to the aquafers, feeding our wells and rivers.

• Deliver flood prevention and stormwater mitigation.

• Provide habitat for a biodiverse wildlife. ACLT is designated an Important Bird Area, and has several endangered and at-risk species that are of conservation priority.

 

The land within the Parkers Creek watershed has not only been preserved but actively managed as it has been acquired piece by piece over the last 30 years. Land managers have done their best to constantly focus their efforts on what we believe are the most pressing threats to the ecosystems within the Parkers Creek watershed. Volunteers and staff have worked tirelessly in their stewardship efforts, but are continuously questioning whether the watershed is as healthy as we hope and think it is. How do we know if there are areas where we are not doing well enough? And if we focus efforts on improving a certain aspect of an ecosystem, how do we know if our efforts are bringing results? Research and analysis is the key.

 

In 2016, the ACLT Board of Directors formed a Science Committee whose objective is to provide advice to the Board and staff that will help ACLT protect, restore, and identify threats to the ecological integrity of the Parkers Creek ecosystem. At its very first meeting, the Science Committee decided that the first step to determining where management efforts should be focused was to develop a baseline to assess the current status of the ecosystems within the Parkers Creek watershed. In addition to telling us where we need to focus more stewardship efforts, we have relied on this baseline data to observe any changes occurring over time and to address them as needed.

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In the years since, the Science Committee and staff has continuously evaluated data in the fields of forestry, water quality monitoring, stream restoration, and tidal creek diversity sampling, as well as looking at surveys of bird, insect, reptile, and amphibian diversity that have been completed in the past. During this time, they have kept up with changing philosophies on how best to address threats to the environment and have initiated several projects based on the ongoing research. The following sections describe that research and the work that continues to be done to protect our fragile ecosystems. Each section includes additional resources that provide updated information. 

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ACLT's quarterly newsletter, the Watershed Observer, regularly features articles about important issues facing the environment and how they are being addressed. Join our mailing list to receive our newsletter and other important updates.