3M Wetlands Restoration Project - Treekeepers CARP project

With spring in the air it is time for another round of planting at the 3M wetlands site. We still have roughly 600 shrubs and trees to plant throughout the site, so with any luck we will have the same if not more volunteers for this next round of volunteering.

The event is scheduled for Saturday March 24th at 8:00a.m. meeting again at the site end nearest to the Forum Nature Area parking lot.

More details on how to sign up go here. to the TreeKeepers website or here to the Volunteer Services main website. Both CARP and TreeKeepers will be involved in the project and anyone who has an interest in the environment is more than welcome.

Look forward to seeing you there!

3M Wetlands Restoration Project - treating stormwater

Today's rain is the first event that will start the filling of the wetlands project. Full pool will be attained in the first cell with the rains projected through tomorrow afternoon and the filling of the second pool will begin with subsequent rains.

Winter Wheat and Annual Rye were sown as the first rain fell this morning and hopefully will sprout with through the rest of the winter season.

With all the final stage of the grading operations, funded by the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation's Five Star Grant, native planting will resume over the next few months. There will be some 500 + additional native trees and shrubs planted by TreeKeepers & CARP volunteers, provided by Missouri Forest ReLeaf. Several thousand native wetland plants will be installed in the new wetlands by the same volunteers, funding provided by National Fish & Wildlife Foundation's Five Star Grant for $25,000.

Work on the on covered observation structure continues with new and innovative ideas being considered each day, more to come on that as funding allows!!

Work has begun on the $20,000 Missouri State Parks RTP Grant for an accessible interpretive sign system for the wetlands that will include interpretive information about the site and its functions and purposes...more information to come on that too as progress is made!!

3M Wetlands Restoration Project open for business

Today saw the last of the grading work and reconnection of the temporarily diverted flow. Rain is in the forecast, so this will be the first test of the completed graded pools!

3M Urban Ecology Restoration Project - observation deck work

The non-load bearing walls have been removed from the structure in preparation for the conversion into a covered observation area. The weather has been unbelievably kind and the majority of the remaining site grading will be completed this week.


The preceding image is looking down the wetland system with the graded wetland 'riverbed' water will flow along this flat alignment as it is introduced into the wetlands. Native wetland plants will be installed with Parks staff and volunteer events.

We hope to allow the permanent source of water to flow back into the site very soon.

3M Urban Ecology Restoration Grant structure backfill

This week, until today, saw the grading contractor back on site. The remainder of the 'riverbed' channel and splash pool are in the first stages of being formed. The abandoned pump house structure is being back-filled with the excavated materials from the riverbed. This will make a manageable slope running from the riverbed up to what will be the green-roofed structure.

The non load-bearing masonry walls (seen here in tan) will be removed and the structure will have four open sides. It will house some of the interpretive sign system that is in the process of being designed. From the structure you will be able to view the M-K-T trail and look across the wetlands cells, due south. This will be an exciting addition to an already valuable project.

2011 RTP Non-Motorized Trail Interpretive Sign Grant

The City of Columbia Parks and Recreation is pleased to announce that we are a recipient of the 2011 RTP Interpretive/Educational Grant . Please click here to see the news release or here to learn more about the grant. This grant in the amount of $20,000 will be used to install a system of interpretive signs, and provide educational materials for the general public. This is an important grant as it will allow the city to share important information about the site and it's functions for the City and it's downstream neighbours.

3M Urban Ecology Restoration Grant digging in.

Volunteer Columbia had a great turn out for the Native Tree Planting event this past weekend at the 3M Urban Ecology Restoration Project. Volunteer Columbia has posted photos of the event here. Thanks to all who participated in this first of several planting events that will be held here.

3M Urban Ecology Restoration Grant takes to the air.

On 10/30/2011 Parks & Rec and the Stormwater Educator took part in an interview about the 3M wetlands project, amongst others. Please click to hear what was discussed. For additional information on KFRU's programming please click here.

Treekeepers and C.A.R.P event scheduled for Saturday, November 19th 2011

Treekeepers and C.A.R.P are co-hosting a native tree and shrub planting event scheduled for Saturday, November 19th 2011 at the site of the Urban Ecology Restoration Project funded in part by the 3M Foundation. Join us as we plant close to 500 trees and 500 shrubs suited for wetland and bottomland woods environment. Free snacks and beverages will be available to participants!! Exercise is FREE!!!

10-18-2011 removal of Invasive Honeysuckle from 3M UERP

As part of the partnership agreement with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation's grant conservation measures, our Forestry crew removed the majority of the Invasive Honeysuckle that has been growing on the northern embankment of the M-K-T trail. The activity is also being done in preparation for the undergrounding of the existing overhead power lines that parallel the trail. This undergrounding work is a partnership between Parks & Recreation and Water & Light.

The two main values to the citizens of Columbia and goals of this particular activity will be;

1. Elimination of the maintenance need to trim trees along alignment, thereby reducing the expenditure of monies for this work and the common problem of tree topping or killing of trees.

and

2. Bringing the view shed of the site back to what the natural area would look like without human influence.

We hope you enjoy this new outdoor recreational area as we finish out our work over the winter months.

Also, keep and eye out for the Get-About project that is slated to begin in the Spring that will connect Katy Parkway to the M-K-T Trail winding through the wooded hillside above the wetlands site.

Parks & Rec Presence on Google Maps

Over the last several months the Parks and Recreation Department has been reviewing it's presence on Google Maps. In the Spring of 2011 it was noticed that there were only four of the system's parks shown and with one exception, none were correctly shown. Since then there has been a concerted effort to represent the park system more accurately and show the amenities and trails as best as the technology will allow. We invite you to browse each park and let us know what we might have overlooked!

"Houston we have base rock" 9-27-2011

Forestry has brought in almost all the base rock for the perimeter trail. Tomorrow the rock with be graded in preparation for the surface rock. There is still quite a bit of rock and soil work to do at the far south end of the trail( where it meets the M-K-T). So for the meantime there will be a period where no connectivity between the two remains.

Today the last concrete pour was made at the pump house building, to fill in the window, door and floor openings. Now the count starts for 28 days before back filling operations can commence. Back filling will be the first stage in the preparation for the green of the structure.

Urban Ecology Restoration Project 9-23-2011

Non-woven geo-fabric has been installed in preparation for trail base rock material. The installation of geo-fabric reduces the amount of base rock required to build a trail, thereby reducing the time and cost of trail installation and maintenance. This is a pilot project for a greener way of trail construction.

Forestry's four man permanent crew will continue their efforts to get this trail built and open for users as fast as they possibly can while contending with the many other responsibilities and projects they have to work on concurrently.

3M Urban Ecology Restoration Project gets more visitors...the two legged kind

September 15th, 2011 the Central Missouri Community Forestry Council came to visit the site and see what we are doing with trail building and the plans for reforesting parts of the site. If you click here, you'll be taken to their Facebook page.

3M Urban Ecology Restoration Project gets visitors...the two legged kind

September 9th the wetlands project had a good visit from some of the participants of Job Point. These young men and women were on their way to do a clean sweep of the Hinkson Creek and stopped by to learn a little about the project and it's purpose. To see photos of the visit please click here

Urban Ecology Restoration Project

Progress on the wetlands cells has been good with the dry weather of the last month. But all good things must come to and end.



This image shows the first pool after a 1.5" rainfall, and only catching from a small percentage of the total 140 acre watershed.

The Schematic below shows what the anticipated wetlands will look like from a birds eye perspective. The first pool is the larger of the three to the right of the image.

MKT Bridge #12 update

Due to a grammatical error I have corrected yesterday's post. The contractor indicated that the post might have been read such that the contractor would not be able to work on their own temporary crossing. I think it might have been a ruse to enjoy the 80 degree temperatures during Spring Break?

However, with the grammar corrected today's drying conditions and dropping creek level allowed for the installation of a work pad at pier #2 on the West side of Hinkson Creek. By days end re-bar was being tied and forms set in preparation for a concrete pour tomorrow. Once again the contractor is racing the weather forecast, which is calling for rain Friday night. Oh the joys of Spring! Also, due to the unpredictable stability of the old rail trail bed there are several sections of trail that are receiving new base rock. If there was any base rock before it has disappeared into the depths of the trail, never to return. By projects end this section of trail will be regraded and resurfaced with the standard MKT limestone mix.

The Parks & Recreation department would also like to remind all trail users that the section of trail is closed between the parking lot at Scott Blvd & the trail access at Country Woods Estates. There are multiple signs indicating this closure and with heavy trucks, that cannot stop on a dime, running rock along the trail, potential trail users should find an alternate route.
An alternate map for trail user options can be found here. In addition to the route shown on the website you can follow the detour route from the MKT Trail to Scott Blvd as shown below.


Houf Construction is trying their best to get the bridges installed as soon as they can and we will update you as soon as we have a better time to completion from the contractor.

MKT Bridge 12 & 13 Replacement Project Update 3-30-2010

This afternoon construction of the temporary creek crossing began with 12 loads of shot rock from Boone Quarries, placed by Houf Construction. The road is necessary for construction vehicles to install the East Bank end bent and pier, as access from the East approach by vehicles of such tonnage has been prohibited.

In the next few days several 7 foot diameter steel pipes will be placed to allow the creek to free flow under the construction road. There will be plenty of room for waterborne wildlife to pass through while construction is underway! The construction bypass use strictly prohibited to anyone other than construction personnel and construction equipment.

At the end of the project, the temporary road will be removed and the excess materials placed as base for the trail approaches and placed around the piers and end bent walls to 'harden off' the embankments.

With the warming temperatures and windy conditions the site is drying off nicely. By week's end pier #2 is tentatively scheduled for completion.....weather permitting, of course!

MKT Bridge 12 & 13 Replacement Project Update 3-29-2010

"This Bridge seems to be getting taller" We have had a couple of bystanders question the elevation of bridge #12 as it is getting constructed.

Very observant, Yes, the bridge structure is being raised 2 feet above it's previous bottom-of-truss elevation.

The reason? The existing bridge was getting impacted by large debris from floods throughout the year. To protect the investment of the tax payer's dollar in this bridge, the decision was made to raise the bridge out of harms way. The approaches to the bridge will be modified and will fully be within the running slope limits for Accessible Routes on Trails. Plus, it gives the walkers and bikers a small 'hill climb' along the otherwise mostly flat route.

This week's weather outlook is fine and progress shall be marked.

MKT Bridge 12 & 13 Replacement Project Update 3-25-2010

The rain has come and gone (for the most part) and Houf Construction is forming the remainder of pier #1 this morning. Concrete will be poured tomorrow to finish this part of pier #1. We are looking forward to clearing weather and rising temperatures for next week to allow us to get this bridge completed in a timely manner.