The condition of Georgia Piedmont streams is receiving great interest as the effects of anthropogenic influences on them are beginning to be understood. As a site of rapid urbanization, the majority of streams in Clayton County, Georgia have poor water quality, experience heavy sedimentation, and pose a risk to human health. A section of Jester's Creek, a stream located in Clayton County, was subjected to an intensive restoration effort that was completed in 2004. A vital determinant in achieving restoration goals is the health of plant communities that provide habitat and ecosystem services. We conducted a vegetative assessment of the Jester's Creek riparian ecosystem and asked: 1) What is the current status of vegetative recovery? and 2) What is the likely trajectory of vegetative recovery and will the project meet its long-term goals? 18 sites divided equally among 3 community types (active channel, stream bank, and field) were established at Jester's Creek and its reference site, Little Falling Creek, a protected Piedmont stream. We assessed the composition, cover, and diversity of both the woody and herbaceous plant communities of Jester's Creek and compared the results to those of Little Falling Creek.
Results/Conclusions
T-test results revealed that there were marked differences in vegetative characteristics between the riparian ecosystems of Jester's Creek and Little Falling Creek. We found overall herbaceous cover was greater at Jester's Creek, likely due to the lack of woody vegetation. Additionally, plant diversity was lower at Jester's Creek and there were significant differences in community composition. The present composition of Jester's Creek plant communities is markedly different from the initial revegetation plan, from which few species remain. This early project assessment, along with secondary evidence such as persistent bank erosion and severe sedimentation, indicate that the project is falling short of an ideal community to which the County was aspiring. This evaluation supports the idea that restoration projects must select target goals based on a holistic approach, well informed by ecological science. If the conditions that contributed to ecosystem degradation persist, then the project site is unlikely to ever achieve restoration to pre-disturbance conditions. Perhaps the goal should not be "restoration" of urbanized streams in Clayton County, Georgia, but rather "reclamation," which implies putting a habitat on a trajectory of improved ecological function.
