When we learned the groundwater well on the Silva tract failed, we only thought the pump motor was old and needed replacing. Since the well provides flushing water for certain of the marsh complexes on the Silva tract, it is not a problem that it is off-line for awhile. But it is important to get it back up and running for the benefit of water quality and giant garter snake habitat preservation. Just before ordering a new pump, I had this notion we better find out the status of the well. I worried about putting the proverbial “$1,000 saddle on a $5 horse.” That is, a nice new well pump on what MIGHT be a poor-condition well. So we hired a firm to run a camera down the well. Sure enough, the well casing was found to have collapsed entirely. Wow. Now we need to take a hard look at well rehabilitation. This will cost some real money.
One Against Many?
The Conservancy uses a variety of tools to manage vegetation on its preserves, guided by a strategy known as “the soft path first.” One of those tools is grazing. Over the years, the Conservancy has used large grazing animals to manage marsh and adjacent upland vegetation, including Hereford, Black Angus, …