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.
They’re back!
We are so pleased to see one of the NBHCP’s “Covered Species,” the Burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia), back on Conservancy property! Going back 15 years, the owl used to be seen frequently on Conservancy mitigation lands. At the time, we documented too-common depredation of them by dogs from nearby residential… Continue Reading They’re back!