Agenda - 10-07-1991 - Laserfiche WebLink

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item I acapon PUBLISHED BY PINE CABIN RUN ECOLOGICAL LABORATORY d by George Constaniz riparia (ri per' a a) n. pl. new word; terrestrial ecosystems along water courses; s. riparium. In my opinion, excessive silt is the most damaging current environmental insult to the Cacapon River. If the River were to get mud- dier, the numbers and kinds of insects and fishes that live and lay eggs on the bottom would dwindle (Berkman and Rabeni 1987). 27 Summer 1990 Vol. 2, No. 3 Smallmouth bass and rock bass, and the in- sects they eat, will decline, whereas carp and mud will increase. The River will also get a lot uglier. Failing (= slumping) riverbanks are major sources of this silt. The most effective measure we can take to reverse this degrada- tion is to enhance the Cacapon's riparia. Therefore, we dedicate this issue to the Ca- capon's riparia, their structure, function, abuse, and husbandry. Ecological Importance of R.iparia What is a riparium? As the above defini- tion states, "riparium" is my word for the ter- restrial ecosystem found along a river. I prefer this term because "riparian ecosystem ", "riparian corridor ", and other widely used phrases are more cumbersome. r\ - A typical Cacapon riparium might include alluvial soil, log jams, various ferns, virginia bluebell, spicebush, red osier dogwood, black willow, tulip poplar, silver maple, sycamore, paw paw, river birch, American elm, beaver, wood duck, wood turtle, northern water snake, cedar waxwing, red -eyed vireo, Louisiana water thrush, and belted kingfisher (See Ca- capon vol. 2, no. 2). In essence, a riparium is the entire riverside ecosystem, including soil, plants, and animals, whose presence or char- acteristics is determined by the nearby main- stream. Three views of paw paw, a common riparian plant along the lower half of the Cacapon.