Floating Islands for the Lewis Center MTC Refuge

On Saturday, April 24, 2010, Sean Dempsey (Director of Development for Floating Islands, West, above), myself and 35 students installed five floating islands (totaling 227.5 square feet ).

This project was made possible through a four-way partnership between the Lewis Center for Educational Research, the Mojave Water Agency, the Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority and Floating Islands, West.

Four of the islands were bolted together forming two pairs (above). These were anchored in place in the deep end of Tui Slough. The fifth, round island, is anchored in place in Deppe Pond.

Floating island, produced by BioHaven, are designed to mimic nature (using an architectural principle called biomimicry; the science and art of emulating natural biological systems to solve human problems). By providing a buoyant, artificial structural matrix that when full matured, (supporting a diverse community of native plants, insects, bacteria and decomposers) mimics nature by creating artificial floating wetland bogs. According to studies by Floating Islands International, these living communities, supported by the floating island's 100% fully recycled plastic matrix can:

• Remove pollutants from a waterway, including nitrates, phosphates, ammonia, and heavy metals.
• Provide critical riparian edge habitat (new land mass for use by all kinds of creatures, from microbes to
• humans).
• Mine nutrient loads from any waterway and reduce algae blooms.
• Sequester carbon and other greenhouse gases.
• Provide wave mitigation and erosion control while beautifying a waterscape with floating gardens.

Beside these benefits, each island will provide valuable cover for the Mohave tui chub. The islands will also be used to support an underwater camera whose footage will provide our student scientists and their mentors with valuable insights into the behavior and ecology of this endangered species.

(Above, senior Marta Polovin gives the other students
pointers on how to identify native and non-native plants)

For more pictures and information about the project read the following article by the Victorville Daily Press.

Preparing Deppe Pond for its New Inhabitants...

In 2000, the Mojave River Campus of the Lewis Center for Educational Research opened its door for the first time. The campus covers 18 of the 53 acres that the Center owns above the Upper Narrows of the Mojave River. Since runoff from the campus, by law, can not go directly into the nearby marsh, wash or river, a unlined retainment basin was built to hold it. This retainment basin is located at the back of the school, between the marsh and the main campus building, and receives runoff from two river-rock lined channels.

In 2002, Bill Deppe, a newly hired veteran teacher and avid birder, started working with his ornithology class to line the pond in the hopes that it could act a resting site for migrating shore birds and water fowl. By 2004, the pond had been lined and started showing the signs of becoming biologically active with willows, cottonwoods,water plants, shore grasses, crayfish, bullfrogs, treefrogs, and water birds along with an occasional visit from western pond turtles and beavers from the nearby Mojave River. Gold fish and mosquito fish were also added to the pond to serve as bird food and mosquito control. It was about this time that Molly Estes and Amanda Pearson offered the suggestion that either the pond or the nearby marsh be used as a refugia for the MTC.

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In the January, 2007, Mr. Huffine received a call from representatives of the California Department of Fish and Game and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service asking if the Lewis Center was still interested in host a refugia for MTC. During Spring Break of the same year, after a visit from Steve Parmenter (CDFG), Judy Holman (USFWS), Michael Glenn (USFWS) and Debra Hughson (NPS), it was determined that Deppe Pond would make a good site for the MTC fourth refugia. However, before the pond could support a respectable population of chub it would need some work.

By August, 2007, the pond, which is now called Deppe Pond, had been lined for almost three years and supported a thick growth of cattails and bullrush. What follows is a time-line that describes Deppe Pond's remediation prior to receiving MTC.

• July-August 2007 - Lower water level and proceed to cut and remove over 90% of the cattail and bull rush, a cooperative agreement between the USFWS and the Lewis Center was being drafted, signed and ratified in advance of the issuing of a $25,000 grant to help create the refugia and begin the effort of educating the public about the MTC and the effort being made to "down-list" the species from being endanger of becoming extinct to merely being threatened with extinction.
• August-December 2007 - Students began to trap out Gold fish, mosquito fish, crayfish bullfrogs and their tadpoles, the grant was received in October
  
• December 2007 - March 2008 - Deppe pond was de-watered, rocks and trash was removed, a 120 foot well, pump and water distribution system was installed, a water aeration unit was installed and was refilled by 3/21/2008.

To be continued...