FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Re: Monticello Park

[FColumbarius@xxxxxxx]

       The statement that the timing of the invasive plant project in 
Monticello was "unfortunate" is a huge understatement. I have never 
understoood why the city of Alexandria has not designated Mionticello to be 
some kind of spring migration preserve. This type of official designation 
will make it more likely that eveyone from the mayor right on down to its 
"specialized staff of horticulturists and plant ecologists" will make every 
effort to avoid these types of "unfortunate" incidents in the future.

       Memo to the "specialized staff, including horticulturists and plant 
ecologists": nothing should be thrown into the stream at Monticello, 
especially by professionally trained "horticulturists and plant ecologists". 
Not understory or anything else, not for 5 minutes, 5 days, or 5 weeks. This 
isn't a mystery.

       And anyone who takes a walk through Monticello can easily see that 
there are plies of debris that have been waiting to be removed from the park 
for weeks now. Today, a birder who visited Monticello for the first time this 
spring remarked that it looked to him like a freight train had been run 
through the park.   

       As for the flowers these specialized city employees were trying to 
protect, here's an update on this unfortunate situation. Some well intended 
person has removed the maple from the stream and left it on top the wild 
flowers the city employees wished to protect. Hard to blame the good citizen, 
but perhaps if the maple couldn't be disposed of properly at the time it was 
taken down, maybe it should have been left alone.      

       Monticello is not Dyke Marsh.

       Personally, I don't have a problem with the city removing the invasive 
plants and trees from the park. But, it's pretty clear that this particular 
project is not off  to much of an auspicious start. And, because Monticello 
is a special place, I believe the city should plan on replacing some of the 
understory it intends to remove from the park. This is especially true if the 
city intends to remove almost all of the understory below the bridge in the 
park. Perhaps the Potowmack Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society, and 
especially its "avid" birders, will support this initiative?

Paul Kane
Falls Church         


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