The grass is greener

By Diane Prokop

Times Staff Writer

What a difference a meadow can make.

It can bring native wildlife back to an area, cut down on the labor and fuel expenses of mowing, and improve water infiltration, reducing storm water runoff - considered by the EPA as the No. 1 pollution source for the nation's rivers and streams.

Last summer, Friends of Poquessing Creek Watershed board member Bruce Conner and its president, Donna Remick, brought that information to the attention of Calvin Davenger, deputy director for planning and environmental stewardship at the Philadelphia Division of Aviation.

The Northeast Philadelphia Airport straddles both the Poquessing Creek and Pennypack Creek watersheds and seemed the perfect spot for a demonstration project.

"The notion of a managed meadow has always been something that Donna has wanted to pursue. Part of the driving force is that so much of the Poquessing Watershed and the Northeast area as a whole are paved over - streets, large parking areas, and acres and acres of mowed grass area. It becomes difficult to educate people about alternatives when all you can do is describe it," Conner said.

Before long, the environmentalists will be able to show and not tell.

On June 22, Native Return founder Christina Kobland drill-seeded a 1.5-acre parcel near the airport's Butterfly Garden with native grasses that will in three year's time look like a meadow.

"Initially, it will look like a weed patch," she said.

HAPPY RETURNS

Native Return, a subconsultant on the project for Urban Engineers, works with corporations, public entities and individuals to create and manage native plant and animal habitat.

Kobland chose a meadow mix that will grow about 3 feet tall. The root system, however, can go down between 12 and 15 feet compared to the inch or two roots of turf grass.

The larger root system will absorb more water, thereby reducing runoff. "We had to walk a fine line because we don't want to draw in wildlife. Bigger birds and geese don't like taller grasses because they can't see their predators," Kobland said.

That's a good thing because large birds are a danger to aircraft. A recent example is the January forced landing of a U.S. Airways jetliner in the Hudson River.

The meadow should, however, attract smaller grassland birds such as meadowlark, Upland sandpipers and white quail, according to Kobland.

Native Return's contract also calls for the monitoring of wildlife. Kobland doesn't anticipate any problems.

The meadow area is considered an outfield of the airport. Across the road is an infield, where Native Return is also doing an airfield turf grass study with a mix it developed called Jet Turf. The grass requires less mowing, and wildlife don't like to eat it.