Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 4.2
The central portion of Sandpiper Pond long after closure of the channel to the ocean.
Fringing areas (P) surrounding the central water are stands of
P. australis
and
Typha
sp. The open
ocean (O) is at the
top
coast (Luken and Moore 2005). Initial concerns about the ecological condition of
Sandpiper Pond were expressed to park personnel by a group of volunteers, the
Friends of Huntington Beach State Park. The Friends, composed mostly of bird
watchers, concluded that avian use of Sandpiper Pond had declined in recent
years. Evidence for the decline in bird sightings mainly was anecdotal, although
observations occasionally were recorded in a communal log located near the site.
The Friends obtained a small grant from the US Environmental Protection
Agency to restore the site focusing primarily on control of the two plant
invaders.
Once funding was secured, park personnel arranged a meeting among park man-
agers, Friends of Huntington Beach, and faculty from Coastal Carolina University
to discuss the project and to determine how to proceed. There was a wide range of
opinions regarding how to proceed and how to define success. Two proposed
approaches for plant control, spraying of herbicide and excavation of a channel
reconnecting Sandpiper to the ocean, were debated. Participants eventually came to
