Crown Hill Neighbors

BIOLOGIST STATEMENTS

Loss of this land would be most unfortunate

From what I have read regarding the size of the forest tract adjacent to Crown Hill Cemetery, and the number and size of large trees present, it would appear to be a significant loss of urban forest land, which is in woefully short supply throughout Indiana, and especially within our State Capitol. I would strongly urge that every opportunity be granted to study this stand thoroughly to fully ascertain the extent of both the Ecological, and the Aesthetic-Recreational Values represented by the forested acreage. To rush forward with any action that would lessen, or destroy, the natural values represented there, is both unwise and unnecessary. Throughout Indiana we are losing natural land to development at a frightening pace. To destroy yet another potentially high-quality urban tract without allowing sufficient time for a full evaluation of every aspect of the question, would be most unfortunate.

Dr. Marion T. Jackson. Professor Emeritus of Ecology, Indiana State University
Author of 101 Trees of Indiana, 2004, and The Natural Heritage of Indiana, 1997; Indiana University Press, Bloomington.

Impacts of urban development on area near/adjacent to wetlands

The basic premise is that Mother Nature rarely just creates wetlands, but rather, designs an ecosystem based upon a moisture gradient from very wet to relatively dry. Altering the drainage area (the land that slopes toward the wetlands) into the wetlands through urban development will alter the ecosystem and push any existing diverse wetlands toward a more monoculture pond-like water body.
Many frogs and salamanders breed in wetlands, but live a majority of their life in the upland areas (especially wooded) surrounding wetlands. Conversion of the areas surrounding the wetlands would virtually eliminate these species from existing any longer in this area.

The construction of homes, businesses, roads, and driveways, will increase the water runoff from these areas into the remaining wetlands. Each wetland has a unique hydroperiod (the time of the year it stays wet, the duration of the wetness, and amount of water that is present at any time of the year). The hydroperiod influences the types of plants (and corresponding animals) that can survive there. Wet meadows (such as sedge wetlands), are mostly just saturated or have very shallow water (less than three to four inches deep) for most of the year. The runoff from the new construction will change the hydroperiod of the wetlands and most likely alter the plant composition. Any wet meadows would probably "drown” and be replaced by more obligate, that is, water-loving species, such as cattails.

The runoff from fertilized lawns will increase the nutrients reaching the wetlands and alter the plant composition of the wetlands. Existing plants that survive better in nutrient-poor water will likely be replaced by more nutrient-tolerant species such as cattails. A constant source of nutrients will, again, push the ecosystem toward a cattail monoculture.

Runoff from roads (including exhaust condensation and winter anti-icing salt) will increase the pollutant load into the wetlands. Environmentally-sensitive species of plants, vertebrates and invertebrates, such as iinsects, snails, arachnids, and others, will be reduced or eliminated. Again, diversity reduction. Without more extreme measures than normally takes place during construction, silting in of the wetlands during each construction phase is likely. This physically reduces the size of the wetlands, as well as its depth, and buries the humus (decomposed plants) layer that forms the basis of the wetland ecosystem. Any flood control (by storing water after a rain and gradually releasing it), ground water recharge (such as into an aquifer or as base flow into streams) and other water quality control functions will be reduced.

Alliance of Crown Hill Neighbors; P. O. Box 88770; Indianapolis, Ind. 46208 crownhillneighbors@hotmail.com