Landscape and Irrigation is read by decision makers throughout the landscape and irrigation markets — including contractors, landscape architects, professional grounds managers, and irrigation and water mgmt companies and reaches the entire spetrum.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/129601
open areas such as fields, pastures and wetland areas," he added. "In the early years of grassland rehabilitation, the park purchased native grass seed varieties through local seed suppliers. Additionally, the park cooperatively worked with Fort Indiantown Gap north of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to plant bio-types that are indigenous to this area of Pennsylvania. However, in recent years, volunteers have assisted with collecting native grass and other native herbaceous seeds in the park for use in our rehabilitation efforts. Seed from native shrubs has been collected and used in thickets and riparian areas to supplement riparian plantings." An ongoing effort The Gettysburg NMP GMP/EIS project involves continuous effort, and includes not only major rehabilitation efforts, but also day-to-day maintenance of the park. Randy Krichten, orchard manager for the Gettysburg National Military Park, poses in front of "The Barn with the Bullet Hole" as it is known to "Winter is when we perform the locals; it also is known as "The Trostle Barn." The hole is just below the majority of our tree work, the diamond-shaped patterns in the brickwork. It was near this barn that field mowing, and preparing General Dan Sickles lost his leg to a Confederate cannonball. equipment for the spring and — Photo by Eric Schroder summer," said Hill. "In the spring, summer, and into fall, whether it is better to rent or purchase mowing, trimming, brushing, and fence the equipment. repair/replacement are daily occurrences. "Each equipment operator is responsiWhen the grass is growing quickly, a typible for the day-to-day maintenance of that cal day would be to get on the tractor and item," said Hill. "We have a mechanic on mow roadsides all day, or get a string trimstaff who performs diagnosis and repairs mer and trim all day. But when the grass on equipment beyond the scope of routine slows down, you could build a fence one maintenance. Service intervals are perday, and the next day be working with a formed according to the manufacturer's volunteer group on a special park project." recommendations." Bolitho added that managing erosion Gettysburg NMP utilizes several differalong park avenues and trails is one of the ent equipment dealers locally and regionpark's routine concerns. ally due to its use of a diverse range of "Recently, the park completed a siteequipment brands, and also to spread busispecific cultural landscape report that adness throughout the region. dresses erosion issues of the Little Round With regard to plant stock, much of the Top, as well as many other landscape feabare-root tree and shrub stock is purtures important to that area," he said. "Dechased from several nurseries located in signing better trail alignments and using the Mid-Atlantic region, said Bolitho. Purappropriate surfaces for traffic are just chases are dependent on the extent of some tools that will help to reduce erosion species availability and quantity from indiin this one area." vidual nurseries. And, according to Lawhon, the Gettys"Native seed is used to rehabilitate burg NMP GMP/EIS project has also enwww.landscapeirrigation.com hanced Gettysburg's natural environment. Some of the environmental benefits of the project include: * Increasing grassland areas to increase habitat for grassland species such as Upland Sandpipers, Meadowlarks, Loggerhead Shrikes and Least Shrews, many of which are state-listed species of special concern. * Removing cattle from key pastures with streams and wetlands to reduce soil compaction, erosion, excess nutrient loading, and ground cover loss, as well as improve water quality in the park and the Chesapeake Bay watershed. * Delaying the cutting of hay to allow ground-nesting birds such as Henslow's Sparrows, Bobolinks, and Grasshopper Sparrows to thrive. * Removing exotic plant species to provide opportunities for re-establishment of native plant species. July 1-3, 2013, will signify 150 years since the largest battle ever fought in North America. Over much of that time, historic topographic features and their significance had been lost. As a result, visitors and historians could not fully understand the Battle of Gettysburg. But through their continuing efforts, the staff members at Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP) are undoing the effects of time, and realizing the goals of the NPS to preserve the features that were significant to the outcome of the Battle of Gettysburg. Because of their work and attention to detail, current and future generations can better understand this LI historic event. John Kmitta is associate publisher at Green Media, and editor of Landscape and Irrigation magazine and Arbor Age magazine. Green Media editors Eric Schroder and Steve Noe contributed to this piece. Special thanks to the National Park Service and Gettysburg National Military Park for the wealth of background information that made this feature possible, as well as for their special assistance on site at Gettysburg National Military Park. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm or www.gettysburgfoundation.org/ Landscape and Irrigation 23