Recent Projects
Bath County Pond & Forest Garden
We repaired a farm pond, plus did a redesign and retrofit with shoreline shallows and benches to grow emergent marsh vegetation and increase the pond's diversity. We also designed a bioswale and features to manage stormwater coming into the pond. Mike developed a forest garden with native plants interpreted along circular paths, to complement the owner's new Hipcamp tent sites. He inventoried native plants, weeded non-native plants, created paths, flagged plant stations and installed a border rope. We also created a brochure featuring the plants found in this defined forest garden area for the landowner.
Bath County Plant Control & Survey
Although our specialty is vernal pools and related wetlands conservation, Mike Hayslett's lifetime career in natural resource management and conservation biology enables us to address many landowner needs and to provide a wide variety of environmental consulting services related to landscape ecology, restoration and management. For this landowner, Mike and his assistant provided invasive plant control, native plant survey and property boundary marking.
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Culpeper County Vernal Pools Build
Mike created a 3 step-pool stormwater management system for runoff treatment and additional wildlife habitat. This water feature complex was covered under a VCAP (Virginia Conservation Assistance Program) grant awarded to the owners through the Culpeper Soil & Water Conservation District.
Alleghany County Water Features
Mike designed and oversaw construction of eight vernal pools/ponds to greatly increase aquatic and wildlife habitat. This project was a collaboration between several agencies. The farm is USDA enrolled for cost-share funded conservation practices, received a matching grant through the Virginia Department of Forestry, and funding through the Lower Cowpasture Restoration Project. Mike's expertise developed water features to fit the farm's forest management plan and wildlife habitat development goals.The landowner was pleased with the tremendous increase in biological diversity, especially waterfowl and amphibians!
Campbell County Wetlands Repair
We restored a small stream section on a private farm under conservation easement, as part of a double wetlands enhancement project that also involved the installation of stormwater management features to protect one of the two wetland sites. Headwall erosion was threatening to alter the hydrology of a lateral wetland in the floodplain of Little Beaver Creek and needed a significant "fix" with equipment and rock! Installed stormwater management features addressed the cause of this erosion, to protect the stream and wetland.
Augusta County Pond Retrofit
This spring-fed farm pond retrofit reconverted the upper portion of a pond back to a more natural-functioning stream channel. We reshaped the pond inlet below an historic spring race and run by replicating a headwater stream with curves and pools, using limestone boulders and rubble available nearby. The pond contours were also reshaped to create some gentler side slopes and mini peninsulas for increasing shallow zones; this allowed the pond to grow emergent plant areas that will dramatically increase micro-habitat diversity and the subsequent biological diversity for native wildlife. This project was a nice opportunity for Mike to exercise his creative design skills!
Shenandoah County Pond Build
Mike designed and constructed a small spring-fed pond. We also removed invasive Autumn Olive shrubs, enhanced a creek crossing, and installed a small boardwalk for the benefit and enjoyment of the owner. The feature will provide excellent wetland habitat for amphibians, invertebrates, and native plants among other species and boost the biodiversity on this nature-friendly farm.
Bath County Vernal Pool Complex
We designed and constructed an excellent quality complex of 10 vernal pools and restored the hydrology to a bottomland forest along the Cowpasture River. Colonization of wetland wildlife was immediate! 5 species of amphibians came to the pools within the first month. Dragonflies and other aquatic insects also appeared within days. The remnant community of wetland plants and animals there will recover and expand rapidly, now that the surface water has been restored to the site and 10 new pools will provide small reservoirs and expanded groundwater saturation for promoting life in this forested wetland. We also fashioned a nice little cedar pole bridge over the redesigned drop-point spillway of this swamp, as part of the pathway and levee infrastructure.
