Griffy Lake Master Plan Update 2008 Monroe County, Indiana
August 13, 2008
the site, and Mesic Upland Forest and Dry-Mesic Upland Forest located throughout the site. In addition, rare plants (State Rare and State Watch List) are present throughout the site. Largeseeded mercury, blue curls, and wild sensitive plant are found in the eastern half of the site. Spotted wintergreen is present in the northeast corner of the site. Butternut is scattered in the southeast portion of the site. Horned pondweed is found at the east end of Griffy Lake. Golden seal, Illinois wood sorrel, and ginseng are all present in the western half of the site. Oval ladies tresses and synandra are also present at various locations throughout the site. It is difficult to identify any specific portions of the site that are of higher quality than the rest of the site. Exotic and invasive species are present in defined areas around the perimeter of the site, adjacent to roads, adjacent to development, in areas that were historically cleared and are beginning to reforest naturally, and in areas prone to natural disturbance such as flooding. Wildlife is also abundant at the study site. Nineteen species of mammals, nearly 160 bird species, and greater than 20 species of reptiles and amphibians were observed using the property during the current study. Of these species, one bird species of global conservation concern, nine birds of continental conservation concern, ten birds of regional conservation concern, and eight bird species listed as Endangered, Threatened, Rare, or Special Concern in Indiana were observed. Additionally, most of these were observed breeding or are considered likely to be breeding on the site. Among these is the Cerulean Warbler, a species of global conservation concern, which was found breeding along Griffy Creek to the east of the lake. Overall, the Griffy Lake Nature Preserve consists of several natural plant communities with relatively high natural area quality, high vascular plant species richness, the presence of several rare plant species, fairly defined areas of exotic and invasive plant species, and a diversity of wildlife. For these reasons, it is recommended that Bloomington Parks and Recreation work with the IDNR Division of Nature Preserves to expand the portion of the Griffy Lake Nature Preserve that is protected by being state-dedicated nature preserve.
6.0 NATURAL FEATURES INVENTORY The natural features inventory included efforts to inventory the native and exotic vegetation; inventories of the mammal, bird, reptile, and amphibian communities present at the Griffy Lake Nature Preserve; an evaluation of soil erosion issues at GLNP; and an assessment of habitat types and locations within GLNP. Native and exotic vegetation and habitat types and locations are detailed in the Natural Community Survey, while mammal, bird, and herp (reptiles and amphibians) surveys are detailed in subsequent sections. Erosion issues are cataloged in the Soil Erosion Survey which included identification of property-wide, stream-associated, and shoreline erosion issues within Griffy Lake Nature Preserve. 6.1 Natural Community Survey The natural community survey consisted of a native and exotic vegetation survey and habitat assessment of Griffy Lake Nature Preserve. A field investigation was conducted to map the ecological communities, to inventory native and exotic vegetation, and to identify plant species listed as Endangered, Threatened, or Rare (ETR) by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). The field investigation was conducted during several site visits throughout the 2007 growing season. As previously detailed, the site is located near the boundary of the Mitchell Karst Plain and the Brown County Hills Sections of the Highland Rim Natural Region (Homoya et al., 1985). The Mitchell Karst Plain Section is characterized by the karst plain, which is relatively level, although limestone cliffs and rugged hills are present in some areas, especially near the periphery of the
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