One of the great things about living on the Creek is watching it change and become healthier from the cleanup and conservation efforts we’ve made over the last few years.

Earlier this week, I made a rather exciting discovery. Clinging to several of the rocks in the Creek were colonies of freshwater snails. The reason this is exciting is because these particular pleuroceridae are endangered and can exist only in unpolluted waters.

The previous owner of Our Little Piece of Paradise raised goats. Galena Creek was, in places, more of a muddy wet spot in the landscape than anything else, criss-crossed with metal fence posts, wire fencing, and shallow railroad-tie dams and bridges. All of that was removed when we purchased the place six years ago, and the Creek has been left to recover mostly on its own. We have done some judicious rock placement to create a couple of short rapids-runs and planted both irises and cat tails. For the last few years, watercress and wild mint have returned in great abundance, acting as a natural filter often requiring care in the late summer to maintain a good flow when water levels are down. Additionally, my neighbor’s cows no longer use the Creek and the late winter snow-melt and heavy rains combined to flush the Creek of any lingering pollutants leaving it in its current, nearly-pristine state.

Also seemingly in greater abundance this spring are the ubiquitous water sliders, a graceful insect whose study by the Chinese may lead to changes in the way water-proof fabric is made.

A bit more interesting, and possibly troublesome, the study could also lead to the “…designing [of] innovative miniature aquatic devices with drag-reducing [properties] and fast propulsion.”

I plan to investigate the introduction of fresh-water mussels and crawfish into the Creek, hopefully leading to an increase in bull frogs this year (read sauteed frog’s legs, they really do taste like chicken!)

According to a Virginia Tech study published in Science Centric (click reload after this link loads), streams such as Galena Creek, “…are natural filters that help remove and transform pollutants that drain from surrounding watersheds, including excess nitrogen from human activities.” The study goes on, “Nitrogen removal in streams is important because it reduces the potential for eutrophication – the excessive growth of algae and aquatic plants in downstream lakes and coastal marine waters,’ said Jack Webster, professor of biology at Virginia Tech. ‘Eutrophication in the Chesapeake Bay has damaged the oyster industry in Virginia…”

Despite the predictions for unusual weather patterns this spring and summer, we expect this to be a good year in the continued return of the Creek to its natural state.

To listen to an excerpt of Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, click here.