Murderkill Tributary Action Team
Takes to the Water

On Sunday, May 23^rd, members of the Murderkill Tributary Action Team took to the water to gain a new perspective of the watershed they are working so hard to protect.  Eight members of the team and several guests, including amateur and professional naturalists, spent a successful warm and sunny Sunday afternoon canoeing on Spring Creek, a tributary of the Murderkill near Frederica, learning about the watershed and gaining sunburns and sore muscles.  Kent County Parks and Recreation provided the canoes for the adventure.

The Murderkill River and its tributaries are unique in Delaware for the amount of forest adjacent to the river.  The riparian forest community of Spring Creek is exceptional.  The age of the hardwood community and resulting stability and diversity, horizontal extent from the edge of navigable waters, and absence of access structures are all indicators of the last 200 years of agricultural land stewardship of the adjacent lands.  We are grateful for this, even as we address the need to reduce surplus agricultural nutrients from agriculture operations.

Rick McKorkle, a naturalist with the Fish and Wildlife Service joined us for the day’s event and was able to help identify many of the plants and wildlife we saw throughout the day.  Major highlights included observing a bald eagle soar along the creek while we stopped to break for lunch, a small stinkpot turtle, and the sighting of a globally rare species of shrub growing along the shores of the creek. The seaside alder (Alnus maritime) is typically found in fresh tidal and nontidal marshes and swamps in Delaware, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Georgia.

In addition to the native flora and fauna, we noted several invasive plant species that were present in quantities large enough to cause concern.  Multiflora rose was prominent on shrub hummocks.  This plant has the potential to displace native species such as the swamp rose and the rare seaside alder.   If the infestation increases, control efforts should be undertaken, especially considering the presence of the globally rare seaside alder.  We also observed a Phragmites infestation near Route 113.  This plant also has the potential to displace native plant communities.  Several invasives were observed in smaller quantities, including Japanese honeysuckle and yellow iris.  Though they are not yet a problem, they should be monitored.

We didn't see many fish during the trip.  Some darters and a few baitfish were observed near Andrews Lake where the water was cooler, as well as a couple of dead white perch, perhaps a result of high water temperature and low dissolved oxygen, although we can't be certain.  The stream will never be as healthy as it could be, considering the two dams and man-made lakes upstream.  In a naturally-stressed community of a tidal brackish to freshwater stream — such as is found in Spring Creek — long detention times upstream, limited natural flushing, significant nutrient inputs, periodic upstream intrusion of salt water, and alternating water levels of freshwater in the upper reaches of the waterway, combine to place severe limitations on the production of aquatic wildlife.

Thanks to Murderkill team members and guests for participating in the trip and providing comments, Rick McKorkle of the Fish and Wildlife Service for his expertise on the flora and fauna of Delaware and for helping us to identify the many species of birds and plants along Spring Creek, and to Carl Solberg for securing the canoes for this outing and sharing his wisdom of locations for exceptional canoe trips.

We observed these birds and plants on the Spring Creek canoe trip:

Birds

• bald eagle
• prothonotary warblers - several singing males in adjacent shrub swamp habitats - we observed one on a limb overhanging the water
• red-winged blackbirds
• great blue heron
• northern cardinal
• eastern kingbird
• American goldfinch
• Carolina wren
• blue-gray gnatcatcher
• great crested flycatcher
• red-bellied woodpecker
• red-eyed vireos (in adjacent woods)
• white-eyed vireo (in adjacent woods)
• tufted titmouse (in adjacent woods)
• ovenbird (in adjacent woods)
• acadian flycatcher (in adjacent woods)
• blue jay (in adjacent woods)

Reptiles

• stinkpot [turtle]

Plant communities observed moving upstream

• Phragmites infestation near Route 113
• Marsh Hibiscus (Arrow arum), narrow-leaved cattail (Spartina cynosuroides)
• blue flag iris, yellow iris (exotic invasive)
• large patches of spatterdock
• wet shrub hummocks -- sweet pepperbush, swamp rose, swamp fetterbush, southern arrowwood, possum-haw, seaside alder, royal fern, elderberry, multiflora rose (exotic invasive)
• Adjacent woods -- white oak, willow oak, southern red oak, Am. beech, red maple, sweet gum, loblolly pine, black cherry, persimmon, high-bush blueberry, pinxterbloom azalea, mountain laurel, sweet pepperbush, southern arrowwood, poison ivy, Japanese honeysuckle
• Plant highlight -- seaside alder, (Alnus maritime)