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Photo by Paul Fattig David Steinfeld, the J. Herbert Stone Nursery's leader on the wetland project, says 10,000 plants have been grown for the demonstration wetland at the nursery. Foresters build a wetland 10,000 native plants being grown for demonstration project By PAUL FATTIG CENTRAL POINT -- Using a knife, David Steinfeld cut the stem of a hardstem bullrush, then peeled back the green skin to reveal natural filters. "They have this sponge-like structure that allows the oxygen to go down the stem and into the water," he observed. "They will help aerate the water." At the same time, microorganisms on the stem will munch away at nitrates, wastes and sediment, he noted. "You have a stand of these things and it acts like a great filter for a wetland," he said. The bullrushes are among the 10,000 native plants being grown at the Forest Service's J. Herbert Stone Nursery for a wetland demonstration project being built at the nursery. Heavy equipment began digging into the soil on Monday to begin creating the 3.5-acre project. Spearheaded by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, muscle and equipment is being provided by the Medford and Rogue Valley irrigation districts. In addition to providing the wetland plants for the marshes, the Forest Service is donating the land and will maintain the site. The Rogue Valley Council of Governments will monitor changes in water quality for 10 years. The project will serve as a valuable educational tool for area students and others interested in how wetlands work, said Beth Franklin, environmental education coordinator for RVCOG. The ponds will be nearly completed by week's end, predicted Jeff McLaughlin, an engineer with the Bureau of Reclamation who has built wetlands throughout the Pacific Northwest. "This site is almost perfect -- we're really happy with it," McLaughlin said. Basically, the wetland will consist of four large ponds of varying depths. The average time for water to seep through the 850-foot-long wetland will be about 48 hours. The wetland will be used to filter Jackson Creek water most of the year. Storm runoff from the nursery will also be filtered through the wetland. Right now, any sediment runoff from the nursery goes into Jackson Creek, Steinfeld said. Jackson Creek is a major tributary to Bear Creek -- which suffers from water quality problems resulting from too much sediment, too many nutrients and high water temperatures, all of which limit salmon and steelhead survival. "Most of these ponds will be fairly shallow and pretty heavily vegetated," McLaughlin explained. "All of them will have vegetative filters." Wetlands are beneficial to human and wildlife habitat alike, he said, noting that they clean water while reducing flood problems. "The water should have fewer nutrients in it and a very dramatic reduction in sediment," he said. "We see this as a real educational opportunity." So does the Forest Service. "This is very new for us," Steinfeld said. "It's not like conifers, not like grasses. This is totally different biology. It's exciting for us." Using a hydroponic method, the nursery is producing a variety of plants for the project, including sedges, rushes and bullrushes. "These are all seeds collected in the Rogue Basin," Steinfeld said. "We're very interested in maintaining the genetic integrity." Native cottonwoods and willows will also be grown at the wetland. "In the winter, we'll come through and cut the stems off, then use the stems as propagated material for future seedlings," he said. "They add habitat and serve as a plant product. We'll also have some quaking aspen." Planting is expected to begin before the month is out. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA