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The Katawba Valley Land Trust has undertaken a project to recreate a vegetative buffer along Cane Creek in the Lancaster Greenway Preserve. In 1999, a grant was received from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) under the EPA 319 Non-Point Source Pollution program. The grant has assisted in planting trees in an area which is believed to have been wetlands. Although cleared for agriculture many years ago, the area retains the topography and soil types typical of wetlands. A section of the bank of Cane Creek had eroded at the point where a former wastewater discharge had been located. A separate grant from the Soil Conservation Service helped to stabilize this site.
Early in 2000, KVLT volunteers planted 400 trees in the areas along Cane Creek. The species included oak, sycamore, and green ash, all of which are suited to low-lying areas. Members of Boy Scout Troop 74 from Kershaw, S. C. also worked on the project. Each seedling was planted with stakes and protective sleeves to reduce grazing by deer, which are abundant on the property. Although the summer of 2000 was hot and dry, most of the seedlings survived. During the winter of 2000-2001, about 100 additional trees were planted in other areas adjacent to the wetlands.
Vegetative buffers along stream are beneficial by reducing runoff of pollutants and silt into the stream. Buffers also provide habitat for wildlife and help in cleaning the air. The members of KVLT will continue to monitor the plantings.
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