Reecer Creek Aquatic Plants

We surveyed aquatic plants at 3 locations in the stream on the Reecer Creek Floodplain Restoration Project, Ellensburg, Washington. We compared native and invasive species of flora in and around the area. We measured 1m2 areas at stratified random locations in Reecer creek. We counted the number of each species of plant in each area. We concluded that there are more native than invasive flora at Reecer Creek. For example, our upstream section contained 60% Widgeon Grass (native), 30% Clasping-Leaf Pondweed (native), and 10% Reed Canary Grass (Invasive). We recommend continued monitoring of Reed Canary Grass, which is a highly invasive species that is known to outcompete native flora. In every section of the creek this grass was present, and in our opinion this is a threat to Reecer creek and its native flora