not only do blackberries suck, but......

.....i've also learned they're terrible for wetlands & inhibit rainwater absorption in plants, soil & the air......& I learned this lesson quite by accident.

the first winter & spring after i moved in, my friends can tell you i was stubbornly determined (& quite often covered w/cuts & bruises) from hacking away at 47 years of blackberry growth by hand, & later w/the 'billy goat' brush mower. i managed to clear about 50,000 square feet of those crazy buggers, replanting 7-way pasture mix. we're now reaping the unintended enviro-benefits of this accidental LID (low impact development) project. one of the most noticeable effects is a combination of the rain being taken up by pasture & trees, encouraging what's referred to as the 'evapro-transpiration' effect (40-50% less rain water run-off on the lowest portions of my property).

what that means on a practical level? it's november 6th, & the typical seasonal streams which develop along the front quarter of my property are no where to be found, significantly lowering the flood hazard. it also helps that the 4 farms upstream all have busy goats & absent blackberries. the added bonus is there are more cute/beneficial critters (frogs, snakes, lady bugs & such) & fewer rodents. yay!

more info. on LID can be found at the Puget Sound Partnership website: http://www.psp.wa.gov/our_work/stormwater/lid.htm

thanks to Jeanne Fancher of Friends of Lower White River, for answering all of my newbie questions regarding flood, wetlands, water quality, salmon habitat, rules & such. she's very expert & very patient!