“One of the most exciting events I’ve ever witnessed in the park was seeing a snowy egret…to see a snowy egret in the park, do you know how that made me feel? It made me feel really good, that this is a place that wildlife feels so comfortable in.”
– Absalom J., Oxon Run
Does the stream support diverse and healthy wildlife and plants?
Each indicator is scored from 0-100, and then an average Biodiversity & Habitat score is calculated for each stream. Learn more about the scores in the Story Map below and in our methodology document.
Our streams are highways for wildlife but need some TLC
The Mid-Atlantic region is a particularly biodiverse part of North America, with northern & southern ecosystems blending together and western piedmonts giving way to coastal plains. Through it all weave our streams, providing passageways of natural ecosystems through a human-dominated landscape. Our diverse species, both rare and abundant, rely upon our streams and their hospitability as habitat.
All three streams scored in the Fair category for Biodiversity & Habitat overall, with very high (94+) scores for Birds, but suffer from severe stream blockages that prevent fish from moving up and down (Fish Passage/ Stream Blockage scores were all close to 50). Removing barriers to fish passage would help more diverse fish make their way up and down the stream channels. Holmes Run and Oxon Run are particularly impacted by non-native invasive plants that displace native wildlife habitat and make it harder for animals to find the food and shelter they need.
View Larger Biodiversity & Habitat Scores Story Map