Changes at Arsenal: Fall 2022

Reflecting on Ruderal site aesthetics

We are tracking the ecological evolution of Arsenal Oasis with drone videos. This clip begins with the installation in October 2020, to winter 2021 when there was a wildfire, and continues to April 2021. In the first year, there is little vegetation in the Sycamore pool, but by late September 2022 the impoundment is thick with perennials and reeds, providing a habitat for insects, amphibians, and birds.

Water has also begun to pool in the trenches below the sycamore pool, etching the otherwise xeric plateau with wetter species.

Authors
Ben Hackenberger