Resources
Newsletters
Project Glossary
Learn the key terms used in the Oxon Run Park & Stream Restoration Project. This glossary is designed to help community members and visitors better understand the language used in stream restoration, park planning, and environmental conversations.
– A –
Adaptive Management: A flexible, step-by-step approach to project planning and management where decisions are adjusted based on what is learned during the project.
Amenities: Features in a park that people use and enjoy, such as benches, playgrounds, picnic tables, and sports fields.
Aquatic Life: Plants, animals, and other organisms that live in the water, such as fish, frogs, and water borne insects.
– B –
Beneficial Use: A positive or productive way to use natural resources, such as reusing stormwater to water plants or creating wetlands to support wildlife.
Benthic Macroinvertebrates: Small creatures like insects, snails, and worms that live at the bottom of streams.
Biological Uplift: The improvement or recovery of aquatic life in and around a stream after a restoration project.
– C –
Channelization: The process of straightening or reshaping a natural stream or river to control water flow. While it can help with flooding, it can have harmful effects on the surrounding environment.
Community Engagement: Working directly with local community members and organizations to get feedback, share ideas, and build support for a project.
Connectivity: How well different areas of the park and community are linked by trails, roads, and pathways for easy access.
Culvert: A pipe or tunnel that allows water to flow under a road or pathway.
– D –
Design Alternatives: Different options or plans for how a project could look or function, allowing the community and planners to choose the best solution.
– E –
Ecological Restoration: The process of helping damaged ecosystems return to a healthier, more natural state.
Ecological Uplift: The overall improvement of a stream’s natural environment – such as cleaner water, healthier soil, and improved wildlife habitat – after a restoration project.
Erosion: The gradual wearing away of soil, rocks, or land by water, wind, or other natural forces.
– F –
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 100-year Floodplain: A designated area that has a 1 in 100 chance of heavy flooding in any given year.
Fish Blockages: Obstacles, such as debris or man-made structures, that prevent fish from moving freely through a stream.
Fish Passage: Structures or efforts designed to help fish move freely upstream and downstream, especially past obstacles like dams or culverts.
Floodplain: The low-lying land near a stream or river that naturally floods when water levels rise.
Floodplain Bench: A flat area built alongside a stream or river that gives water a safe place to spread out during storms.
Floodplain Reconnection: Restoring the natural connection between a stream and its floodplain to reduce flooding and improve wildlife habitat.
Forest Resources: Natural areas with trees and vegetation that provide benefits like wildlife habitat, shade, and cleaner air.
– G –
Green Infrastructure: Environmentally friendly solutions such as rain gardens that absorb water, help filter pollutants and improve habitats.
Geomorphology: The scientific study of Earth’s landforms. It examines how mountains, valleys, rivers, and coastlines are formed. Geomorphologists are scientists who study why landscapes look the way they do. They want to understand how landforms have changed over time. They also try to predict how they might change in the future.
– H –
Habitat Restoration: The process of improving or rebuilding natural environments so plants and animals can thrive.
Headwaters: The source or starting point of a stream or river, often in higher elevations.
Hydrology: The way water moves through the environment, including rainfall, runoff, streams, and groundwater.
– I –
Infrastructure: Physical structures and systems that serve a community, such as roads, bridges, playgrounds, and sewer systems.
Interpretive Signage: Educational signs placed in parks or along trails to teach visitors about history, wildlife, and ecology.
– L –
Levee: A wall or barrier built to control water levels and prevent flooding.
– M –
Master Plan: A long-term, big-picture guide for how a park or area will be improved over time, including recreation, safety, and environmental health.
Meander: The natural bends and curves of a stream or river.
Mitigation: Steps taken to reduce negative environmental impacts of a project, such as creating new wetlands to replace those that were disturbed.
Monitoring: Regularly measuring conditions like water quality or wildlife populations to track the health of a stream and the success of restoration efforts.
– N –
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): A federal law that requires projects to consider environmental impacts and involve public feedback before decisions are made.
Native Plants: Plant species that naturally occur in a region and are well adapted to the local climate and wildlife needs.
Nutrients: Substances like nitrogen and phosphorus that plants need to grow. Too many nutrients can cause harm to water quality.
– O –
Open Space: Natural or recreational areas without buildings, such as fields, meadows, and wooded areas.
– P –
Phased Implementation: Breaking a project into smaller steps or stages to make it easier to complete and fund over time.
Placemaking: Designing public spaces to be welcoming, attractive, and reflective of the community’s identity and history.
Pollution Reduction: Efforts to decrease contaminants, such as trash, oil, and chemicals, that harm streams and wildlife.
– R –
Riffle: A shallow, rocky area in a stream where water flows quickly and creates oxygen-rich habitat for aquatic life.
Riparian Area: The land directly next to a stream or river that plays an important role in water quality and wildlife habitat.
– S –
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966: A federal process that ensures projects consider historic and cultural resources before changes are made to public land.
Sediment: Soil, sand, or other small particles carried by water. Excess sediment can harm water quality and aquatic life.
Sediment Reduction: Preventing soil and other particles from washing into streams, which helps keep the water clean and safe for aquatic life.
Stormwater: Rainwater that flows over the ground, often picking up pollution and carrying it into streams and rivers.
Stream Bank Erosion: The wearing away of the edges of a stream or river due to flowing water, which can cause the stream to become wider and damage nearby land or infrastructure.
Stream Restoration: Activities to return a stream to a more natural, healthy condition by improving water flow, stabilizing banks, and creating better habitats for wildlife.
Substrate: The bottom surface of a stream, which may include sand, gravel, rocks, or mud.
– T –
Technical Memo: A detailed report that explains scientific or specialized findings, such as the condition of sewer lines or stream health.
Trails: Paths for walking, biking, or hiking that connect different parts of the park and surrounding neighborhoods.
Tree Canopy: The layer of tree branches and leaves that grow in an area, providing shade, reducing heat, and supporting wildlife.
– V –
Vegetation Buffer: A strip of vegetation along a stream or river that helps filter pollution, reduce erosion, and provide habitat for wildlife.
– W –
Water Quality: A measure of how clean or polluted water is, based on factors like clarity, nutrients, and the presence of chemicals or bacteria.
Watershed: The land area where rainfall collects and drains into a stream, river, or lake.
Watershed Management: Coordinated actions taken to protect and improve the health of a watershed, including its streams, land, and communities.
Wayfinding Signage: Signs designed to help people navigate a park or community by clearly showing directions, locations, and points of interest.
Wetland: An area where the land is saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands filter pollution, reduce flooding, and provide wildlife habitat.
Wildlife Habitat: The natural home or environment where animals live, find food, and raise their young.