The PEPCO Powerline Habitat, aka Kestral Meadow

A Recent Powerline Report

Xavier Courouble of lower Sligo Creek sent this report in late October ’20 on the Pepco powerline habitat project.

Thank you, Xavier, for documenting the many phases of this important project. It clearly shows the tremendous commitment of effort and funding needed to get native plant meadows established in the face of competition from invasive plants and the many recent challenges from Mother Nature.

Powerline Plant Survey – 2013

From March through October 2013, Bruce Sidwell and Michael Wilpers of the FOSC Natural History Committee conducted a survey of plants in the PEPCO powerline corridor where it crosses Sligo Creek between New Hampshire Ave and Riggs Road.

View the Survey of Powerline Plants here

The survey compares plant life area between two area of the Sligo Creek and East-West highway: one, the down-hill area, was mown regularly by PEPCO; the other, up-hill area on the other side of the creek, was unmown.

There were:

• 25 total visits
• 208 sightings of native plants
• 264 sightings of alien plants

Plant most often seen were:

• 20 visits: Red clover
• 14 visits: Hemp dogbane, Queen Anne’s Lace, White clover
• 12 visits: Chicory, Common dandelion, Yarrow
• 11 visits: Early goldenrod, English plantain
• 10 visits: Pokeweed
• 9 visits: Horse-nettle