A Pleasant Surprise on Emerson Creek!
For several weeks, we had planned to install sediment fencing to protect the small Emerson Creek for topsoil being washed into the stream from the farmland to the South. The stream is almost inaccessible during the summer: heavily treed with dense underbrush preventing human access. This is “Machete country” in the summer.We had some weather and manpower issues for the past month, but in desperation, Wade and yours truly decided, during a short mild spell to get the job done before the frost became too deep to penetrate.
Slugging our gear across ½ mile of rough terrain, we set the stage to video the “Emerson Creek Story”. Wade and I chose the most critical sections where we saw trails of sediment flow into the stream and cut our 100’ of fencing to suit. The job went so quickly, we decided to explore down the creek to extract our data logger at its confluence with Mill Creek. Not satisfied with that, we waded downstream to also collect the D/./L from below Rogers confluence as well.
As we walked through the now-accessible stream banks of Emerson Creek, we were delighted to see, not only schools of baitfish, but to see them feeding on the surface! “Taking some Baetis flies” I professionally offered (just a guess). Lets get some samples while this area is open to humans. As we left, we saw that another 100’ of sediment fence would be a good idea at the southern end of the field. Another easy job for December. Wade bought some the next day. Eager to make it perfect, is Wade.
Plodding out, Wade noted that there were some Red Oak trees on the path, with hundreds of wild turkey tracks in the snow. “Chowing down on acorns” Wade wisely opined. What a “One-upsman”! Now we know why the only local people to come here are the turkey hunters! They crawl through here on all fours during the season, so we must take care about the date of our workdays to avoid hunting season.
Stay tuned for the video, coming soon to the TUTKC website.
Bulletproof Bill Xmas
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