What do humans do to the environment and to locations near us? Do we think we are doing the right things and not harming our surroundings? The truth is that actually some of the actions we take do harm the environment. For example, near Buck Creek the Corps of Engineers re-routed the creek in order to form a recreational section for canoeing and Kayaking.
Settlement Forces:
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| This is a store built where Kenton lived. |
Some may wonder how people first arrived and settle around Springfield and Buck Creek. In 1779 Simon Kenton was one of the first families to move with six other people to Buck Creek and Mad River. This changed the area due to them cutting down trees to build houses and to make their little settlement. One may ask how this effected the area? It started with just about 6 families and grew to the population that we have today in Springfield; 60,333 people. Over this time we have built more homes and cut down more trees. This effects the oxygen levels and also destroys ecosystems for organisms that live within the trees. On the Global level we already are losing too many trees. (http://www.buckcreekstatepark.org/ source)
The Clarence J. Brown dam and reservoir is located near Springfield in west central Ohio. The reservoir flows into Buck Creek. The lake is used to reduce flood stages downstream from the dam. The lake is also a provider of water supply storage and operates to increase natural low-flow conditions downstream of the dam. Water quality control is also an interest. Over 4.4 million dollars in flood damages have been prevented thanks to the dam and reservoir. This is a forcing because it is man-made and because it created a water ecosystem that wasn't there previously.
Blog created by: Shirley and Emilie
Rerouting water for kayaking was probably not a major source of detriment, but rather a way to have navigable water and more natural conditions than behind the dam. The balance between our needs and the needs of nature is well-stated!
ReplyDeleteAs you head down Buck Creek from CJ Brown Reservoir, what recent modifications/restoration has occurred?
The Reservoir was placed and then they put the recreation there. We are not sure if this is a modifications, but there has been increased sewage flow during storms.The regulation/ decrease of flow allows it to be the stop-over grounds for ducks. It has also prevented many floods due to the regulations of water levels during storms.
ReplyDelete(http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/buckck/tabid/716/Default.aspx)
(http://www5.wittenberg.edu/sites/default/files/media/geology/Buck%20Creek%20Educational%20Corridor%20FS%203.pdf)
Great! The lowhead dam has also been removed near campus. This was the last stop that we visited on our first lab. Where the dam was removed rocks were brought in to create rapids for kayakers.
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