Ephemeral Wetland - West Lafayette
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Welcome to Cumberland Park in West Lafayette. This park is linked to many other parks via the awesome trail system this city has. For more information on the parks the City has to offer and a trail map please go to www.westlafayetteparks.org . Cumberland Park is located within Tippecanoe County in west-central Indiana. This part of the state of Indiana is where many different ecosystems came into contact. Historically, both the eastern deciduous forests and the western tallgrass prairies occurred within the area. Wetlands also occurred and contributed in the delay of settlement in the area. Eventually, this area became the excellent farming region that we know today.
The Michaud-Sinninger Woods section of Cumberland Park is home to a specific type of wetland, an ephemeral wetland. The Indiana Chapter of the Nature Conservancy helped protect this wetland. Ephemeral wetlands are a temporary wetlands. They are normally wet after a large rainfall and / or in Spring and early Summer and will hold water for a minimum of 60 - 90 days. However in most cases they do not hold water year round. They are normally very small and shallow in nature. As a generalization, a common size would be roughly 30' x 100' x 1'; deep (but rarely more than 3' deep). However they can be as small as the living room in your house or others could be over an acre (43,560 SF). Since there isn't always water in them the bottoms are normally firm and not mucky. They do not have a permanent inlet or outlet, but can overflow if they get an excess of water. Ephemeral wetlands are created by a variety of means including: wind, earthquakes, fallen trees, fires, and tides from rivers, lakes and oceans. They are especially found where local conditions are favorable including site topography and local soil conditions. Past glacial conditions significantly contributed to many of these local conditions.
Ephemeral wetlands are also known by other names. They are also commonly called, vernal pools, ephemeral ponds, temporary ponds, or seasonal ponds. Vernal pools got their name from the Latin word vernus, which means belonging to Spring. In the Midwest these types of areas can be found in forests, savannah / open woodland, or prairie / grasslands. Ephemeral wetlands are not as common as they used to be. They get leveled out for infrastructure and farming quite often. Temporary ponds can be found in a small depression in a wooded area, among hills of an upland forest, a flooded meadow, in flood plains of rivers or streams, natural rock formations, and associated with other vegetated wetlands. Since there is not always water in ephemeral wetlands fish cannot live within them. This however makes for an ideal breeding situation for insects and other invertebrates and is why these types of wetlands are so important to the protection of many local populations of amphibians and other locally significant species such as frogs, turtles, shrimp, salamanders, crayfish, snakes, and even ducks. It has been estimated that half of the frogs and 1/3 of the salamander population are born in vernal pools. This is because without fish, the eggs and larvae of the above mentioned animals have a much better chance of not being eaten. However, many other vertebrates including bats, snakes, turtles and ducks all use ephemeral wetlands as a feeding area on insects. So although the mosquitoes here may be annoying, they do provide a food source.
Ephemeral ponds are also beneficial for the environment by helping to protecting watersheds. Since these wetlands hold the water they help reduce runoff, which lessens erosion and flooding. They also help to resupply groundwater tables. These temporary ponds also keep sediment levels down in nearby streams and rivers.
Special thanks to the West Lafayette Parks Department who gave me the idea for this earthcache and gave me permission to place it. You may park in the parking lot near the basketball courts (N 40deg 27.795, W086deg 54.979) off of Salisbury Street for a short walk. Or you may park in the parking lot off of Kalbarer Road (N40deg 28.064, W086deg 55.158) and enjoy a little longer walk on one of the many trails in the area. The West Lafayette Parks are in a unique setting where they actually have another Ephemeral Wetland at the Celery Bog Nature Area in the Scifros-Maier Nature Preserve that has a boardwalk that you can walk out over the wetland (N 40deg 27.150, W 086deg 56.271). You might want to check that out as well. Parking for the Celery Bog is N40deg 27.100, W086deg 56.170. This location is also home to another earthcache, Celery Bog (GC15BZW), which teaches about another kind of wetland on the site. Other educational opportunities can be experienced at Lilly Nature Center which is located at this site as well. Check the park link above for operating hours.
To complete this earthcache you must e-mail me the answers (within 72 hours or your entry will be deleted) to the following, or if it doesn't require an answer, do what it says:
1. Sit still for a few minutes, what kind of wildlife do you see and / or hear in the area? There are some logs nearby to sit on if you'd like.
2. What depth would you estimate the water level to be at and how close (in feet) is it to the trail at the given coordinates? (DO NOT walk out into the wetland!)
3. How many fish do you estimate to see in the water?
4. At what coordinates do you find the inflow and outflow to this wetland?
5. Either post a picture of yourself near the ephemeral wetland on your log, but not at the given coordinates, somewhere else along the wetland, or, if you forgot your camera (shame on you) there is an object with a number on it nearby. Tell me what the object is and what the number is.
PLEASE NOTE: I will not be sending follow up requests for answers any longer, if you don't complete the requirements, it will be deleted. I've had to chase down to many people lately. Sorry about that. To claim an Earth Cache you must follow through with the requirements, not just visit the site.
Additional Hints
()
Tb gb gur fvgr, ernq gur cntr, fraq zr gur nafjref. Cerggl fvzcyr.