Bean Creek in The Great Black Swamp EarthCache

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GrizzFlyer: Been here long enough, thanks to all who found this EarthCache.

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Hidden : 10/2/2008
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:

This EarthCache will take you to a gaging station on Bean Creek in Fulton County, where you must take a photo, obtain some information and measurements, and email them to me to claim this EarthCache as a find.

ECOLOGICAL AND GEOLOGICAL INFORMATION:
This area of northwest Ohio and nearby lands in Michigan and Indiana were once known as The Black Swamp, which was tamed through an amalgam of streams and ditches. Many of the streams were the result of glacial action centuries ago, and most of the ditches are man-made which eventually drained the area to make it habitable. Bean Creek is a main component of the Bean Creek Watershed, which originates at Addison in southeastern Michigan's Lenawee county. It is formed by the runoff of three small ponds formed by Fitts Creek, which runs directly off of Devils Lake. The creek meanders south through Addison, Rollin, Hudson, Morenci, and on into Ohio. Along the way, it is fed by other small streams, including the Posey Creek, St Joseph Creek, Branch Creek, Silver Creek, the Mallory Lake Drain, and Lime Creek, before joining up with the Old Bean Creek, Mill Creek, and Stag Run to form the Tiffin River just north of the Ohio Turnpike at State Route 66 and County Road J. The portion of Bean Creek where the gaging station is located is the straightest section of the entire creek, and makes for a good place to take the necessary samples. The Bean Creek watershed, also known as the Upper Tiffin Watershed, is comprised of 234,230 acres. 80% of this watershed is farm use, in crops or pasture, from the 1120 farms in the watershed. 12% is wooded, and the remaining 8% is residential, non-farm commercial, and small lakes (18 total). Elevation runs from 1270 feet down to about 780 feet. Some of the creeks feeding Bean Creek are ecologically sound, and support fresh-water creatures including 17 species of freshwater mussels, American brook lamprey eels, bullfrogs and other amphibians, and a variety of fish to include the northern pike, green and pumpkinseed sunfish, minnows, dace, mottled sculpin, and white suckers. Other waterways feeding the Bean have been found to have ecological problems, including nitrate runoffs from farming and livestock operations, erosion, pathogen contamination from poor septic systems, and bacterial contamination from large-scale livestock operations (factory farms).

THE BEAN CREEK WATERSHED:


Data from this gaging station is sent via satellite to a US Geological Survey center, which interprets the data and posts it on their website. The URL for this gaging station is USGS Bean Creek. That webpage presents a lot of data, including charts and graphs developed by using the most recently collected data, as well as historical data.



LOGGING REQUIREMENTS:
---> 1: The sorta-required photo. It's preferred that you take a clear photo of the area with the gaging station in the background. This particular gaging station has a unique feature that identifies it. It would be preferable if you include yourself and/or your GPS unit in the photo, but that is not required. Post the photo with your log.

[***NOTE: This photo requirement was edited on 3/13/2010 to comply with the latest Groundspeak rules regarding EarthCache photos***]

---> 2: Determine the width of Bean Creek at the gaging station. You can get very close by pacing off the distance while on the bridge. Be sure to determine the water width only, NOT the bridge length!
---> 3: Go to the USGS webpage noted above, and determine the stream discharge rate in cubic feet per second for the date you were there. Hint: look at the 8-day chart.
---> 4: Email me with the information obtained in steps 2 and 3. Do not post this information in your log.

Logs without the sorta-required photo will not be deleted, however, if there are any questions about your answers, the photo clears up any doubt you where there. Logs without sending me the required information will be deleted. Emails with incorrect information will be given an opportunity to correct or explain the information before I delete the log. I *REALLY* dislike deleting logs (have only had to do it with another EarthCache I own), so I made the requirements for this one easy for those that were actually at the site.

Additional Hints (No hints available.)

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