Riparian Preserve & Water Ranch EarthCache
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Located at the intersection of Greenfield Rd and Guadalupe Rd, next to the Southeast Regional Library in Gilbert, AZ, is the 110 acre Riparian Preserve and Water Ranch. Dedicated on October 9th, 1999, this area plays an important part in the water supply for Phoenix and the surrounding areas. The Preserve itself hosts a myriad of vegetation habitats, wildlife, and plant life. The Preserve is open from dawn to dusk, 365 days per year.
Here at the Riparian Preserve and Water Ranch, there is quite literally something for everyone here. With wide pathways throughout, winding in around the ponds, you could come out for a nature walk. The Park Ranger leads a nature walk every Monday morning at 8:30 AM from October through April.
For the bird watchers, About 200 bird species have been spotted in the area and novice and experienced bird watchers come with binoculars to sophisticated and expensive camera equipment. For the young and novice birdwatchers, the Friends of Audubon Arizona conducts free Family Bird walks between 8 AM and 11 AM on every third Saturday, October through April.
For the fisherman, the lake at the Preserve is regularly stocked with trout, catfish, bass, and sunfish. All provided by the Arizona Game and Fish department, and you can fish here, provided you have an urban fishing license.
The Riparian Preserve also has the Gilbert Rotary Centennial Observatory. The observatory houses a 16-inch Meade, modified Richey-Cretien scope, all guided by a Paramount ME computer controlled German equatorial mount controlled by The Sky professional computer program. The observatory is open to the public Friday and Saturday nights.
The best part of the Riparian Preserve and Water Ranch - there is no charge to enjoy this wonderful area. It is all free!
But what is the Water Ranch? It plays a vital part in the water supply of the Phoenix area and the water cycle for the area. The water cycle has no definable start or finish. The sun, the bright yellow object in the sky heating the earth helps drive this precious cycle, which heats water all over the globe, and when the water heats enough, some if it evaporates into the air. Evaporation is defined as the slow phase transition from a liquid state to that of a gas state (vapor). This evaporation also leads into the humid areas around the earth.
Rising air currents bring the vapor up into the atmosphere, where it meets the cooler temperatures of higher altitudes and it then condenses into clouds. The same air currents that brought the water vapor into the atmosphere then move the clouds around the world, where more other clouds collide, get bigger, and then fall back down in the form of precipitation, usually within nine days of being evaporated. This precipitation, and depending on the temperature, can be found in the form of rain, snow, sleet, hail, and ice. These water forms (once melted, if needed) flows over the ground and runs off to streams, lakes, and oceans. Some water also seeps deep into the ground and replenishes underground reservoirs, where it is then stored by the earth for future uses, or keeps flowing and finding its way back to the oceans. Once back at the ocean, the whole cycle starts all over, continuously without end.
The plants around the preserve, as well as around the planet, also serve a purpose in the water cycle. Transpiration, or the evaporation of of water from the leaves, steams, flowers, and roots of plants aid in the cycle. Together, the evaporation and transpiration is referred to as evapotranspiration.
Groundwater can spend over 10,000 years below the surface before leaving by natural means. Or it can leave by man-made means. The town of Gilbert and surrounding areas gets most of its water from the groundwater below you. In the past, Arizona residents used this groundwater faster than it could be replenished naturally with the water cycle. This area was designed to help replenish the groundwater supply and that there is plenty for future use. When that occurs, wells pump it back up for use in residents' homes, businesses and schools.
At this location you will learn how the Riparian Preserve and Water Ranch accomplishes the task of supplying enough water for the area. Here, there is a structure that is surrounded by six ponds or marshes. To claim credit for this find you will need to do the following:
1) Email me the technical term for the groundwater below and how far down beneath the surface it is.
2) Go to the secondary coordinates (N 33 21.690 W 111 43. 920) and tell me whether or not the area is wet or dry.
3.) With the knowledge gained from the first set of coordinates, please explain how the second area being wet or dry helps with the area's water supply.
I like seeing pictures posted to cache pages. If you have a camera, please take a picture of you or your group with your GPS at the secondary coordinates. Please don't post any spoiler pictures from the primary set of coordinates.
For more information, call the Riparian Institute at 480-503-6744 or visit them online at www.riparianinstitute.org. Enjoy your time at the Riparian Preserve and Water Ranch.
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