Thomson Prairie Great River Bike Trail Traditional Cache
Thomson Prairie Great River Bike Trail
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We've had reports that wasps are in the area of the geocache. Bee careful!
This is a nanocache, so bring your own writing utensil, and log extraction device. You will not need to leave the trail to find this one.
The Great River Trail is a bike trail that follows the Mississippi River for 60 miles between Savanna and Rock Island Illinois, with part of it going through the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.
As you ride or walk through the Thomson Prairie, be sure to bring your binoculars and take time to enjoy the wildlife and cool prairie plants that live along the trail. You will see a great variety of wildlife.
It is a wonderful place to ride or walk. You will ride past Potter’s Marsh, where you may see many migratory waterfowl.
As you walk or bike the southern portion of the trail you will notice that the prairie has changed. Prior to 1960, several of these fields were farmed. If you have ever been in a sand storm you will understand why the farmers planted hundreds of pine trees. The job of these trees was to reduce the amount of wind erosion, allowing the sand to stay in place. These fields have long been restored to prairie.
Many of our grassland species of birds, reptiles, insects and other wildlife species require large portions of open prairie. During the winter, Refuge staff completed a major rehabilitation project that included removing hundreds of pine trees from old fence rows in order to improve the quality of these grasslands.
Prescribed fire is another important tool that managers use to ensure a healthy prairie. There will be times that you will see areas that are blacken. Take special note and keep a close watch as the vegetation starts to grow, you will be amazed. There may be times in April that the trail is temporarily closed due to a fire that is being conducted.
The Thomson Prairie is one of the few remaining large prairies in Illinois, the “Prairie State”. Over 99.9% of the prairies have been destroyed in Illinois.
Note: This NanoGeocache is placed by the USFWS. Practice Cache In and Trash Out as you visit the refuge. Bring a trash bag along with you on your walk and pick up the occasional piece of trash you see on the refuge. Even this small act can make a huge difference.
Enjoy your adventure.
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