Prairie Potholes EarthCache

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beta59: Time for this one to disappear and free up the space for another cacher. Thanks for visiting!

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Hidden : 3/1/2010
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:

Earth Caching

  1. To learn something about our planet.
  2. The treasure you find is the lesson you learn.
  3. Leave nothing but footprints behind.
  4. Do not pick any plants, remove any organisms, or disturb any wildlife.
  5. Leave No Trace.

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Wetlands

Wetlands are a valuable natural resource. They support diverse wetland functions from flora to fauna, endangered species, and a diversity of waterfowl and wildlife species. Wetlands also clean and absorb flood waters. Research on wetlands is invaluable. Some of the research areas include: delineation and characterization, restoration, functional assessment watershed assessments, and critical processes

Bogs

A bog is a type of wetland. Bogs are typically acidic, and accumulate peat (dead plant material). Bogs are formed when the groundwater flowing into it is naturally acidic, or when the water in the bog comes entirely from rainfall.



Marshes

Marshes are defined as wetlands frequently or continually inundated with water, characterized by emergent soft-stemmed vegetation adapted to saturated soil conditions. There are many different kinds of marshes, ranging from the prairie potholes to the Everglades, coastal to inland, freshwater to saltwater. All types receive most of their water from surface water, and many marshes are also fed by groundwater. Nutrients are plentiful and the pH is usually neutral leading to an abundance of plant and animal life.

Marshes recharge groundwater supplies and moderate stream flow by providing water to streams. This is an especially important function during periods of drought.

The presence of marshes in a watershed helps to reduce damage caused by floods by slowing and storing flood water. As water moves slowly through a marsh, sediment and other pollutants settle to the substrate, or floor of the marsh. Marsh vegetation and microorganisms also use excess nutrients for growth that can otherwise pollute surface water such as nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer. This wetland type is very important to preserving the quality of surface waters. In fact, marshes are so good at cleaning polluted waters that people are now building replicas of this wetland type to treat waste water from farms, parking lots, and small sewage plants

Prairie Pothole Region

The prairie potholes of the Midwest were formed by glaciers scraping over the landscape during the Pleistocene. Prairie potholes are depressional wetlands (primarily freshwater marshes) found most often in the Upper Midwest, especially North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, but can also be found reaching into Iowa and up into parts of Canada. This formerly glaciated landscape, is pockmarked with an immense number of potholes, which fill with snowmelt and rain in the spring. Some prairie pothole marshes are temporary, while others may be essentially permanent. Submerged and floating aquatic plants take over the deeper water in the middle of the pothole while bulrushes and cattails tend to grow closer to shore.

The Upper Midwest, because of its numerous shallow lakes and marshes, rich soils, and warm summers, is described as being one of the most important wetland regions in the world. The area is home to more than 50 percent of North American migratory waterfowl, with many species dependent on the potholes for breeding and feeding. In addition to supporting waterfowl hunting and birding, prairie potholes also absorb surges of rain, snow melt, and floodwaters thereby reducing the risk and severity of downstream flooding.

Prairie Pothole Wildlife

Due to their high levels of nutrients, freshwater marshes are one of the most productive ecosystems on earth. They can sustain a vast array of plant communities that in turn support a wide variety of wildlife within this vital wetland ecosystem. As a result, marshes sustain a diversity of life that is way out of proportion with its size. In addition to their considerable habitat value, non-tidal marshes serve to mitigate flood damage and filter excess nutrients from surface runoff.

Prairie Potholes are known as the duck factory of North America because of the large number of ducks using the area as a stopover during migration from wintering grounds in the south to nesting grounds in the north. Though wetlands are most often associated with waterfowl, they provide essential habitat for a wide variety of species, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects, up to 45% of which are rare and endangered. The high rate of wetland loss has contributed to the endangered status of many species. Some species, such as the wood duck and muskrat, spend most of their life within wetlands, while others, such as the peregrine falcon and deer occasionally visit wetlands for food, water, or shelter. Those species that require wetland habitat to complete at least a portion of their life cycle are called obligate species.

Why are wetlands favored by so many species? They attract wildlife for a number of reasons:

1) Their vegetative cover provides shelter from predators
2) They provide ideal nesting conditions for many waterfowl
3) They provide migratory birds with a safe stop-over location to rest during long migrations
4) They provide essential spawning and nursery habitat for commercially important fish and shellfish
5) Many have an extensive, complex food chain that supports numerous species, including man

At one time the prairie potholes were widespread and abundant. Today they are greatly reduced in distribution and number due to drainage for agriculture. Many of these important and highly productive communities have been altered or destroyed due to increased agricultural and commercial development. As a result, only an estimated 40 to 50 percent of the region's original prairie pothole wetlands remain.

Logging Requirements

Send the answers to #1 - #4 to me through my geocaching profile and post a picture for #5 in your log. I will only reply to the emails if there is a problem. Not sending answers or not having your picture posted will result in log deletion.

1. List the name "GC21RDE Prairie Potholes” in the first line of your email.
2. Indicate the number of people in your group.
3. Describe your impressions of wetlands
4. Take a sample of the water and test the pH level of the sample
5. Take a picture of yourself and your GPS with Grass Lake visible behind you. Post this picture in your log.

Thanks!

Thanks to the South Dakota Department Game, Fish, and Parks for granting permission to establish this site as an EarthCache.

Cited sources:

US Army Corps of Engineers
US Environmental Protection Agency
US Fish and Wildlife: Kulm Weltlnad Management District
American Bird Concervancy
Conrnell University
Bog and wetland information from Wikipedia
Ombrotophic bog information from Answer Bag

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



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