Welcome
The coordinates for this earthcache will take you to a point along the banks of the Red Cedar River in Ferguson Park (part of the Meridian Township Parks system) in Okemos, MI. The entrance to the park (waypoint below) is on Okemos Rd, just south of the bridge over the river. Park hours are dawn until dusk - please respect the park hours.
There is NO physical container located at the cache coordinates. This is an earthcache where you will make some observations and answer some questions via email to earn credit for finding the cache.
Ferguson Park often floods in the in the spring, and after heavy rains year round. Per the wishes of park staff, do NOT attempt to complete this earthcache if the park is experiencing flooding, especially if the gates are locked. No found logs will be accepted for visits on days that the park is experiencing flooding.
The Red Cedar River
The Red Cedar River flows generally westward starting at Cedar Lake, which is located southwest of Howell in Marion Township in Livingston County, and ending where it joins the Grand River in the City of Lansing in Ingham County, covering approximately 45 miles.
The Red Cedar is a tributary of the Grand River, and also has several tributaries of its own. Contrary to somewhat popular local opinion, the Red Cedar is currently a generally healthy river with lots of wildlife, although some problems remain.
Most sources regarding rivers divide river development into three stages: Youthful rivers, Mature rivers and Old rivers. Youthful rivers are usually narrow, with a V-shaped channel, fast moving, and do not have a floodplain. Mature rivers are often still fairly narrow, with a U-shaped channel, have a medium velocity, and their path starts to meander due to erosion with narrow floodplains. Old rivers are normally broad, slow-moving, and they have wide floodplains and oxbow lakes.
Rivers carry sediment suspended in the water that has been eroded due to the contact between the flowing water and the channel of the river. As the river flows, any change in the speed between one side of the river and the other (which can be caused by anything from a large rock to a tree, etc.) can cause the start of a meander. As the speed of the water slows at the obstruction, sediment begins to drop out of the water on the slower side. At the same time, the speed of the water increases on the opposite side of the river, and erosion is accelerated. As more sediment is deposited on the inside, and more erosion occurs on the outside, the original bend in the river eventually becomes a meander.
Eventually a meander can become an oxbow lake. As the meander approaches the shape of a loop, the river often breaks through the cutoff at the neck of the meander, sometimes during flooding, creating a new connection and forming a new channel. Sediment is then deposited along the loop side of the new channel, cutting off the loop entirely, resulting in a crescent shaped lake.
Ferguson Park and the adjacent Sumbal Natural Area are located in a meander of the Red Cedar River. Here is an aerial photo of this area:
The Logging Requirements for This Earthcache:
1) Post a photo of yourself, a member of your team, or your GPS at the cache location with the river in the background along with your found log (example photo below).
If you are unwilling or unable to post a photo, as an alternative, email us the text on the plaque on the rock located at N 42° 42.803 W 084° 25.781 (do NOT include the text on the plaque in your log).
2) Email us the answers to the following questions via our profile (do NOT include any answers in your log):
- From your view of the river at this location, would you say that the river is Youthful, Mature, or Old and why?
- Is the side of the meander in the river where you are standing the side that is eroding or the side where sediment is being deposited?
- What do you think will happen at this location as the river continues to age?
Little Allen Cachers at The Red Cedar River
Many thanks to Meridian Township Parks for allowing this earthcache.
We hope you enjoyed your visit to the Red Cedar River!
Voted one of the Lansing Area's Top Caches for 2015.