Blowing In The Wind EarthCache
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This is the very first Earthcache that we have placed. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. If you wish there is an additional trail that we have included in the waypoints. This trail lets you learn more about the plant and animal life that resides in the Sand Blows.
This is not your typical geocache, it is an earthcache, you will not find a "cache container" rather, an earthcache is designed to bring you to a geological feature. See http://www.earthcache.org/ for further details.
ABOUT THIS LOCATION Buckhorn State park is located in Central Wisconsin. This is a State park, therefor you will need to pay the entry fee, or have a state sticker to enter the park. The park hours are from 6:00am Til 11:00pm. Also the approach to this area is a wooden plank paved walkway around 50' stroll from parking. The walkway starts about 10-15 feet from the parking cordinates. As you are at this location, you will learn several things; Like how this area became to look like this and the difference between what it looked like here 10,000 years ago. You will be walking into a "Sand Blow." The area is a miniature desert in the woods. This "desert" was created in the times of the glaciers and continued to grow because of the human impact on the surrounding land. These areas are rare in the state of Wisconsin, so enjoy the site and enjoy the view.
GEOLOGICAL INFORMATION: GENERAL DESCRIPTION The Central Sand Plains Ecological Landscape, located in central Wisconsin, occurs on a flat, sandy lake plain, and supports agriculture, forestry, recreation, and wildlife management. The Ecological Landscape formed in and around what was once Glacial Lake Wisconsin, which contained glacial meltwater extending over 1.1 million acres at its highest stage. Soils are primarily sandy lake deposits, some with silt-loam loess caps. Sandstone buttes carved by rapid drainage of the glacial lake, or by wave action when they existed as islands in the lake, are distinctive features of this landscape.
VEGETATION The historic vegetation of the area included extensive wetlands of many types, including open bogs, shrub swamps, and sedge meadows. Prairies, oak forests, savannas and barrens also occurred in the Ecological Landscape. An area of more mesic forest with white pine and hemlock was found in the northwest portion, including a significant pinery in eastern Jackson County. Today, nearly half of the Ecological Landscape is nonforested, in agriculture and grassland. Most of the historic wetlands were drained early in the 1900s and are now used for vegetable cropping. The forested portion is mostly oak-dominated forest, followed by aspen and pines. A minor portion is maple-basswood forest and lowland hardwoods.
HYDROLOGIC FEATURES The Wisconsin River is the largest river that flows through the Ecological Landscape; other significant river corridors include the Black River, East Fork of Black River, Yellow River, and Lower Lemonweir River. There are no large, naturally-occurring lakes. The lakes and rivers of the Ecological Landscape are relatively unpolluted. Groundwater rankings by the Wisconsin DNR indicate that this Ecological Landscape is quite polluted as compared with other areas of Wisconsin. Only the Central Sand Hills has a more severe groundwater pollution ranking.
To log this earthcache, you must complete 2 tasks.
1) BRING YOUR CAMERA. We would like a photo of your team with your GPSr at the location. However, if you are solo caching, a photo of your GPSr with enough of the Grounds in the background that can be identified, will also be accepted. Please upload your photo(s) with your "found it" log.(OPTIONAL)
2) ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:
a) Why do you think that there is a walkway instead of just having you walk on a trail?
b) If you were standing in this spot 10,000 years ago, what would you be looking at?
c) Estimate how far the sand is from the blacktop at the parking area.
Please be advised, failure to complete the tasks listed above e-mailing the answers will result in log deletion without notice. You do NOT have to wait for confirmation from me before logging your find. Please do not make any reference to these answers in your log.
A Geocache Notification Form was submitted by Northern Lightz and has been approved by Ranger Joe, Acting Ranger of the Buckhorn State Park, as well as Thomas Meyer, Conservation Biologist for the Department of Natural Resources for this Earthcache. Geocaches placed on Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource managed lands require permission by means of a notification form. Please print out a paper copy of the notification form, fill in all required information, then submit it to the land manager. The DNR Notification form and land manager information can be obtained at: http://www.wi-geocaching.com/hiding
Congrats to slbens for the FTF
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures