East Branch Little Pine Creek - WARCS Traditional Cache
East Branch Little Pine Creek - WARCS
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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This cache is part of the WARCS (Waushara Area Rivers, Creeks, and Streams) series.
While it doesn't look like much of a tream at the point of the cache placement, the East Branch Little Pine Creek is a Class I trout stream that meanders for exactly 2 miles before merging with the West Branch Little Pine Creek to form Little Pine Creek. The confluence of the east and west branches actually occurs just into the woods a bit on the east side of the road where this cache is placed. Just to the south of the cache you can see where the west branch crosses the road you are currently on. East Branch Little Pine Creek is designated as an Exceptional Resource Waters area (see description below).
Wisconsin has designated many of the state’s highest quality waters as Outstanding Resource Waters (ORWs) or Exceptional Resource Waters (ERWs). Waters designated as ORW or ERW are surface waters which provide outstanding recreational opportunities, support valuable fisheries and wildlife habitat, have good water quality, and are not significantly impacted by human activities. ORW and ERW status identifies waters that the State of Wisconsin has determined warrant additional protection from the effects of pollution. These designations are intended to meet federal Clean Water Act obligations requiring Wisconsin to adopt an “antidegradation” policy that is designed to prevent any lowering of water quality – especially in those waters having significant ecological or cultural value.
ORWs receive the state’s highest protection standards, with ERWs a close second. ORWs and ERWs share many of the same environmental and ecological characteristics. ORWs typically do not have any point sources discharging pollutants directly to the water (for instance, no industrial sources or municipal sewage treatment plants), though they may receive runoff from nonpoint sources. New discharges may be permitted only if their effluent quality is equal to or better than the background water quality of that waterway at all times—no increases of pollutant levels are allowed.
The area leading into and around the cache may be fairly wet at times of snow melt or high water conditions.
Additional Hints
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