Wisconsin Glacier
About 22,000 years ago, the Wisconsin Glacier covered most of McHenry County. The front of the glacier pulsated back and forth for about 10,000 years before retreating from the area. Glacial deposition and erosion left behind overwhelming evidence of this glacial coverage. The Kishwaukee Headwaters area is part of a glacial moraine left behind from this time period.
4 Types of Moraines
Lateral moraines are parallel ridges of till deposited along the sides of an alpine glacier.
Medial moraines are till covered areas found in the center of glacial ice. A medial moraine is a ridge that runs down the center of a valley floor. It forms when two glaciers meet and the debris from the two glaciers are combined together.
Ground moraines are till covered areas with irregular topography and no ridges often forming gently rolling hills or plains.
End moraines or terminal moraines are ridges of unconsolidated debris deposited at the snout or end of the glacier.
1) Based on what you learned about moraines and looking around this spot, what type of moraine are you on?
Watersheds
As its name suggests, it is part of the headwaters and watershed for the Kishwaukee River. A watershed is a basin-like landform defined by highpoints and ridgelines that descend into lower elevations and stream valleys. A watershed carries water "shed" from the land after rain falls and snow melts. When looking at the location of rivers and the amount of stream flow in rivers, the key concept is the river's "watershed". All of the land that drains water to the outflow point is the watershed for that outflow location. Watersheds are important because the stream flow and the water quality of a river are affected by things, human-induced or not, happening in the land area "above" the river-outflow point. Once rainwater can no longer soak into the soil, it flows down slope.
Beginning as a simple trickle or seep, the wetland communities of this site and the area directly to the North supply the initial surface flow of the Kishwaukee River – Main Branch. The Kishwaukee River is recognized as one of the most biologically rich river systems in Illinois and is characterized by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as a biologically significant stream.
2) Through protection and restoration efforts the headwaters hydrology has been restored to support what type of flow pattern within this conservation area?
Prairies
In 2005, the fields were harvested one last time and marked the transition from over 150 years of agricultural practice back to an ecologically sustainable prairie landscape.
Prairie communities occur along a moisture gradient. 3 natural communities are found within the site:
Dry mesic prairies are found on dry moranic ridges and bluffs which provide better drainage. Solis are relatively thin and well drained. They occur over loess (clastic, predominantly silt-sized sediment), glacial outwash (sediment deposited by meltwater outwash at the terminus of a morain) or glacial till (unsorted glacial sediment)
Wet mesic prairies occur along the headwaters of small streams, around depressions and on floodplains of larger streams and river. The soil is somewhat poorly drained and deep. Surface water is often present after heavy rains and in the winter/spring.
Mesic prairies have soils that are deep from loess or glacial till. They are moderately well drained and nutrient rich.
3) Based on what you learned about prairie types above and what you see in this spot, which of the three prairie types are you standing on and why?
To claim the Earthcache
To sum up, in order to claim this earth cache, please answer the following questions and, if you wish, post a picture of yourself at the cache location.
1) Based on what you learned about moraines, what type of moraine are you on?
2) Through protection and restoration efforts the headwaters hydrology has been restored to support what type of flow pattern within this conservation area?
3) Based on what you learned about prairie types above and what you see in this spot, which of the three prairie types are you standing on?
McHenry County Conservation District Cache Your Way Across McHenry County GeoSeries
Geocaching is a high-tech “treasure hunting” game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS device. The general idea is to locate hidden containers called geocaches or simply caches. Once you find it, take a trinket and leave one of your own behind for the next person. Share your experiences through geoaching.com.
To participate in our program and earn a special District geo-coin, follow these simple steps.
- Download a McHenry County Conservation District Cache Your Way Across McHenry County GeoSeries Passport from our website
- Go to geocaching.com and create a login (it’s free for a basic membership!) and find the coordinates/info for the program.
- Start your search and locate a cache using a hand-held GPS unit. Our have official District labels.
- When you find a cache, log your name on the logbook inside. If you are participating in the program, be sure to write the answer to the question in your passport.
- A couple of the caches have travel bugs. Please move these bugs along and do not keep them! You will get your own to keep when you finish the program.
- Complete all the caches and bring your passport to Lost Valley Visitor Center in Glacial Park Conservation Area in Ringwood, IL, off Rt 31 and Harts Rd.
If you are unable to make it to a facility when it is open, you may also mail it to:
McHenry County Conservation District
Attn: Geocaching
6316 Harts Rd
Ringwood, IL 60072
Or e-mail a copy to geocaching@mccdistrict.org
Geocachers
Please join us in playing! All are welcome who observe and obey the rules. Please do not move or vandalize the container. Replace the cache in the same spot in like or better than you found it and when you leave, make sure the cache is completely covered. Please do not remove the informational card from the containers, this is a essential game piece for cachers completing the GeoSeries. The real treasure is just finding the container and sharing your thoughts with everyone who finds it.
District Geocaching Rules
For a complete list of rules, visit our website MCCDistrict.org/Geocache
McHenry County Conservation District Information
Visit our website at MCCDistrict.org or call 815-338-6223 for additional details on camping, educational programs, volutneering, and more!
Photo Release
5/20/2021 Photos posted here may be featured on the McHenry County Conservation District's various social media accounts including Facebook, Instagram, and twitter, as well as our website (MCCDistrict.org) and print material such as Landscapes Magazine. By posting photos to this log you agree to allow us to share your work with our followers. Photographers will be acknowledged in any shares or posts of photos, so please include your name in your post if it is different from that of your username.