The park is built around the wetlands. Wetlands are ecosystems that are a trasition between terrestrial and aquatic systems. To be classified as a wetland an area should have at least one of the following characteristics: The water table should be at or near the ground surface during the growing season, poorly drained or aquatic soils, or be a home to a diverse wildlife and vegitation adapted to thrive in wet environments.
Water tables are what make a wetland wet. To be classified as a wetland, an area of land must have water on the ground's surface or in the root zone for at least a portion of the growing season. This seasonal fluctuation of the water period (known as a hydroperiod), is continually affected by the weather, the season, water feeding into and draining from nearby streams, the surrounding watershed and other nearby bodies of water.
At the first location answer the following questions:
1. What are 2 important benifits of wetlands?
2. How much of the wetlands do we lose each year? (Percentage and total acres)
3. What type of soil is found in the wetlands beyond the sign?
4. Turn around from the sign - estimate the distance from one side of the canal to the other.
Location #2 - Floc Settling Pond
A settling basin, settling pond or decantpond is an earthen or concrete structure using sedimentation to remove settleable matter and turbidity from wastewater. The basins are used to control water pollution in diverse industries such as agriculture, aquaculture, and mining. The pond at this location is used to filter stormwater and remove nitrogen, phosphorus, suspended solids and heavy metals.
At the second location answer the following questions:
1; What is added to the stormwater to aid in filtering?
2. Where does the water eventually flow to?
Location #3 - Wetlands Rehydration
The final location explains how the wetlands refill during periods of heavy rain. When rainwater causes the canal to fill to a certain level the water is discharged into the wetland from the nearby pipe sto cycle the stormwater back into the settling pond to be filtered.
At the final location answer the following question:
1. What is the name of the canal where that the stormwater drains from?
Please enjoy this beautiful park. Pictures are always welcome.