The coordinates will bring you to a fenced pond that doubles as a storm drain and is always filled with water. Do not attempt to scale the fence or enter the enclosed area. All the information you need can be viewed from this vantage point.
DeBenedetti Park is one of Lodi’s larger community parks. The 49-acre recreation amenity is located at the intersection of Lower Sacramento Road and Century Boulevard. Some of the acreage is developed and used as soccer fields (which double as stormwater detention basins), parking and walking paths. Another 11 acres is a permanent storm drainage facility that is not available for public access.
The soil around the pond and throughout the recreation park was once farmland.
Soil from the Sierras
Lodi is a diverse wine-producing region formed millions of years ago through geological events and alluvial waters. Two major rivers that originate in the Sierra Nevada feed Lodi - the Mokelumne and the Cosumnes. These rivers have brought soils rich in minerals.
Tokay Fine Sandy Loam
The Tokay Fine Sandy Loam is the home to the majority of Lodi's fifty to one hundred year old Zinfandel vines. The well drained sandy soil allows the vines to slowly draw the water down over the course of the season producing very uniform and balanced growth. The grapevine root pest phyloxera does very poorly in this sandy soil, sparing many of the old own-rooted Zinfandel vines. This soil also sits directly in the path of the cool coastal breeze influence, which imparts excellent color an intense fruit flavors in the finished wines.
Tuscan Stony Loam
This well-drained gravelly soil is found in the rolling hills on the eastern side of the Lodi Wine Region. Full of pebbles and cobbles, fertility an available water capacity are very low allowing the winegrower to precisely administer irrigation to the vines at the stage that most benefit wine quality. The vines can be stressed for water late in the spring and early in the summer intensifying the flavor and color of the fruit. Cover crops are commonly grown between the vines to prevent erosion.
San Joaquin Loam
This moderately well drained soil has a solid clay, rocklike layer. The available water-holding capacity is low, and roots must find their way through the cracks in the clay layer. The naturally low to moderate fertility controls vigor and keeps the vines small producing grapes with excellent concentration of flavors. The tendency of the soil to dry out by early summer controls the vines through the latter part of the growing season.
Archerdale Clay Loam
This deep, well-drained, rich soil has a high available water-holding capacity. The natural fertility of this soil lends it very well to sustainable farming practices. Very little water or fertilizer is required to maintain healthy vines in this soil. Cover crops are frequently planted to balance the vines and provide habitat for native species.
In order to claim this Earthcache, answer the following questions.
1. The name of the cache, DeBenedetti Pond Soil.
2. Take a photo of you (or your signature item if you don't want to show your face) at the posted coordinates. This photo MUST be uploaded to your "found it" log. Please do not send any photos through the message center as Groundspeak compresses images. Each log MUST have a unique and different photo. No two logs may contain the same photo.
3. The color of the soil you find at the posted coordinates.
4. Determine from the descriptions listed above which soil best represents the soil found here and explain why you believe this to be true.