Welcome to the Connemara Conservancy Nature Preserve, located in Allen, TX.
To log this earthcache, you will explore the Preserve around Rowlett Creek. The creek has humble beginnings, traveling south parallel to Independence Rd. in McKinney, slicing through Frisco, Plano, Allen, Murphy, Richardson, Garland and Rowlett until it empties out at Lake Ray Hubbard. The watershed area of the creek is 137.6 sq. miles.1 A watershed is a land area that moves rainfall through creeks and rivers to outflow points like reservoirs and the ocean.2 The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality described the creek as a “highly urbanized watershed”, and that since 2014 the creek “has not met state water quality standards for bacteria and has concerns for excess nitrate,”.3
Erosion is the wearing away of the land by such forces as water, wind and ice. It is a complex and highly important natural phenomenon. Erosion is caused by various natural components, and each has its own form. Erosion due to wind, gravity, soil, glaciers, and water. The later, water erosion, happens when rain or another source exposes water-sensitive areas. As water builds up run off picks up soil exposing roots and rock underneath which can lead to destabilization.4 Streams erode and transport sediment across great distances through their watershed. All rivers and streams, like Rowlett Creek, operate as a system.5
A bank is alongside a body of water. In this case, the stream bank flanks Rowlett Creek on either side and are areas of dynamic energy.6 Stream banks are subject to erosion and can erode for many different reasons.7 "Natural erosion proceeds very slowly, and the plants and animals that live along the shoreline can adjust to these slow changes, maintaining a stable, healthy, productive ecosystem,". Catastrophic natural or human disturbances can accelerate this process, like a tree being uprooted in a windstorm or humans removing nearby vegitation, dredging, or construction near the shoreline. There are signs of more extreme erosion problems.
One sign of extreme erosion problems are large areas of bare soil on a steep, high shoreline bank. Another is a measureable change over time in the shape of the shoreline. Then, there are leaning or downed trees with exposed roots. There can also be large patches of muddy water near the shore, or unusually muddy streams following a rainstorm. Finally, excessive deposits of sediment on the streambed can signal erosion problems. While North Texas rapidly expands, with new population growth spurring new development, very few locations are designed to protect the health of the watershed.
While there are ways to control shoreline erosion, the watershed is a system and disruptions somewhere causes problems everywhere. Control factors include halting construction near the stream and preventing impervious surface runoff, like roofs and driveways, from flowing into the shoreline. One more measure involves planting native vegitation and trees on the shoreline. Different types of vegetation comprise a stabilized stream bank. Large and small trees paired with native vegitation is needed to filter contaminants from human industry, vehicles and urban storm water. This vegetation is a critical buffer between human civilization and water quality.
To complete this Earthcache, you must make some observations about the Rowlett Creek and answer the questions below. Please be sure to read the guidelines before arriving. The posted coordinates are a short walk into the Preserve. It is a little more than a half mile round trip from the parking area waypoint I have provided. A vast majority of the walk can be across paved or dirt trails on level ground. Once you arrive you will find a scenic view of Rowlett Creek and some centuries old, stately Sycamore trees.
1.) What are two disruptive forces that can accelerate streamline erosion? Please give an example of each.
2.) Please estimate the height of the stream bank across Rowlett Creek from where you are standing.
3.) What sign or signs of extreme erosion problems do you see at this site?
4.) Did you notice any methods of controling shoreline erosion being deployed at the Preserve? If so, where?
To claim credit for this EarthCache, send the answer to the following questions but DO NOT include them in the log. Online logs with no corresponding answers will be deleted after 2 weeks.
Guidelines
I would like to thank Robert Milone, Meadow Manager, for allowing me to place this earth cache and providing information about the current conservation efforts. Due to recent urban sprawl in Collin County, the Meadow is flooding more and more frequently. During these floods, ground zero could potentially be submerged by a few feet of water, so please be careful if you happen to visit after a storm. The lookout point is also near a drop off, so please watch your children and be cautious not to stand directly on the edge of the bank. The hours to the preserve are from dawn to dusk. Check for special conditions and accurate directions on their website, here.
Works Cited
1= Anonymous, “Rowlett Creek,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed April 15, 2021, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/rowlett-creek. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
2= US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “What Is a Watershed?,” November 30, 2017. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/watershed.html.
3= U. (2020, April). Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Nonpoint Source Program Rowlett Creek Watershed Characterization. Retrieved from https://www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/waterquality/nps/projects/90199-rowlett-creek-watershed-characterization.pdf
4= GC5Y4JE
5= https://www.americangeosciences.org/education/k5geosource/content/rocks/what-is-river-and-stream-erosion
6= https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Waterways/shoreline/info-erosion.html
7= GC3GZWM