Cooley Lake Carp on the Chippewa River Trail Traditional Cache
Wis Kid: As there's been no cache to find for months, I'm archiving it to keep it from continually showing up in search lists, and to prevent it from blocking other cache placements. If you wish to repair/replace the cache sometime in the future, just contact us (by email), and assuming it meets the guidelines, we'll be happy to unarchive it.
Cooley Lake Carp on the Chippewa River Trail
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Size: 
(regular)
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On the shores of Cooley Lake, just off of the Chippewa River Bike Trail. This lake looks more like a marsh where the bike trail crosses it's outlet into the Chippewa River.
Cooley Lake is 22 ares in size, and it has a maximum depth of 8 feet. There are a few other fish in the lake, but mostly carp.
The common carp is a heavy bodied fish, and usually bronze colored with large scales. Carp are usually olive-green colored on the back, becoming yellowish on the belly. The lower halves of the caudal fin and anal fin are often reddish colored. The mouth is toothless with the upper jaw slightly protruding. Common carp also have two barbels on each side of the upper jaw, with the posterior pair more prominent and located at the corners of the mouth.
Carp spawn in the spring and early summer in weedy, grassy, shallow areas of lakes and streams. Spawning occurs when the water temperature is 63 - 78 degrees. Adhesive eggs are deposited randomly and become attached to submerged weeds, grasses or other substrate. Carp are both bottom and surface feeders, and consume a variety of plant and animal tissue from mollusks to mulberries.
The were introduced as food fish in the 1850s, and have spread throughout the country. They muddy the waters as they search for food, and are felt to have a detrimental effect on other fish and on ducks who feed better in clearer water.
This is one of a series of caches along the Chippewa River Trail. The route traces quiet countryside and broad meanders of the Chippewa River. For the most part, it follows the rail bed of the Milwaukee Road railway, built in 1882, which connected Eau Claire to Red Wing, Minnesota. The railway was abandoned in 1980.
The Chippewa River was once the "Road of War" for the Ojibwe (Chippewa) and Dakota (Sioux). It was a direct canoe route between the center of Dakota power at the north end of Lake Pepin and Ojibwe territory in northwestern Wisconsin. The conflict raged for more than 150 years with the last battle taking place near Eau Claire in 1854.
The trail goes though the Lower Chippewa River Valley, an area with much remaining natural habitat, including 50% of the states plant species, 70% of the state's fish species, 75% of the state's nesting bird species and 25% of all native prairies remaining in the state.
A trail pass is required to bike on the trail. Passes are available at 44.47.165; 91.31.935, which is the Short Street ranger station. Passes cost $15 for an annual pass, or $4 for a daily pass.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
sbhe srrg hc, nzzb pna