Posts

Hydrologic and Historical Overview

Image
Hydrologic Significance of the Tuscarawas River, from Ohio Environmental Protection Agency:   "The Tuscarawas River drains more than 2,500 square miles in northeastern and eastern Ohio. The mainstem originates southeast of the City of Akron and flows for nearly 130 miles, then joins the Walhonding River to form the Muskingum River. There are several large tributaries (Sugar Creek, Sandy Creek, Conotton Creek, and Stillwater Creek)…The upper portion of the watershed has significant urban, commercial and industrial development. The southern and eastern portions are less populated with far fewer industries in a largely forested landscape that has steeper topography. Pastureland and cattle operations are interspersed throughout the hills and forests as are some abandoned mine lands. The distribution of land covers for the entire Tuscarawas River watershed is 34 percent forest, 31 percent pasture/hay, 19 percent cropland, 12 percent urban, and 4 percent open water." ( epa.ohi
1 comment
Read more

An Introduction to the Tuscarawas River Watershed, Ohio

Here it is, folks; a 31 page booklet containing all the information from this blog in one easy document. It's been an enjoyable ride of discovery these past months; I hope you've enjoyed it as well.
Post a Comment
Read more

Beginning of the End

Hello, all! Well, this blog is starting to wrap up. I've been thinking of a way to consolidate all this information in a format that might be a little easier to use, a little more organized, and a little more comprehensive. I have a couple options: 1. Add to the existing posts, with more information, bigger and better pictures, and a suite of tags to make sorting and collating information easier - but leave it basically in silos, piecemeal. 2. Pull all this data, and the upgraded and additional info and photos, into one document - something like a pamphlet or magazine - and make available either here or in a public, online portfolio, or both. I'm leaning toward the second, honestly. But this is mostly for you, not me; so let me know in the comments if you think one format is better than the other. Whichever route I take, I'll begin implementing it on December 4 - so let me know by then, or forever hold your peace :)
1 comment
Read more

Invasive Species: Garlic Mustard

Today we look at a nasty little invasive species here in Ohio: Alliara petoliata - Garlic Mustard. Seeds that lie viable in the soil for years, roots that (maybe) engage in chemical warfare to inhibit surrounding plant growth - it's made a home, kicked almost everyone out, and smothers those who try to stay. All in all...nasty. Let's take a closer look.
1 comment
Read more

iNaturalist - App for Nature Lovers

This week we're taking a look at tools useful for watershed exploration. One that may not immediately leap to mind is your phone - more specifically, an app on your phone that allows you to research flora and fauna within the watershed before even stepping foot or muck boot outdoors. A quick Google search might list several such apps, but searching on my iPhone revealed only one still active: iNaturalist. It might have been survival of the fittest (we can hope) or it might have been "too many cooks in the kitchen" - if someone who wants the data has to check too many places to get a comprehensive overview, it could become just as tedious as searching for the data raw. What iNaturalist does, though, is takes the idea of "citizen scientists" and puts it on your phone or tablet. Now anyone and everyone who is signed up can photograph, GPS locate, and identify species in their backyard or on their vacation and upload it to one server - and all the data is availa
4 comments
Read more

A Closer Look at Threats to the Tusc Watershed

This week we're diving a little deeper - this time focusing on the threats to the Tuscarawas River Watershed through the lens of projects funded and conducted by the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District that we looked at a few weeks ago. The slideshow below is the barest fragment of what the MWCD is involved in - from huge dam restoration projects to stream channel repair to education funding. Follow the links at the end of the presentation to see a more complete list of projects in the Tusc and Muskingum watersheds.
1 comment
Read more

Common Trees of the Tusc River Watershed

Today we're trying to see the trees of the forests; while there are many more than these, you are likely to find them if you visit the watershed. Along the Ohio and Erie Canal you will even find the more wild, thorned versions of the Honeylocust listed below - a strange, and, this close to Halloween, somewhat scary sight. The American Sycamore, too, is abundant throughout the watershed, lending its ghostly upper reaches to many a morning fog, standing in stark contrast to the dark, wet woods around it - sometimes a lonely sentinel over-watching a glass-like pond in morning stillness.
3 comments
Read more

Organizations Managing the Tusc

The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District oversees and manages many programs - including the dams and reservoirs - within the Tuscarawas River Watershed. Here is a brief overview of the organization.
5 comments
Read more