Aerial Photography Maps of the Missouri National Recreational River
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Aerial Photography Maps of the Missouri National Recreational River Gavins Point Dam, South Dakota to Ponca State Park, Nebraska September 2004 + ... " ...... .- - -- -........" ... ...- ,,----0 ,___ . ••••. ___... --- _ ..•• ~___ ___ 0_- ••••....-- ____ __ _ •• LO US Army Corps of Engineers ® Omaha District Table of Contents Welcome Page • A c"Omprch"n,;',., ex~mi"a t ion of the Missouri Ri,,,. addressil1g topics such as " .. ,irs grograph ica\ char~c~ris{iC.'l . .. .th e rc-~sons (o r p...,.",,,il1g its """"rees, .. ,irs appearance during Lewis and Clark's "pk jOlln,C')'. 02 Bald Eagle While many bald Threatened and Endangered Species Page • An iliustrMive guide on the arca's rh",aten"d and endal1gercd specie,; ourlinil1g" . area during the .. ,the need (or the Endan~",,,,d Species Act of 1973. these rapmrs may ."ways of protecting .pecies fOund along the Missouri Ri,,,r. ... the countless reasons and incenti"es for ",,"il1g endange",d species. year in the 03 August 251 ", .. Set out to \ Historical Information Page .A historiC"~1 o\"er"i~'w of the Lewis and Clark Expedition providing specifies on ... the Inds Gi11C. .. the ~... "nt:,; that led up to the f~med Expedition . Spirits is dun ... the conditions as descril>ed in the journals of William Clar\:. .. the Missouri Ri",r and the Lev,'is & Clark Bicentennial CommemorMion. 05 this mound .. " t mv;de fu nhe, ;nstcuct;ons. General and Safety Information Page a Boat Ramp Coordinates - An ~ ~t ensiw list of ,,',,neral information and safe!)' pm:autions offering tips on .. .. respeering the' reSOmce . oat Ram Name Latitude .. .,,,·imming . OOating. and ",mping. olton 42° 39' 58" .. re"ding and na"ig;oting the' Missomi Riwr. 10 f-8' Sheet Index Page \. • An iliustrMi"e map indexing the following sections of the Recreational Ri",r... :J to 6 ... Ri"er Miles 810 792 : Shm / . 6. 7' B .. Ri"er Miles 792 to 774: Shm 7 · // . ... Ri"er Miles 773 to 752 : Shul 11 · /7 . 12 T ,/rb Aerial Photography and Maps Page -A collection of maps covering the fo llowing sections of th" Re'Creational River. .. .. Lake Yankton to St. Hden;l Island: Sheer 1 · 6 . .. .St. Hden;l Island to Mull>erry Iknd: She.r 7 · 11 . .. V"nnillion River to Ponca Stat" I'drk: Sheff 12 · 17. 13 Biological Overview Page • A brief glimpse into the arca's vast biMi",,,i!)' pro"iding a wriety of ima~",s on .. ... Mammals such as the Red Fox and Coo,"Ote . .. Birds such as the Sc"rler Tanager and Great Blue Heron . ... r r~irie Plant:,; such as the Prairie Larkspur and Purple Pmirie CIO\"r. 30 1 \'tOZJ OOT-D"J I http:// www. nps.gov/ mnrr Contacts Page -A directory for indi"iduals requiring further information listing contacts such a.i .. U.S. Army Corps of Engineer .. th" Q,"'ins fui m Project - U.S. Army Corps of Engill~~rs . .. th,' Missouri Natioll"1 R <'Cr~ational River - National I'drk S,·":i,,,. Gavins Point Project .. th" Missouri River Information C"","r' U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 33 P.O. Box 710 Welcome Page 02 Welcome to Missouri National Recreational River, specifically the 59-mile reach between South Dakota's Gavins Point Dam and Nebraska's Pon ca State Park. This is one of the last natural segments of the unchanneli zed Mi ssouri River, an environment that is rare on the G reat Plains. Gavins Point Dam ma rks the start of this stretch of the rive r that meanders in the old, wider fiver valley. Below the Yankton Narrows, the river valley opens into a vast floodplain that can be as much as \0 miles wide. Prio r to the closure of Gavins Point Dam in 1954, the water flows past Yankton exceeded 450,000 cubic feet per second (Cf5), That amount is equal to nearly 202 million gallons per minute. Such an enormous flow into this flood plain has resulted in miles of submerged bottomland. Since the closure of the dam, maximum water flow has averaged 40,000 cfs (n early 18 million gallons per minute). This control of water flows has resulted in a grea tly altered flow pattern. Sedimentation and riverbed degradation have ca used a quickly changing river eco-system that is attempting to find a new balance. If the Lewis and Cla rk Expedition were to visit the Missouri River today, only these 59 miles of the river would be recognizable as the once free.flowi ng river they encountered. Along this reach of river, Lewis and C lark discovered many plant and animal species including buffaloberry and the western meadowlark. Congress added th is 59-mile reach to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in 1978 because of its significant natural, recreational, historical and cultural qualities. Preservation of these resources is imperative. Natu ral sandbars, backwaters, eddies and islands still exist today, and old forest cottonwoods provide wildlife habitat. Endangered and th reatened species, such as rhe interior least tern, piping plover, pallid sturgeon and the bald eagle utilize th is eco-system. This segment of the river fo rms a natural boundary between Nebraska and South Dakota. Riverbanks va ry from rel atively flat, sandy beach areas to vertical faces 10 to 20 feet high . The river varies from a slow meandering stream to a braided channel of criss-crossing streams. Floodplain width between banks averages some 2,000 feet, athough it va ries from 600 feet to more than a mile in some locations. Primary channel depths vary considerably from seve ral inches to 20 feet. Natural features along the 59-mile reach include wooded Nebraska bluffs amid views of wide expanses of water with sandbars and steep or gentle rive rbanks. Two large, high.bank isla nds Games River Island and Goat Island) are covered with rare dense stands of cottonwood and dogwood . Also rare are the 300-400 foot.high Nebraska bluffs. Due to the river's action, some of the bluffs have eroded into sheer cliffs, which are cl ea rly shown in brown, yellow, and gray horizontal layers of topsoil and subsoil. This 59-mile reach has retained an historic landscape similar to that experienced by travelers over the centu ries and captured in the writings and illustrations of ea rly explorers like Lewis and Clark, Karl Bodmer and John James Audubon. The National W ild and Scenic Rivers System strives to preserve and protect this precious resource for many more centuries. Threatened and Endangered Species Page 03 The Missouri National Recreational River area is home to a number of threatened and endangered species that are protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. What is the Endangered Species Act and why is it needed? When Congress authorized the Endangered Species Act they declared that species of "fish, wi ldlife, and plants are of aesthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational, and scientific value to the Nation and its people," The purpose of the Act is to provide a means whereby endangered species and their ecosystems may be conserved. The intent of the Endangered Species Act is not to just list species as endangered or threatened, but rather, to recover the population of these species to a point where they can be removed from the list. The U.s. Fish and Wildlife Service administers the law for all inland species and certain marine species. What are endangered species? The Endangered Species Act states that the Secreta ry of Interior shall determine species as endangered or threatened based on man-made factors affecting their continued existence. Endangered: Species listed as endangered are in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of their range. Threatened: Species listed as threatened are species that are likel y to become endange red within the foreseeable futu re. Why save endangered species? Many forms of plants and animals are used di rectly by humans. Medicines derived from plants have a commercial value. Scientists continue to find new plants fo r med icinal purposes. For exa mple, a tree called the Pacific yew, found in the northwestern United States, is known to have properries that will aid in some cancer rreatments. Since many species of plants and wildlife are more suscepri ble to changes in the environ ment, they will often show detrimental effects long before humans. For exa mple, byproducts in the pesticide DDT led to a dramatic decline in the numbers of bald eagles by causing a thinning in their eggshells. DDT increases in concentration (bioaccumulates) as it goes up rhe food chain. Since bald eagles are at the top of the food chain, they were grea tly affected by this pesticide. All organisms store valuable genetic material that once lost, is gone fo reve r. So, we ask yo u to recognize rhem, respect them, and protect their habitat. Please remember that ir is unlawful to kill, harm, o r harass endangered species. The following are threatened and endangered species that may be seen in the Missouri National Recreational River area: (Pallid SrurgL'On) Pallid Sturgeon (Endangered) The pallid sturgeon is a primitive bottom-dwelling fish whose body is covered with bony plates with sharp scutes stretching along its back. This unique fish can be identified by fou r barbels located at the front of the mouth. Of the fo ur barbels, the outside ones are much longer than the inside barbels. If an angler catches any type of sturgeon, they must immediately release the fish back to rhe water. Threatened and Endangered Species Page 04 Bald Eagle (Threatened) While many bald eagles pass through the area during the spring and fa ll migra(ions, these raptars may be see n throughout the yea r in the Misso uri National Recreational Rive r area .