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Home , Aquia Creek, Champe Rocks, Potomac Creek

School of Water Resources Scavenger Hunt for Potomac and Watershed Activities Middle School - Teacher’s Answer Sheet

1. How big is the watershed? http://www.cacaponinstitute.org/watershed.htm

Text from website: Overall, the Cacapon River watershed includes the Lost and North River watersheds, and those of many smaller streams for a total of 680 square miles. The Cacapon Watershed is itself part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

2. Why is riparian (riverside) habitat important in a watershed? http://www.potomacpartnership.net/resource/riparian.html

Text from website: Riparian habitat is crucial for a healthy ecosystem. Trees that grow along a stream, river, marsh, or shoreline form a necessary transition zone between land and water. By acting as a buffer zone, these trees help to filter runoff and groundwater, removing pollutants from the waterway. Although any riparian vegetation is beneficial, forest infiltration is the most effective— infiltrating 10 to 15 times more sediment than grass turf. These forests also provide important shade to waterways, which helps to moderate water and oxygen. Wooded stream corridors provide diverse habitats for birds, fish, and other wildlife as well. But urban sprawl has greatly impacted the amount of riparian habitat in the watershed. To combat this, the Partnership has held seminars to inform landowners about how they might be able to conserve and restore riparian habitat on their property through conservation easements and other programs. The Partnership has performed stream bank stabilization, riparian plantings, and cattle fencing in several key areas of the watershed as well.

3. Where does ground water come from? http://www.groundwater.org/kc/whatis.html

Text from website: Where does groundwater come from? Groundwater comes from rain, snow, sleet, and hail that soaks into the ground. The water moves down into the ground because of gravity, passing between particles of soil, sand, gravel, or rock until it reaches a depth where the ground is filled, or saturated, with water. The area that is filled with water is called the saturated zone and the top of this zone is called the water table. Makes sense, doesn't it? The top of the water is a table! The water table may be very near the ground's surface or it may be hundreds of feet below.

4. What watershed has a larger population, the Shenandoah or the Lower Potomac? Which is a larger watershed? http://www.potomacriverkeeper.org/briefing/riverfacts/tributaries.html

Text from website: ? The Shenandoah watershed: ? 3,063 square miles. ? population approx 328,985. ? Cities: Harrisonburg, VA; Staunton, VA; Waynesboro, VA; Front Royal, VA; Stuarts Draft, VA The Lower Potomac watershed ? 1,813 square miles ? population approx 329,061 ? Tributaries: , , , , , , , St. Mary's River, Wicomico River ? Cities: St. Charles, MD; Waldorf, MD; Montclair, VA; Lexington Park, MD; Quantico Station, VA

5. What is West ’s state fish? Give one fact about this fish. (Hint: click on the fish’s name to find a fact.) http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/wv_symb.htm

Text from website: Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) Brook trout, along with lake trout, belong to the "char" sub-group of salmonine fishes that is distinct from the "true" trout and salmon. Originally found only in eastern North America, brook trout were historically so common in New York lakes and ponds that early surveys noted waters in which brook trout were absent, and did not bother noting their presence. Brook trout, also called "speckled trout," are officially designated the state fish of New York. In spite of their name, brook trout are often found in lakes and are also common in cold, clear headwater streams. Like most salmonid fishes, brook trout thrive in waters with low temperatures and high oxygen content. Some coastal river populations also inhabit salt water, though populations of such "salters" are no longer found in New York and are largely restricted to Canada's maritime provinces. "Coaster" brook trout populations were reported by early settlers in the upper Great Lakes (Superior, Huron and Michigan), though it is unclear whether such populations once existed in Lake Ontario. Brook trout populations are usually dominated by small fish (less than 12 inches in length), and never reach sizes greater than five pounds in New York waters. Their relatively short lifespan (typically five years maximum) and slow growth rates contribute to their generally small size. Brook trout spawn in the fall within sand and gravel areas where upwelling groundwater occurs. Lake-dwelling fish spawn in tributary streams or along the shoreline. Spawning takes place from late September to November during daytime, by contrast with night-time spawning lake trout. As spawning season approaches the colors of brook trout are greatly intensified, especially in males whose flanks and belly become orange-red with a black stripe along each side. Aggregations of spawning brook trout can often be observed in small tributaries and along lake shorelines, with solitary females seen digging and remaining within the perimeter of shallow nests, and numerous males looking for an opportunity to dart into these nests to fertilize eggs deposited by the resident female. Brook trout "redds" or nests are often found in large aggregations. Surviving brook trout eggs hatch from February to April, still buried within their gravel spawning beds. Young brook trout grow faster than lake trout because small brook trout are able to live in warmer nearshore and tributary areas that produce abundant insect larvae and other small crustaceans. Larger brook trout are able to feed upon small fish and crayfish, though these fish are also restricted to cold, deepwater habitats during warm mid-summer conditions. Although brook trout are relatively acid-tolerant and can withstand pH conditions as low as 5.0, many brook trout populations in the southwestern Adirondacks and Catskills have been eliminated or greatly reduced due to decades of acid rain deposition. Brook trout have also been eliminated from suitable coldwater habitats within lakes and streams due to predation and competition with non-native smallmouth bass and brown trout.

6. What type of bedrock makes up ? http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/mnf/sp/senrcks_txt.html

Text from website: The rocks are a magnificent formation rising nearly 900 feet above the North Fork River. Eastern contains many such formations of the white/gray Tuscarora quartzite. Seneca Rocks and nearby Champe Rocks are among the most imposing examples. The quartzite is approximately 250 feet thick and is located primarily on exposed ridges as caprock or exposed crags. The rock is composed of fine grains of sand that were laid down approximately 440 million years ago, in an extensive sheet at the edge of ancient ocean. Years of geologic activity followed, as the ocean was slowly destroyed and the underlying rock uplifted and folded. Millions of years of erosion stripped away the overlaying rock and left remnants of the arching folds in formations such as Seneca Rocks.

7. How long is the Potomac River and where does it start? http://www.wilderness.org/Library/Documents/loader.cfm?url=/commonspot/security/getfile.cfm &PageID=4395

Text from website: 338 miles starts at Fairfax Stone (WV)

8. Give two reasons why wetlands are important to watersheds? http://www.ctic.purdue.edu/KYW/Brochures/Wetlands.html

Text from website: Wetlands are a key link in watershed management. The role that they play in our watersheds is critical to protecting water quality and moderating water quantity. Wetland habitat serves as home for many plants and animals. Even the national—and in many areas the local—economy has a significant connection to wetlands. Essentially wetlands are the transition between dry land and water (streams, rivers, lakes, and coastlines), wetlands take many forms including the familiar marshes, swamps and bogs. Yet, not all wetlands are "wet" year round. These "drier end" wetlands also perform significant wetland functions. Yet, these are often the target for many uses including agricultural and urban/suburban uses. Without wetlands, we can expect an increase in flooding, decrease of animal, plant and bird species, increase in erosion, decrease in water quality, and lost revenue. 9. Cacapon is a derivative of a Shawnee word meaning this? http://www.cacaponresort.com/

Text from website: Cacapon (pronounced CaCApon) is a derivative of a Shawnee Indian word meaning "medicine waters".

10. How many species of trees and how many species of plants exist in the Chesapeake Bay watershed? (Hint: Click on “Forest” under “Topics of interest” to get your answer.) http://www.chesapeakebay.net/habitats.htm

Text from website: ? Today the watershed is dominated by southern pine and northern hardwood forests.

? More than 50 major tree species and more than 2,700 different plant species grow in the watershed. 11. What is the current flow for the South Branch of the Potomac near Petersburg? Is it higher or lower than the average flow for today? http://waterdata.usgs.gov/wv/nwis/uv/?site_no=01606500&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060

Answer will vary by day, flows can be found at the bottom of the web page.

12. The Chesapeake Bay watershed includes which states? http://www.chesapeakebay.net/info/factoids.cfm

Text from Website: The watershed includes parts of six states (Delaware, , New York, , Virginia, and West Virginia) and all of the District of Columbia.

Potomac Highlands School of Water Resources Cacapon Institute, Rt. 1 Box 326, High View, WV 26808 304-856-1385 [email protected] www.cacaponinstitute.org