Water Discovery Trail Interpretive Guide Map of the Water Discovery Trail 2 35 Acknowledgements: This project was made possible by the support of the Willary Table of Contents Foundation (www.willary.org) and Keystone College. 1. All Hands on Deck……………………….…4 Trail Guide by: 2. Classroom by the Stream………………...6 Dr. Jerry Skinner Keystone College 3. Water Quality…………………………….…8 Trail Projects Coordinators: Tim Eichner, Leigh Jennings, Robert Karuzie 4. Nose to Water……………………………..10 With additional support from: 5. What Makes This a Wetland? ………….13 Kurt Schmidt, Tom Stanbro, Keystone College Physical Plant, 6. Forest Hydrology………………………..…15 Mr. Ernie Keller, Former Director, Lackawanna County Conservation District, Mr. Shane Kleiner, PA DEP Conservation District Field Rep 7. Acid Deposition………………………….. Project Director: 8. Forest Stewardship……………………….. Professor Howard Jennings, Director, Keystone College Environmental Education Institute (KCEEI) 9. Wetlands, & Invaders………………..…... 10. Flood Plain……………………………….. 2009 Trail Revisions: Samantha Watkins, Keystone College student, Nora Dillon, 11. On the Way to the Bay…………………… Assistant Director, Keystone College Environmental Education Institute Conclusion………………………………….. 2012 Trail Revisions: Nora Dillon, Scott Harris Acknowledgements………………… 34 3 Station 1. All Hands On extensive shallow water habitat is ideal for the Deck Bay's world famous harvest of oysters, soft-shell clams, and blue crabs. In recent decades, elcome to the however, large areas of the bay’s bottom have Water Discovery been without oxygen due to pollution. Interpretive Thankfully, conditions are improving due to Nature Trail at Water Discovery intensive programs throughout the watershed. WKeystone College! Trail logo CONCLUSION… You will begin your Discovery We've tried to expose you to many aspects of experience here on the deck of Lackawanna water, and hope you have a better Hall. Throughout you will be guided by the Water understanding of this most valuable of resources. Discovery Trail logo. This trail is approximately 1/2 For more information about topics in this trail mile long. guide, and other Woodlands Resources visit the: http://www.keystone.edu/woodlands The theme of this trail guide is to dive into water in all its aspects, from the water cycle to the concept of the watershed. Why make such a big deal about water? It’s pretty common stuff, isn’t it? Yes, but with many uncommon properties. We use the words ‘most, highest, and best’ about water more often than for any other liquid. And all of these properties are a result of the polar nature of the molecule, more positive at one end while being more negative at the 4 33 and coastal Oregon by other. temperate rain forest. Water is a wonderful solvent, able to What leads to these dissolve more substances than differences? Moisture! PA anything else we know. It allows Water’s polar averages about 38 inches materials to be carried throughout nature makes of precipitation per year, ecosystems and organisms’ bodies. it unique. while Nebraska receives Unfortunately, this is also why it is one about 30, and coastal of the most easily polluted substances: so many Oregon gets from 60-180+ contaminants can be dissolved in it. inches. Trees require more It is the only natural substance which exists at moisture than grasslands, the surface of the earth in all three states: solid, and rain forest requires liquid, and gas. even more. It is the only substance whose solid form floats The Chesapeake Bay watershed drains 64,000 mi2 of six states. We all live downstream atop its liquid form. from someone. Those It has very high cohesion, i.e., water molecules who live upstream from us have profound effects like to stick together. This causes water’s very on our water quality, health, and quality of life, as high surface tension allowing some insects to we do for those further downstream. “walk on water.” It is also essential to The ultimate ‘downstream’ for us is the transpiration, a plant’s ability to pull water from Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the US. below ground to the top of a tall tree. Formed 12,000 years ago when the last ice sheet Water also has important thermal properties. It melted drowning the mouth of the ancestral takes a lot of energy to change the Susquehanna River, it is fed by 19 principle rivers. temperature of water or to change it from The Susquehanna River makes the greatest one state to another (for example, from freshwater contribution to this long (180 mi.) but water to steam). This makes water quite a shallow (20 foot average) body of water. The 32 5 stable environment for living . it heats and With extensive community and volunteer cools slowly. support, this award-winning project has been a Our search for extraterrestrial life as we know great success and has attracted professional it in the universe always begins with a search for restoration biologists eager to see mitigation water. Now we begin our investigation of the techniques at work. Water Planet. Station 17. On the Way to the Bay Before we get started, take a look at the map of the Tunkhannock Creek Watershed that’s on Consider the interconnectedness of all parts the deck of this building. Do you live in this of the watershed ecosystem you have been watershed? If so, can you find your location? observing. The rocks help determine what the soils will be. The soils and climate determine what Station 2. Classroom by the Stream plants can live here. Plants, to large extent, determine which animals can live here. A shady spot, a gurgling brook . What could Have you ever wondered what determines be a better outdoor classroom? This view of the the dominant vegetation type in this area? stream allows us to sit and consider the source Generally, it is precipitation and temperature, and destination of the water flowing by below us, with the former being the more important. and to consider the concept of the watershed. As an example, consider three states: A watershed, or drainage basin, is the land Pennsylvania, Nebraska, and Oregon. At area which contributes water to a stream or lake. approximately the same latitude, they all have You can delineate one by connecting points of the same amount of sunlight available to them. highest elevation around the body of water. Although they have nearly identical average The Tunkhannock Creek watershed drains 413 temperatures, they differ widely in the type of square miles of 32 municipalities in northeastern dominant vegetation. Pennsylvania is Pennsylvania. Of that land, 60% is forested, 33% dominated by forests, Nebraska by grassy prairie, 6 31 help to reduce and catch erosion and runoff that agricultural, 5% urban/commercial, and 4% was now going directly into the stream. wetlands. Additionally, shade would cool and moderate Let's trace the path of a drop of rainwater the water temperature. The vegetation also falling in the upper part of the watershed. After provides wildlife habitat. hitting the ground, it might runoff into a rill, To restore the area and reestablish the feeding into ever larger channels. Or, it may riparian buffer zone would require stabilization of percolate through the soil until it reaches the the streambank. A mixture of techniques was water table and becomes part of the chosen. “Hard armor,” such as riprap (large rocks), was deployed along part of the bank. 'Soft armor' bioengineering techniques were also Tunkhannock Creek Watershed incorporated, including biologs constructed of plant materials to help hold the bank. Fabric mesh was laid on the graded banks to stabilize the bare soil. Water-loving vegetation such as PA willows were planted directly into the bank. Quickly developing root masses will provide integrity to the banks. Red-osier Dogwood and Arrowwood Viburnum are among the water tolerant plants that were integrated into the stabilization plans. Location of the Tunkhannock Creek watershed Downstream several large downed trees were groundwater. It would enter the lake at buried in the streambank with their roots Lackawanna State Park where it might stay for a protruding into the channel. These rootwads while. The average residence time of a deflect and slow the current, and provide fish molecule of water in a lake is about seven cover. 30 7 years! original Nokomis bridge behind the library. More One day it would pass over the spillway and unstable stream banks were poised to collapse continue the journey downstream in the into the stream. A grant from the Northeastern Tunkhannock Creek. It would then take less than Pennsylvania Urban Forestry Program allowed the a day to flow past you at this spot. A few miles College to repair the damage and develop a more and it would join waters from the East model project for restoration techniques. Branch of the Tunkhannock Creek, together The riparian zone is that area between the flowing into the Susquehanna River in stream bank and adjacent forest. This area had Tunkhannock. been historically degraded by removing much of Now a part of the largest river in Pennsylvania the vegetation for farming and recreational (and the 16th largest in the US), the drop will flow purposes. In part, this set the stage for the flood through Wilkes-Barre, Sunbury, and Harrisburg damage. crossing the Mason-Dixon line into Maryland. The Repair meant reestablishing a more natural Susquehanna ends at Havre de Grace, MD riparian buffer zone. This vegetated area would where it enters the Chesapeake Bay, delivering 90% of the freshwater flowing into the upper bay at a normal rate of 18 million gallons per minute! It’s easy to see why programs to clean up the Bay look upstream for solutions. Pennsylvania and New York State contribute significantly to the quality of the water flowing to the Bay.