Where are the floods?

10 Aug Where are the floods?

I am a person who is fascinated by science and nature and when it comes to experiencing nature, appreciating and understanding it, I am all for it. Recently at Ocmulgee Mounds, our River Trail needed to be assessed for a potential wetland environment. A wetland delineation was previously conducted, the natural resource team and I got to participate and learned a lot, and I have to say it was my favorite moment!

The delineation itself consisted of us going down the trail and visually assessing signs of water movement and flooding. This would consist of sediment compaction in certain areas, or the lack of moss growing on the bass of trees. We also would assess the soil in certain areas checking for any blotches of color including oranges, greys, and blacks to show signs that it was wet for quite some time. Debris would also form around trees due to flooding along with sedimentation.

We would also look for wetland species such as the Elephants Ear above, wetland species are signs that the environment is capable of supporting them therefore it is a likely wetland environment. We did not just look for wetland species but species just within the area as some may be facultative plants, facultative wet, or obligate wetland species. Even non-wetland species are signs that the environment or that particular part is not wetlands.

I soaked up as much as I possibly could as this is a skill I for one enjoy and believe will be useful for me for my future. It was a fun experience and something I could definitely look into getting certified in.