Wilderness Park, Oxbow Lakes and Compost

In the Great State of Nebraska there are fifteen drainage basins. We in the city of Lincoln are proudly part of the Salt Creek Drainage Basin in South East Nebraska. Every creek, river and stream around these parts drains directly into the Salt Creek. So today I investigated a particularly wooded region of the Salt Creek near Pioneers Boulevard. It's a standard creek, meandering through the center of town. Following the gradient it eventually dumps into the Missouri River. Recent rains increased the flow to 450 cubic feet per second, a marked increase over the streams normal average of about 300 cfs.

                                                                        

The river was flowing excessively today so crossing was difficult. These two photographs display the general lay of the land. Vegetation consisted of locust trees, grasses, burrs and other vegetation of the temperate zone. What makes this section of Lincoln compelling is not the river itself but the left behind by Lincoln's expansion.

Salt Creek, as a drainage hub at the center of town, has been part of the local lore for years. Sometimes the city has to change it's course. Other times it must but bridged. Once in a while it is kyaked by locals. In Wilderness Park there is evidence that human activity has altered the course of the river.

Note the ditch located in the center of the photograph. This is an oxbow lake located to the southeast of the river about a quarter mile into the woods. The oxbow lake starts on the stream and does a bow pattern back to the stream. The oxbow lake is approximately four feet above the level of the Salt Creek, indicating the oxbow has been dormant for sometime. Few trees are growing in the oxbow lake, indicating that it has been some time, perhaps twenty years or more, since active water flowed in this area.

Seen in this photo is a clearly worn and watermarked section of section of creek cliff that is above a small valley about three feet above the lowest point of the valley.In the lower area is a dense section of grasses and small trees that aren't very well developed, compared to the outer ring of the higher elevations. The creek walls of the Salt Creek are identical to the markings seen in the photograph.