Baker University
Wetlands
Boardwalk
to Nature--Self-Guided Nature Tour
Introduction: As you begin your tour along the boardwalk,
try to be as quiet as possible and look and listen for what is living around
you.
1. The first 50 feet of the boardwalk is
surrounded on both sides by brush and trees.
The largest trees are eastern cottonwood (Poplus deltoides). Their leaves seem to be in constant motion. This is caused by the leaf stem or petiole
being flattened so that the slightest breeze causes it to sway. Many of these are dying from two causes:
girdling the trunk by beavers or drowning of the roots due to higher water
levels than when they started growing 40 years ago. Other species include bitterweet vine, boxelder, soft or silver
maple, American elm and red elm. Most
of these species have been labeled with aluminum tags. The most common species of small tree is
rough-leaved dogwood (Cornus drummondii).
This tree was used for a variety of things by Native Americans,
including arrow shafts, because they have straight and sturdy stems. You should also notice a few eastern red
cedar (Juniperus virginiana), however, they are also dying due to higher water
tables in the past 10 years. This is
the only native evergreen in Kansas.
All pines, spruces, firs, etc. have been planted by humans.
2. Where
the grassy marsh and trees meet is what ecologists call an ecotone. This refers to the edge between two habitat
types. In this case it is fairly
abrupt, but the edge may change over time if trees grow up in the marshy
area. We have used five different
methods to control woody vegetation within the wetlands: 1) fire, 2) flooding,
3) mowing, 4) cutting by hand and 5) treating chemically. Each of these has positives and negatives
effects. Some of the wetlands will be
allowed to remain brushy or wooded; the majority, however, will continue to be
managed for open, grassy or marshy areas.
This is what was present historically and will continue to be the predominant
vegetation type.
3. Stop to examine the organisms in the
water under the boardwalk. In the
spring and early summer there is usually water underneath the boardwalk. This source of this water is from rain that
falls within the levees of the Baker Wetlands.
There is also a pipe in the levee near the kiosk that could allow water
in from the canal by opening the "screw valve" located on the south
side of the levee. Usually the water in
the canal is not high enough to allow much water in.
To get a better view of the aquatic
organisms that live under the boardwalk you can lay down and look over the
sides. You may see small mosquito fish
as they quickly swim away or hide in the vegetation. They can see your movement and are often frightened. These small fish reproduce quickly in spring
and summer and are very effective at controlling mosquito populations.
Other organisms that are usually
very common are pond snails and ram's horn snails, red water mites, frog
tadpoles and salamander larvae, a variety of insects, both juvenile and adult
stages, and a host of other invertebrates.
A rather unusual invertebrate that is occasionally seen is the fairy
shrimp. It looks something like a
miniature elongated crayfish that swims upside down and has a large number of
swimmerettes on the abdomen.
4. This is an open stretch typical of
seasonal wetland vegetation. In early
spring and summer it is dominated by dark green grass-like blades are spikerush
(Eleocharis sp.); the thin, yellow green grass-like blades are several
species of sedges (Carex sp.).
The sedges can be identified by their triangular stems. There's an old saying "Rushes are round
but Sedges have edges." Later in
the summer you find a wide-leafed grass that is rice-cutgrass. If you touch them gently you can feel the
saw-blade edges and down the center “rib” of the grass. Be careful as these blades can leave nasty
cuts on bare skin.
5. Stop and sit under the black willow
(Salix nigra). Listen for the sounds of
the seasons.
You may also be able to see various
birds throughout the year. During the
warmer seasons a variety of
amphibians and insects should be also be active both in and below the tree.
To the southeast is a recent
depression that was created. This area
has become nearly choked with cattails in a short period of years. Cattails provide cover but little else to
wildlife. In the spring and fall you
may find ducks or herons in the cattails and in summer you may find Red-winged Blackbirds.
6. From this location you may be able
to watch numerous aquatic organisms swimming about. Sit quietly and allow some of the reclusive species to come back
out from the shadows. In early spring
you may discover calling frogs and it is an excellent place to look for fairy
shrimp. Later in the summer the pool
may be alive with small fish like the mosquito fish and tadpoles.
7. This is a low swale which was dredged
in order to create a slight ridge see at #8.
This technique was known as "W" ditching or bedding.
It is a common agricultural practice in flood plains and was used
extensively on the Old Haskell Farm.
You may notice a variety of rushes, sedges and wildflowers like bidens
and smartweed which only grow in these lower swales. This swale used to drain
through culverts in the north levee and then down the canal to the east. Baker was able to plug these culverts in
1991, thus reverting this area to wet meadow habitat. This particular swale is rarely wet long enough to support fish. It is usually abundant with amphibians and
aquatic invertebrates.
8. Notice the row of medium sized trees to
the south. These are mostly green ash
(Fraxinus pennsylvanica) and American elm (Ulmus americanus). They are growing on an artificial ridge of
soil that was placed there in the 1920's as a means of draining the area for
grazing. You will also notice a low
swale that goes under the boardwalk both left and right. These
swales were dredged out in order to create the ridge. With current water levels being higher than in the past the ridge
is elevated just enough to allow the trees to keep their roots above water. Most of these trees have been here since
the early 1990’s.
Notice the much larger clump of
large trees about 250 yards to the southwest.
This indicates a much larger
natural swale that has contained trees for over 70 years.
9. Look for sparrows, wrens and small
warblers along this long stretch. There
is another small, shallow pond to the west, but it is heavily ringed with
cattails. Notice the strip of Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea) on your
right to the north. It is growing on a
slight rise. It is a plant that is
often introduced into wetlands to provide food for waterfowl. It is not native to the Great Plains and has
been considered to be an aggressive weed by many wildlife habitat
managers. Baker is trying to control
its spread with periodic early prescribed burns.
10. This is a test section of
pressure-treated lumber to compare weathering and durability to the recycled
plastic lumber from which the rest of the decking is made. Our studies show that the plastic should
last longer, be more cost effective, and be a good alternative to throwing
plastic into the landfill. The
boardwalk was completed in March 1994.
11. This is a slightly elevated area, once
again showing a dense succession of American elm,
red elm (Ulmus rubra), honeylocust
(Gledistia triacanthos), and rough-leaved dogwood.
They have become thick enough that
burning does not affect them since there is little in
the way of fuel on the ground to
burn them in the spring. In a wet cycle
these trees will
probably die.
12. The thicket straight ahead is an
excellent birding area during the spring and fall migration. During this time numerous birds frequent
this area, e.g. warblers, vireos, flycatchers and thrushes.
13. This is a small depression that is
slightly wetter and therefore not favorable for most trees. Instead what you find are sedges,
spikerushes, Arrowhead (Saggitaria
latifolia ), and Water Plantain (Alisma
triviale ). The latter plant has
round or oval leaves with large, open seed head with tiny seeds and
flowers. This area will continue to
change as water levels fluctuate and may eventually be invaded by woody
species. This is a good spot to sit in
the spring or fall sun and let your troubles of a busy life fade away for a
short period.
14. This is another good location to sit
quietly and look around you. Golden
shiners and Gambusia are common in the water channel under. Trumpetvine (Campis radicans) in the large
cottonwoods to the left are visited by ruby-throated hummingbirds in
summer. The woodduck nest box ahead of
you may be occupied between March and May.
Only luck or quiet patience will afford you a glimpse of the female
coming or going during incubation.
15. As you return to the Kiosk to the right
you should keep your eyes open for several things.
In the canal are many small floating
plants that have 2-3 leaves. These are
called duck weed. There are several
species, depending on size, including a tiny one called watermeal that is the
size of a grain of sand. These are true
flowering plants, the smallest in the world.
Duckweed commonly have another organism, called Nostoc algae
(actually it is a Cyanobacteria rather than an algae) which lives inside their
leaves. Nostoc is very effective
at removing nitrates and ammonia from the water. This makes duckweed a useful plant for waste water treatment
plants.
Watch for turtles that like to
sunbath on the logs along the canal.
All of these are Painted Turtles.
We also have numerous Common Snapping Turtles but they don’t sunbath.
About 75 feet down the trail you may
notice a concrete water tank to the right and a remnant of a windmill across
the canal to the left. Both of these
are reminders that this area used as part of the grazing operation of the Old
Haskell Farm in the early 1900’s.
In several places along the levee
you may notice trees that have been chewed by beavers. Often they girdle the
tree and then don't cut it down until several weeks later. This will actually increase the sugar in the
vascular cambium just inside the bark.
This is a good thing for beavers they don't eat wood - they only eat the
living tissue called cambium, just underneath the bark and outside the wood.
You should also notice a large
amount of rubble of cut stone, concrete, and large pieces of tin that are the
remains of a building(s) that was on the Haskell campus. Even though this rubble is unsightly and out
of place it actually provides excellent habitat for numerous animals like
amphibians, reptiles and small mammals.
Some of this material has been used with the boardwalk, kiosk,
observation blind and several other projects around the area.
We hope you have enjoyed your
experiences on the Boardwalk to Nature.
If you have comments about the Boardwalk or the Wetlands or you might be
interested in supporting our mission of environmental education send your
comments and tax deductible donation to:
Baker University Wetlands
PO Box 65
Revised:7/02