Bridge Anchoring and Dam Busting on the SFLNT

Way back in September the floods of Hurricane Florence 

relocated our Nature Trail bridge a little ways downstream.

Lo and behold, that wasn't the last of our fall floods. Just

a few weeks later another fall deluge deposited it in roughly

the same place.  Now I have better ways of getting exercise

than dragging water-logged bridges through mud and sandbars.

So this time I resorted to a simple but effective anchoring

system. 

I believe these are more commonly used to attach pet

 leashes in yards.  But it will, or should, serve my purpose.

That chore didn't take nearly as long as I expected,

so while I was already wet I checked out a couple

of logjams upstream that were impeding the natural

flow and course of the stream.  These logs were

carelessly dumped into the stream a few years ago

by utility workers, and at flood stage they float down

and clog the waterway.

I find these gravel and stone sandbars very interesting,

but the logjams made them more prominent than normal.

These logjams had actually cause the stream to

cut another channel in torrential downpours, creating

an island between Big Rock and the bridge.

Here you can see the new passage to the left of an island.

Sweetgum and Poplar trees will soak up every drop of

water our stream can provide.

With the log barriers up on shore I'll maintain watch

to see how the flow of the stream improves and

whether some sandbars shift.

I'll also keep a watch on these logs to see that they 

don't float back and clog the stream again. I didn't 

think it was worth dragging them any further.

While at the trail, I checked out our newest feature,

a tree I've dubbed "Bard's Bow," from "The Hobbit."

The tree is still alive, but only a stout branch supports

it from falling all the way to the ground.  If that occurs

I'll have to take to the chainsaw.  Though hordes of SFL

children would prefer to climb over its limbs.

This tree, like Old Man Poplar, is living on borrowed time.

But so is everything in nature, including me!

Of all things on the trail, I suppose Big Rock is the least

susceptible to change. And even it is not immune. I wonder what

 it and the rest of the trail will be like when I'm 80, 90, or 100.

In the dead of winter, you can see clear through the

Nature Trail to the farm fields beyond.  Years ago some

of that land was tilled by boarding students at Farm 

Life School, so maybe things have come full circle.

However much things change, I'm thankful we have

a small, beautiful, and amazingly diverse preserve

on school property, a sanctuary for residents -- flora

and fauna -- and guests.

Be our guest.  Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall.