Kiwanis Riverview Nature Island 2008
HP Community Action Association
Prologue: About mid-June we wandered down to "Riverview Park" (as some still call it) to check it out. 'Twas lookin' good on a nice sunny Tuesday. You may or not know that we've been invaded by Canadians -- Canada geese to be specific, Branta canadensis to be scientific..
Lots of Flocks: No way to accurately count the Canada geese population on the island. We'd just have to guesstimate "numerous."
Speedy Life Cycle: Downy baby goslings begin eating on their own a few hours after emerging from their eggs. The parents usually keep them far away from potential threats. Goslings eat like little pigs and grow incredibly fast.
Three Weeks Later: The two larger parents keep their eyes open as the three-week-old youngsters wander about foraging for food.
Moochers: When you hit the island with a half dozen loaves of day-old bread, adults and youngsters both run toward you rather than away. Chances are good that several other people have fed them on a regular basis.
The Rains Came: A few days of rain and the former parking lot started to flood.
More Rains Came: Soon, the waters in the lagoon began spilling over into the former grassy areas.
Still More Rain: Here you see the entrance to the island from the Saylorville All-Purpose Trail. Far right, you can see the bridge entrance.
Even More Rain: We had enough rain
to fill our Des Moines River And the Saylorville Reservoir. Trouble
was brewing.
View from the South: Really no dry land left on the island.
Then the Dike Broke: When the U.S. Corps of Engineers decided to lower the Saylorville Reservoir upstream, the river broke thru the dike and inundated the entire island. (We ran out of Dutch boys.) The waters came up and covered part of the bridge leading onto the island. High water made access to the bridge inaccessible. This entire field became a marsh.
August from the North: Six weeks after the dike broke, there's still very little land accessible. The river has gone down -- way down -- but Riverview remains inundated.
Mid-August: Two months after the dam broke, the water has dropped below bridge level. It looks almost civilized from here, but ...
Left of the Bridge: Looking south from the bridge, you see no parking lot or grassy area or bicycle access into or out of the park. You do see plenty of debris near the shoreline.
A bit closer look at the bicycle exit straight ahead and a bit to the left
Right of the Bridge: Look on the bright side, the water area has doubled (and that's just the top). You can see a new floating island out there on the right.
Closer look at the new floating island.
Under the Bridge: Plenty of debris to go around.
At the End of the Bridge: You can still read the dedication plaque at the end of the bridge. Six weeks under water have left their mark.
Beyond the Bridge End: Not much land to look at these days. The reddish-brown trees are dead or dying. No one will raise or lower the flag on that flagpole in the middle.
A closer look to the north. Note the huge logs.
Closer look to the south -- with a large tree trunk.
Plenty of room at the blue picnic table. Not much of a crowd at Riverview these days.
Wild Goose Chase: No evidence of Canada geese on the island now. They begin flying at eight to nine weeks of age -- about the amount of time the island has been submerged.
Epilogue: Two months under water should make Riverview unusable this year -- and probably the next two years.
Three Pumps Hard at Work. The gentleman running these pumps said he'd spent twelve 12-hour days pumping out the water. Note how the water is some 12-inches below regular "see level." He says he has nine inches to go. Then the chain saw guys come in with their dumpsters.
Overview of the Island. In the foreground you see an optimistic fisherman drowning worms. The bridge entrance is in the right mid-background. Looks pretty bleak to us, but the gentleman running the pumps reported some 20 geese still inhabit the island. The chain saws may change that.
Tree Survival. Looks like the bulk of the cottonwoods weathered the two month submersion, but as "logged" in earlier reports there's several mondo-sized tree trunks strewn about -- thus the chain saw guys.
Beyond the Walkway. About in the middle you can see the Wetlands Walkway otherwise known as the Cattail Trail. The cattails look deceased, but you'll see them again in the spring -- even if you burn them off. Not so much the grass. Although the gentleman manning the pumps reports seeing green shoots popping up (through the silt) all over the island. LA
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