Lenore P' Tedesco, Robert C' Barr

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An Environmental Assessment of the Ritchey Woods
Natural Area and Recommendations for Natural Area
Protection and Development
Lenore P. Tedesco, Robert C. Barr Eliot Atekwana,
and Bob E. Hall
Center for Earth and Environmental
Science Indiana University Purdue University,
Indianapolis www.cees.iupui.edu
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Hamilton County GIS, March 2000
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Historic Land Use, Cheeney Creek Watershed
NRCS, 1956
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USGS,1997
Historic Land Use, Cheeney Creek Watershed
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Hamilton County GIS, March 2000
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Hamilton County GIS, March 2000
Existing and Developing Natural Communities
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Hamilton County NRCS, July 1941
1941 Air Photo
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1956 Air Photo
Hamilton County NRCS, August 1956
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Hamilton County NRCS, July 1962
1962 Air Photo
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2000 Air Photo
Hamilton County GIS, March 2000
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Hamilton County GIS, March 2000
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MW-7
Hamilton County GIS, March 2000
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• Incision on Ritchey Creek

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Incision of new channel at east margin of wet
woods
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Vegetation encroachment into drier east margin of
wet woods
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A
III
I
A
II
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• Ritchey Creek Stream Channel Profile

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Beaver Dam On Cheeney Creek Is Holding Base Level
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24 inch tile drain at the headwaters of Ritchey
Creek
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Metal Tile Drain Ritchey Creek
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• Rerouting and Repair of Failed Drainage System
  in South Field (Fall, 2000)

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Hamilton County GIS, March 2000

• Location Map of Wells, Tiles, and Outlets

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Tiled
Failing Tile
Cut Tile
Fen
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Recommended Practices for Wet Woods Preservation

• Control Watershed Area to the South of TCM
  Property Boundary
• Plug Functioning Drainage Tiles
• Fill Some Erosional Channels
• Buffer Wet Woods With Ecotone Boundary
• Protect Beaver Dam Area

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Implications of Suggested Modifications

• Plugging Remaining Functioning Tiles
• Eliminate Most Flow in Ritchey CreekExpect to
  Become Grassy Swale
• Increased Ponding Along Southern Edge of TCM
  Property

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• Observed Surface Water Ponding

Hamilton County GIS, March 2000
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• Photograph of Failed Field Tile

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• Planting the Wet Woods Ecotone, Fall 2000

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Hamilton County GIS, March 2000

• Existing and Developing Natural Communities (2000)

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Location Map of Wells, Tiles, and Outlets
Hamilton County GIS, March 2000
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• MW-2 Cut Tile
• Mitigation Wetland

MW-1 Functioning Tile Depressional Wetland
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• Photograph Of Northern Depressional Wetland

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• Photograph Of Restored Wetland

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Proposed Restoration Strategies

• Cut Drainage Tile Affecting Northern Depressional
  Wetland
• Create Wetland / Wet Prairie / Sedge Meadow
  Mosaic in Southern Field
• Establish Vegetation Plan for Western Old Field
  Successional Area

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• Proposed Restoration Environments

Hamilton County GIS, March 2000
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Development Recommendations

• Utilize the Northern Prairie Field for Facilities
  and Parking Lot Construction
• Use Best Management Practices for Runoff
  Management
• Develop Boardwalk System to Handle Increased
  Usage Without Impacting Natural Areas

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Hamilton County GIS, March 2000

• Building Location and Parking Lot Facilities

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Development Recommendations

• Develop a Watershed Management Plan
• Acquire Property Along Southern Boundary to
  Control Ritchey Creek Watershed
• Minimize Fragmentation of Nature Preserve Forest

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• Surface Flow to Ritchey Creek

Hamilton County GIS, March 2000
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