Following the Beaver Trail (November 29, 2015) For every beaver, there must be an anti-beaver, and yesterday--as in the past--that was I. Beavers dream of no dry land south of Macon. I think a little of the land east of Nashville, GA, should be dry. So, the task, as in the past, was to push them a little further into the swamp so when their dams fail, the impounded water will not breach and wash away the lane up to our house. It seems to me that beavers have chosen the best habitat on Earth and I forgot why I went into the swamp at times. I admit, I enjoyed it. I was traveling light and made some photos to share, albeit with my phone.
*******************
|
||
Overview: The first image provides orientation for my day. There were two non-descretionary tasks. First, the beavers had packed our spillway with mud, sticks and vegetation, completely blocking the culvert. That had to be cleaned or the water would have gone over the road following the first heavy rain. Second, the water level downsteam of the spillway indicated a dam. That was also a threat, but a less urgent one. In brief, my "day trip" was from the area marked "Pond" (location of spillway) down the drain into Buck Bay. |
||
.jpg) |
Map Orientation: The cross at center top of page marks the corner of Land Lots 192 (northwest), 193 (northeast), 223 (southwest), and 222 (southeast). These land lots are in the Tenth Land District of originally Irwin, then Lowndes (after 1825) and now Berrien County, GA (after 1856). This exact location was described by C. McKennon ~1821 when he laid out the original lines. He surveyed out of Allapacoochee Swamp (now called the Ten-Mile Creek). After our 2009/2010 renovation, our pond drains into the outlet of the red-bay swamp (the name used by McKennon), and that combined drain flows into Buck Bay (named after my great-grandfather Jerry S. "Buck" Sutton), which empties into the Ten-Mile Creek. This latter flow is facilitated by a ditch dug by the PWA during the depression. As a means of maintaining authenticity, I used a screen capture on my iphone (note blue/white circle with cross to mark my location as I went from the drain into the bay), but better and more recent images showing the pond after renovation can be found by plugging the coordinates into Google Earth. PP1 & PP2 mark areas we planted to Longleaf pines in 2006 and PP3 marks a planting made in 2008. WLs mark areas we have set aside for wildlife plantings.
|
|
.jpg) |
This spillway (on the north of our lane) controls the water level in the red-bay swamp, mentioned above, to what I think are historic levels. The depth of this swamp now is not more than knee deep, down from about waist deep 50 years ago, when I was in high school. It has been more than 85 years since it burned out, according to my mother. As one might infer from debris around the spillway, before I cleaned it, it was completely blocked. (For sake of clarity, this image was taken the morning after, when the water level was down to desired level.) |
|
.jpg) |
Bear with me! . . . another preliminary to dispense with before my walk. Two high spots along the drain had to be excavated to facilitate flow. This task--digging through roots and under water--was the major part of the work. Had I been any younger, possibly I could not have done it. (As with the previous image, this one was taken the morning after, when the water levels had dropped.) |
|
| The offending dam was quickly found (left) and as quickly deconstructed (right). The beavers are probably working on their post about rebuilding it. | ||
.jpg) |
.jpg) |
|
I continued to walk in this beautiful area, following the drain, . . . |
||
.jpg) |
.jpg) |
|
. . . until the drain opened into Buck Bay, right (see map--taken at the location shown on the GPS). This is an enchanting place. It is, on the one hand, close to the public road, but, on the other, seems as if it is in a remote corner of the Earth. Indeed, it might as well be for the lack of human intrusion. It is telling that the only place I have found intact Herty cups on the farm is in Buck Bay and the red-bay swamp discussed above. |
|
|
.jpg) |
Herty cup found in Buck Bay on another trip. The use of these cups for collecting pine resin replaced the more destructive practice of boxing trees. After a short period, they were replaced by metal cups. | |
| Of course, I couldn't just remain on the edge of the bay. The next set of images are catfaces left over from the early 60s when Daddy contracted with the late Perry Hendley. The late Sylvester Copeland, right, was the primary hand. It was always a pleasure talking to him, as it is now to his son Lawrence when I am lucky enough to catch him at work. These swamps are also the only place that I find catfaces on the farm: they were removed from accessible places at two separate times by different unauthorized parties. | .jpg) |
|
.jpg) |
.jpg) |
|
.jpg) |
.jpg) |
|
Catfaces are a thing of the past. Therefore, my inclination is to leave them, so that I (or someone in the future) can enjoy them in context. I did collect one small "shell," thinking its time on the ground was limited. Once I assure myself that I will not bring destructive pests inside, it will get a place on the wall of one of our sheds. So, in the end, a walk on the trail of beavers--which I had dreaded--turned into an enjoyable day of wandering in the swamp. Who could ask for more than this turn of perceptions on a Sunday? |
.jpg) |
|
Return to Documentation for this page. |
||
.jpg)