Standifer Gap Marsh, Chattanooga, Hamilton County April 21, 2008 The water level in the main pond is an estimated 8 inches lower than usual for this time of the year, lowest in the last 5 or more years. Note that we have had more rain in April this year than in the last few years. There is a recent ditch running south-west from the south-west corner of the pond to the creek that flows north under Standifer Gap Road. The ditch is about 8 inches deep and 20 inches wide, half-circle in cross section. There was no water flowing in it. There is a large new sewer manhole near the creek, and caterpillar tracks from SR Road to the manhole. The large beaver lodge just west of the north-south fence appears abandoned and in disrepair. The water level at the two apparent entrances barely covers the entrances, and the rest of the lodge looks like it is sitting on bare mud. I did not see any gnawed trees or cut-off saplings around the big pond, nor any beavers in the big pond. The main dam, at the west side of the main pond, rises about 8 inches above the water level. Formerly the water level was up almost to the top of the dam. It was not possible to walk across the top of the dam because it was too soggy,- not any more. There is a good beaver dam across the big ditch that runs from the culverts to the main pond. It is perhaps 200 feet south of the gravel road. The water level difference is about 10 inches. I saw one small beaver above the dam, and some evidence of gnawing. The water level between the gravel road and the tracks is a few inches higher than usual. Any flooding north of the tracks could only result from blocking the culverts under the tracks. There is no way the water level could rise more than an inch or two above the level of the main dam; the top of the dam is at least 100 feet long. According to long-time residents there was a pond there years ago, some 25 years ago it dried up and the owners put in the wooden fences. After a few years it flooded again. There is a new sewer manhole =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation. You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds you report were seen. The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should appear in the first paragraph. _____________________________________________________________ To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx _____________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. ______________________________________________________________ TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ------------------------------ Assistant Moderator Andy Jones Cleveland, OH ------------------------------- Assistant Moderator Dave Worley Rosedale, VA __________________________________________________________ Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ARCHIVES TN-Bird Net Archives at //www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/ EXCELLENT MAP RESOURCES Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com _____________________________________________________________