RIVER WORK (part two)
Backwoods Blog;
in the woods and on the road…
“Rock & Sky” (2024)
Part Two: River Work
Last week after the work crew was gone, I went back to get more photographs of the “new look” river. All was quiet, as the heavy equipment had vacated the stream bed, and I walked the re-worked landscape and waterscape taking note of the remarkable changes. For the first couple of days, it still took me by surprise every time I went to the edge of the river and looked down stream. After more than forty years, I had grown accustomed to a certain four season look of the river. Now, I’m curious to see what the different seasons will bring to the river. Wildlife and fish and humans will adjust to the new and changing habitat.
I’ve never seen the river at such a low level. It made restoration work on the river easier, but I have to admit it felt odd to see the riverbed look more like a gravel road in places than a waterway. As I write this blog entry (September 25), we’ve had one day of rain in September and just last week we had six straight days of temperatures over 80 degrees. There is a deep hole by the ledge in front of our cabin that holds six feet of water, even now, but the rest of the stream is mostly ankle deep and the current just a trickle. Even more of a reason to help restore stable habitat.
One of the comments posted from part one of River Work said, “What strikes me is how much more natural the river looks after the boulder and tree placements. Suddenly the rest of the uninterrupted river looks ‘wrong.’ Intstant perspective change.” I’ve included river run drone footage from the deep hole in front of our cabin downstream towards Russell Rock. Look closely along the edges and the middle of the river and you will see the added natural materials and obstructions. There’s also an interesting shot taken from our river float that shows what the “new view” looks like from our place. Embrace change. Live well in the changing environment of our days.
In the woods,
Dave
September 29, 2024
View from the float looking downstream…