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Research Goals/ Interdisciplinary Approach
We will be studying Harker’s Run from an interdisciplinary perspective, using our research on the social, cultural, and scientific aspects. Our reference point will be the bridges of Harker’s Run. These bridges will allow us to study the history of the area, including previous bridge-building efforts; social aspects such as budget restraints and land use, specifically their effects on Harker’s Run; cultural aspects such as Native American culture and recreational use of Bachelor Reserve; and scientific aspects relating to the watershed and the effects of human disturbance. We will assess the value of Miami’s restoration efforts
in relation to the health and integrity of the watershed. We hope to include literature and our own photography to create a complete picture of Harker’s Run.
Harker’s Run is now part of the Miami University-owned Bachelor Reserve, but this was not always the case. Our group will look at the detailed history of land use, as well as budget policy determining resources allocated to the reserve, zoning (as relates to the surrounding areas), the history of human disturbance (in terms of agriculture, recreation,
environmental effects, and city development), flood history and patterns, weather changes, and how the course of the river may have changed due to social factors, and policy relating to the area. Some specific concerns of ours are the present uses and the impact its presence has on the community and the university.One way we plan to acquire information on the area is through the local police records, speaking with Miami University Physical Facilities, and with professors who have worked with Bachelor Reserve. The social aspects of Harker’s Run impact the public’s ability to use the reserve, popular attitudes towards restoration, and the overall official future of Harker’s Run.
Cultural
In order to understand Harker’s Run from a cultural perspective, we would like to look at both historical and current cultural attitudes of the area. One historical perspective we find most interesting is that of the Native Americans who occupied the land in the past and how they related themselves to the area. We would also like to find the current attitudes of Harker’s Run by interviewing people who may live/work/use the reserve. We would like to find out their opinions on changes in the area, land use, success of the reserve, and why and how they use the area. These interviews will allow us to collect many different
perspectives and attitudes of the area. To combine ideas and attitudes in our study of Harker’s Run, we would like to use literature, photography, and film to show the watershed in a more abstract, creative light.
Scientific
In order to develop a complete vision of the Harker’s Run watershed, we will incorporate extensive scientific research that will further inform our social and cultural inquiries into the land history. Specifically we will be examining aspects of water chemistry (dissolved oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorus) that pertain to diversity, flow, and agricultural impact. Additionally, we will test sediment load as an indication of erosion and surrounding vegetation. Biodiversity of fish and possibly invertebrates will be used as a judgment of river health. We will also test water discharge, as well as the physical characteristics of the watershed such as vegetation, the riparian systems, geography, topography,
and the systems of pools and riffles within the river. These examinations will be conducted on two 100-meter sections at different points along Harker’s Run; one that contains at least one of the two bridges, and another in a more remote location, most likely upstream. The results obtained from these observations will be compared to each other and to the results of the other systems as well.The bridges and Miami’s preservation of the land will provide a framework in which we can examine our data, allowing us to closely relate the social, cultural, and scientific aspects as they pertain to the land history. From here, we will be able to expand the scope of the framework as necessary to further incorporate aspects that are vital to studying this watershed system, but that do not fit in this specific context.
Specific Predictions
Part of our study will involve making comparisons between Harker’s Run, Collin’s Run, and Western Pond. Right now we can predict how these systems may compare based on our preliminary knowledge of the areas. We have observed that the land use patterns vary pretty significantly from area to area. While Harker’s Run has been highly disturbed in the past through agriculture, it seems to be the least disturbed in more recent times. Collin’s Run flows by areas that have been greatly disturbed, such as the area by the Oxford Wal-Mart. Western Pond has also been highly affected by human activity, especially considering that it is a man-made ecosystem. As a result of these varying levels of disturbance, we predict that Harker’s Run will be the most biologically diverse system, followed by Collin’s Run, and then Western Pond. Water quality also correlates with disturbance levels. Therefore, we think that Harker’s Run will have the highest water quality. We also predict that Collin’s Run will have the lowest due to the more urbanized areas near which it flows and because of the pollution that can be observed in that system. Another characteristic that we are testing and comparing is the discharge of Harker’s Run. Our predictions for this are based on watershed area as well as the vegetation surrounding each system. These are somewhat difficult to synthesize, though. For example, Harker’s Run is the largest watershed, but also retains the highest vegetation density (which prevents groundwater from reaching the river). However, with
these factors in mind, we predict that the discharges of Harker’s Run and Collin’s Run will be similar, with less being discharged from Western Pond. Finally, we will make predictions based on sediment load. These are based on the amounts of vegetation surrounding each system, which influences the rate of erosion. Therefore, we predict that Western Pond will
have the highest sediment load, followed by Collin’s Run, and then Harker’s Run.
Sources
People
1. Paul Daniel, Professor Emeritus, Zoology: historical and area information2. Miami University Police: records of human activity (illegal or not) at the site
3. Kim Medley, Miami University Faculty, Department of Geology
4. Miami Physical Facilities: information/policies on bridges, how long land has been under university control, maps, records
Books & Documents
1. A Report upon population, land use & zoning, Oxford, Ohio, prepared for the Village Planning Commission by Harland Bartholomew and Associates, 1950. This will be used in our discussion of social aspects; we hope to relate the statistics herein to disturbance levels.2. A Guide to developing local watershed action plans in Ohio, prepared by State of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Division of Surface Water; writers: Julio Perez et al., 1997. This will be a reference guide on the restoration and management standards for Ohio watersheds, against which Miami’s restoration efforts will be measured.
3. Ohio supplement to urban hydrology for small watersheds, prepared by Wayne E. Achor, 1981. We hope to use this document in comparison with Harker’s Run data.
4. Sediment budget analysis for an agricultural watershed in southwestern Ohio, by Yvonne Patricia Rollins, 1995. We will be comparing this sediment data with that we take from Harker’s Run.
5. The impact of urbanization upon rural land in Butler County, Ohio, 1940-1965, by David Jerome Reith, 1966. This will form part of our historical knowledge of human disturbance in the area.
6. Changes in Oxford, written by Herbert Bradley, 1979(?). This will also be part of our historical data on the Oxford area.
7. Digital soil survey project for Butler County, Ohio: a multi-sponsor internship, by Rebecca Lynn Roush, 1996. We are hoping that this book will shed light on the biodiversity data we collect from the Harker’s Run area.
Websites
1. www.butlercountyohio.org/auditor (Butler County Auditor website) This will provide information on the surrounding lands, such as the owner history and any improvements made to the land.2. www.epa.gov/OWOW/ (EPA Office of Wetlands and Watersheds website) This will provide the government’s view on watershed health and integrity, as well as what to test for in a watershed.
3. www.usgs.gov/ (US Geological Survey website) The USGS will add maps and basic geologic knowledge of the area (e.g. the types of rocks and soil, as well as information on watersheds).
4. www.amrivers.org/ (American Rivers website) This website addresses the diversity and characteristics of typical American rivers.
5. cnie.org/NLE/CRSreports/Biodiversity/biodv-6.cfm (Ecosystems, Biomes, and Watersheds: Definitions and Use by M. Lynne Corn.) This online report will be used for reference in our project.
6. danenet.wicip.org/gisedu/watersheds/ (Watershed definitions and uses) This online report will be used for reference in our project.
PDF Files (not yet linked due to group miscommunication)
1. "Effects of Human Land Use on Fish Population (The Fishbusters): Environment Effects on Fish Population in Miami Creeks." Grace Schneider, Marta Ralston, Amanda Higley, Kristin Mandish 12/7/01 The title basically says it all. We’re going to use this study as a reference for the fish biodiversity of Harker’s Run.2. "A perspective on the abiotic processes sustaining the ecological integrity of running waters" by Geoffrey E. Petts. Ecological integrity studies are extremely important to our study of the watershed and this book, and abiotic processes, especially, are necessary factors.
3. "The geomorphological basis for classifying rivers" by Newson, Clark, Sear, and Brookes. This article will give us more reference for river classification for Harker’s Run.
4. "The development of integrated methods for assessing river conservation value" by P.J. Boon. More river conservation assessment methods will be another valued perspective.
5. "Biological processes in running waters and their implications for the assessment of ecological integrity" by Bunn and Davies. This will be interesting in our assessment of the ecological integrity of our watershed as it relates to the biological processes occurring in the water.
6. "Sustaining Living Rivers" by Karr and Chu. One of our concerns is that of assessing Miami University’s restoration successes, and this article is yet another useful resource in methods for sustaining biological integrity in rivers.
TIME LINE
Mon. 1/21/02: Group meeting
Tues. 1/22/02: Meeting with Hays
Weds. 1/23/02: Group meeting
Thurs. 1/31/02: Group meeting
Week of 2/3/02: Contact Physical Facilities, Contact Miami Archives,
Contact Miami
Police, Obtain topographical and geographical maps from Brill Library,
contact
Paul Daniel and Kim Medley
Week of 2/11: Determine what and where to test, Hopefully complete paper
on time
Each Sunday afternoon: Visit Harker’s Run to collect data/observe and
interact with the
creek
Each Tuesday evening: Group meeting to discuss and analyze data
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