The area surrounding Harker's Run, the Joseph M. Bachelor Wildlife and Game Reserve, is a prime example of a fragmented landscape. Historically, Bachelor Reserve has had varied uses, mostly agricultural in nature. Now that Miami University owns the lands, the lands are used mainly for recreational and educational purposes. Miami is attempting to restore the area to a forested state, but because different parts of the forest were acquired by the university and allowed to return to natural state at different times, the land is highly fragmented. These fragments can be broken into two ecotones and ten landscape scenes:
These sections of the landscape are laced with tributaries that flow into Harker's Run. It is our hypothesis that each of these streams will show differences in composition according to the landscape that surrounds them. We also hypothesize that these differences in the tributaries will ultimately affect the overall composition of Harker's Run, because each tributary becomes a part of Harker's Run. It is also our conjecture that the tributaries running through the different scenes will differ in terms of water quality. We hypothesize that the tributaries flowing through older-growth forest will have better water quality than those that flow through newer-growth forests or shrubland.
In this project, we will study the composition of the tributaries, noting their physical and chemical properties. We will test for changes in composition at each of the tributariesÕ sources (if reachable), at their mouths, and in between at changes in the landscape and where smaller tributaries flow into the one on which we are focusing. We will then confer with Harker's Run Group A, which is studying the physical properties of Harker's Run itself. By comparing their results with our own results, we hope to be able to see how each tributary affects Harker's RunÕs composition. Thus, our objective is to show how the fragmented landscape of Bachelor Reserve creates tributaries with very different compositions, and that these tributaries then affect the composition of Harker's Run as a whole.
We believe it is crucial to our understanding of our scientific results that we understand why the landscape is so fragmented around Harker's Run. Because of this, we will study the history of Bachelor Reserve, from natural woodlands, to agricultural lands, and to woodlands again as part of a recreational reserve. The transition from an agricultural area to a nature reserve is the most interesting part of the history of Bachelor Reserve from a social standpoint. We will discuss why this change occurred within the context of the environmental movement. In particular, we will look at the conservation movement, and the movement to create recreational areas and areas set aside for the study of nature. We also hope to show how the reserve is a reflection of the liberal arts culture that Miami University wishes to provide for its students, faculty, and community membersÑthat studies should be well rounded; that recreation, education, and conservation can be combined in one reserve.
Because the Bachelor Reserve is an area that Miami University is trying to restore for the communityÕs educational and recreational use, we will also discuss the UniversityÕs process of reclaiming land. In particular, we will examine how the university is helping the land return to its forested state and protect it from further disturbances even as they have kept the reserve open for human recreational use and other potentially damaging activities. We also hope to discover how the Bachelor Reserve impacts the surrounding community. For instance, does Miami University have the support of the farmers surrounding the reserve to reduce the use of pesticides on their crops to reduce the runoff into Harker's Run?
In accordance with Miami UniversityÕs wishes for the purpose of the Reserve, our time at Harker's Run will not be completely work-oriented. We will make sure we enjoy Harker's Run for its recreational qualities, documenting our time there with pictures, drawings, poetry, or prose. We will then compare our recreational outpourings of creativity with other local photographers, artists, poets, and prose writers. These will serve as visual aids for the project.
2. Relevance of Our Research Question
Although our project is interdisciplinary in nature, the literature written on relevant subjects is, for the most part, not. However, we still found resources that deal all of the questions we have decided to study. They are as follows:
Library/Journal References
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Boden, Thomas A., et al. ÒManagement Plan for the Joseph M. Bachelor Wildlife and Game Reserve.Ó Institute of Environmental Sciences, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio: 1984.
This report describes a plan for the management of the Bachelor Reserve. We will use it to examine how Miami University is managing the land, and restoring it while it is a recreational area that is not free from human disturbances. We can compare MiamiÕs management plan with those in Xavier Font and John TribeÕs book.
Chatfield, Thomas. ÒCreation of a Computer-Based Geographic Information System Database of the Joseph M. Bachelor Wildlife and Game Reserve, 1938 to 1988.Ó Miami University, Oxford, Ohio: 1991.
This source explores the how to keep track of geographic-related information using a computer database. We will use this to explore issues of management in the Reserve, and what Miami University is doing to keep track of the changes and structure of the system.
Font, Xavier and John Tribe. Forest tourism and recreation: case studies in environmental management. New York : CABI Pub., 2000.
This book provides examples of preserved forest areas that are also used by communities for recreation. It discusses the problems faced by ecologists trying to protect the natural state of the land in areas frequented by people for recreation or tourism, and how they resolve those issues. The Bachelor Reserve is also a protected natural area used for recreation. By reading about what others have done, we will be able to study how recreation and human activities affect natural environments, and how recreation can coexist with preservation and restoration.
Goldsmith, F.B., ed. Monitoring for conservation and ecology. London; New York: Chapman and Hall, 1991. 1st edition.
This book explains how to and gives example models for monitoring landscapes for preservation. One particularly helpful chapter may be ÒDevelopment of a rationale for monitoringÓ by John M. Hellawell, which includes a section on monitoring strategies. We will compare what Goldsmith presents in this book with how the Bachelor reserve is being monitored by Miami University.
Gramlich, Lori M. ÒA Landscape Guide to the Bachelor Reserve.Ó Miami University, Oxford, Ohio: 1998.
This guide will be an invaluable resource for our group. It contains historical and geographical information about Bachelor Reserve, and is our only source that describes the ecotones and landscape ÒscenesÓ in the reserve. This will provide a general history of the land use in Bachelor Reserve, which we will study more in-depth with historical property maps and property use information. The information about the ecotones and landscape scenes of the reserve will help us understand the differences in the water quality and physical structure of Harker's RunÕs tributaries.
Grennan, L.E. A Bunch of Wild Flowers. Oxford, OH. No publisher or copyright date.
This is a book of poetry written by a local poet, L.E. Grennan, who includes many poems discussing Miami University and other surrounding towns, as well as a few naturalistic poems. He arrived in Oxford in 1866, so although there is no copyright date on the book, we can assume that the poems were written sometime after that. We will take sections of some of his poems to illustrate the cultural aspects of the area around the reserve.
Johnson, Carl S. ÒMiami UniversityÕs Lands for Learning: A Report on the Nature and Possible Uses of the Bachelor Estate and Associated Lands.Ó Report presented to President C.R. Wilson and the Board of Trustees of Miami
University, Oxford, Ohio: 1965.
This report explores possibilities for the educational uses of the Bachelor Reserve. We will use this report to explore the historical use of the Bachelor Reserve, as well as how it ties into the environmental movement (the report was written in the 1960Õs, has the growing environmental movement affected its contents in any way?).
Murphy, Captain David A. Backlog Ballads. Cincinnati, OH: The Methodist Book Concern, 1913.
This is another book of poetry written by a local poet, Captain David A. Murphy. Many of his poems describe the army, Ohio, or local areas. We will take sections of some of his poems to illustrate the cultural aspects of the area around the reserve.
Websites:
Miami University Natural Areas: This website has information about all of Miami UniversityÕs natural areas, including the Bachelor Reserve. It briefly describes how Miami University received the land as a gift from Joseph M. Bachelor, and what it is now used for. It also has a few photos of the Bachelor reserve, examples of art inspired by Harker's Run.
A History and Biographical Cyclopaedia of Butler County, Ohio: This website briefly discusses the history of Butler County, including when key roads were constructed. We will be able to find out more information about the historical disturbances of the Bachelor Reserve and Harker's Run area from this page. Also, we will be able to find out a small amount more of information concerning what specific crops were historically grown along Harker's Run on this site.
Ohio Nonpoint Source Assessment Group 61: This website lists creeks and rivers in the Oxford area, and their probable sources of nonpoint source pollution. Listed for Harker's Run is agricultural runoff, though there is also some other information that may be helpful if we have some help interpreting it. This will be helpful because we are studying the water quality of the creek.
Fourmile Creek Stream System Data: This website lists EPA data for Fourmile Creek and its tributaries. Harker's Run is listed as 3.7 miles long, with a drainage area of 7.2 square miles. There is some other information that may be helpful if we have some help interpreting it.
Shoreland Management Ð Rivers Primer: This website describes the basic model for the physical structure of rivers. Though it concentrates on large rivers flowing to the sea, we can apply the larger models to the smaller Harker's Run system and see whether the physical characteristics of the tributaries follow the same patterns of larger rivers.
How Does This Relate to a Larger Question?
Harker's Run can be seen as a model, a small-scale river in a fragmented landscape that we can easily study. However, once our study is completed, it can be used as a point of reference for larger river systems, such as the Mississippi, which also travels through a very fragmented landscape. The issues of landscape fragmentation, differences in the composition of tributaries, and managing reserves for recreation and education as well as restoration are all applicable on a much larger scale. Thus, our project is more than just about Harker's Run. It deals with questions that are much larger than that.
3. Interdisciplinary Approach (including cultural, social and scientific perspectives)
To tackle our question from a social perspective, we will focus on MiamiÕs actions ÔtowardsÕ Harker's Run within the environmental movement taking place during the early 50Õs. It will be interesting to know how those responsible were drawing from particular ideologies and strategies being presented by the movement. We will also look at to what extent the surrounding Oxford and Miami community was affected by the changes and restoration of Harker's Run. Especially since the end product was not only a natural reserve, but also a recreation area, we will discuss the impact of Harker's Run.
From the scientific perspective, we will study the composition of tributaries, trying to show how they are impacted by landscape fragmentation. We will research the physical aspects of the Reserve in terms of the geographical and chemical structure of the tributaries. We will perform water quality tests and document the physical structure of the tributaries by measuring water flow and sediment load.
The majority of our cultural perspective will research the history of Harker's Run and the many changes it underwent as a result of restoration efforts by the university. It will also be interesting to read periodicals from that time and get a sense of the attitudes and values of the people in the community in regards to environmental issues in general. In addition to research, we will also conduct interviews with the graduate students living on the reserve now and also the Chair and members of the Bachelor reserve board of trustees, hoping they will provide cultural insights. Lastly, we will include various excerpts from literature and other artistic expressions that relate to Harker's Run and can provide us with a more holistic view of the reserve.
4. A Specific Research Design
To research the historical land use, and how the formation of the Reserve relates to the environmental movement, we will conduct research at both the Miami University libraries and at Lane Library. For information on how the university uses land now and its management plan, we will talk to the Chair of the Bachelor Reserve board, and the graduate students who live on the land and are in charge of its upkeep.
For the scientific portion of the project, we will do an in-depth study of the composition of ten of Harker's RunÕs tributaries. We have marked the tributaries (T1=Tributary 1) we will be studying on a map, here.
These tributaries are:
On the east side of the river:
We will test the tributariesÕ compositions in at least five different areasÑonce at the mouth, once at the source, and at least three times in the middle along shifts in the landscape or where another tributary joins the one we are testing. If another tributary joins the tributary we are testing, we will note which scene or ecosystem it came from, and take into account its effects on the tributaryÕs overall composition.
We will measure the physical structure of the tributaries of Harker's Run so we judge how the tributaries influence the physical structure of the Run. The specific aspects of the physical structure we will be testing are flow, sediment load, and channel width and depth. We are measuring water quality to judge how the composition of the water changes according to the varied landscapes it flows through. To gain an overall understanding of the quality of water, we will test for phosphorus, nitrates, sulfates, dissolved oxygen, pH, and chloride. For both the physical structure and the water quality of the tributaries, we will do the measurements twice: once during ÒnormalÓ conditions, and once during higher water conditions (or in a different season). This will give us a better grasp of the dynamics of the river system.
5. Materials and Methods
Our measurements will focus on various facets of the physical structure and the water quality. The goal is to see how the physical structure of tributaries affects Harker's Run. We will test flow using the simple cork-time method; sediment load using the coffee filter process; and channel depth and width using self-explanatory methods. We will also utilize the dissolved oxygen, nitrate, sulfate, phosphorous, and chloride water kits to test the quality and compare to EPA standards for clean water.
In order to conduct this research as efficient as possible, we plan to work as a team: find times when testing can be done, plan in advance and assign specific tasks, and progress in the indicated timely manner. We will also collaborate with Harker's Run group A to share and compare results. We are testing similar aspects of the reserve and it will be beneficial to engage in discussion and analyses together. It will also be useful to share resources, especially pertaining to the cultural aspect of the reserve- literature, historical references and land use information, to name a few. There will be times also when we actually spend time at the reserve together, conducting tests and collecting data in essence as one team.
Statistically, we will use determine mean, median, and standard deviation from the standard provided by the EPA Clean Water Standards. We will also graph our results, in order to highlight the differences between the tributaries.
Time Line:
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6. Results
Reflections on our Harker's Run Experience so far, as described by Christopher:
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7. Discussion & Conclusions
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