No Fence Wetlands
Wetlands Restoration Preserve in North Idaho.
Schwartz Creek watershed drains part of Mica Mountain. Over millennia, as the Schwartz Creek gradient lessened down the drainage, and it formed a marshy interlaced beaver pond meadow.
Around 1900, logging started in the area. Part of the logging agreements were requirements to offset logging impacts by leaving usable agricultural land.
About 50 years later, Schwartz Ck. was “Ditched” on the east side. The brushy channel from left to the road bridge.
Ditching Schwartz Ck. allowed more of the marshy, beaver pond filled meadow to dry out. Runoff from the forested west side was intercepted by a burrow ditch that moved the water to alongside Vassar Meadow Rd. road.
Since then, the meadow has been used to graze cattle and to grow and cut hay. The meadow growing season was too short for grains. The white block by the road is a covered haystack.
No Fence Wetlands Panoramas showing water cycle from west side.
No Fence Wetlands Photo Points 1-4 along Vassar Meadows Rd.
Here are some panorama photos of the No Fence Wetlands from early season snowmelt through spring to hayfields ready for cutting.
You can see some of the ancient water ways showing in the melting snow water as dark areas.
No Fence Wetlands Photo Point 1
Snow melt showing ancient water ways in future No Fence Wetlands. Photo Point 1 Hayfield / Meadow from Vassar Meadows Rd. 4/2/2023
More snowmelt visuals at No Fence Wetlands Photo Point 1 Snowmelt Video
No Fence Wetlands Photo Point 2
Snow melt showing ancient water ways in future No Fence Wetlands. Photo Point 2 Hayfield / Meadow from Vassar Meadows Rd. 4/2/2023
More snowmelt visuals at No Fence Wetlands Photo Point 2 Snowmelt Video
No Fence Wetlands Photo Point 3
Snow melt showing ancient water ways in future No Fence Wetlands. Photo Point 3 Hayfield / Meadow from Vassar Meadows Rd. 4/2/2023
More snowmelt visuals at No Fence Wetlands Photo Point 3 Snowmelt Video
No Fence Wetlands Photo Point 4
Snow melt showing ancient water ways in future No Fence Wetlands. Photo Point 4 Hayfield / Meadow from Vassar Meadows Rd. 4/2/2023
More snowmelt visuals at No Fence Wetlands Photo Point 4 Snowmelt Video
No Fence Wetlands Cut Bank Erosion
No Fence Wetlands Schwartz Ck. Upstream.
No Fence Wetlands Schwartz Ck. from bridge.
Note the water flowing into the Vassar Meadows Road ditch. This is some of the water loss from my estimate of available water for the wetlands. This road ditch water flows into Schwartz Ck right above the bridge by passing the field. Many years ago the county had to raise the Vassar Meadows road bed because of frequent flooding during snowmelt.
Wetland Reserve Easements
NRCS Guide https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/NRCS%20Landowner%20Guide%20to%20Wetland%20Reserve%20Easements.pdf
The No Fence Wetlands are in the process of restoring the Schwartz Ck. environment to before the 1880’s when civilization showed up…
Join Us in this fantastic opportunity to learn about Wetland Restoration.
Gordon and Paul