Coldwater River Nature Trail System

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ColdwaterRiver NatureTrail SystemAmerica’s public lands provide importantopportunities for citizens to enjoy theoutdoors and learn about their naturalsurroundings.Although most citizensappreciate and wisely use their publiclands, too many resources have beenlittered, vandalized, looted, burned, ormisused.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers isactively seeking your assistance byreporting abuse of public lands andresources.If you have observed such abuse, youmay contact a ranger or call ArkabutlaLake Field Office, 562-6261, Monday Friday, 7:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

ColdwaterNature TrailSystemWelcome to Arkabutla Lake andthe Coldwater Nature trailSystemBig Oak Nature TrailThis is a very special place, a river bottom arealeading into a quiet bottomland forest. Many animalsmake this area their home, but they are easilyfrightened, so take your time, make many stops, lookaround, listen carefully, and your chances of seeinganimals will increase. Keep your eyes peeled andrecord all animals and birds seen in the back of thisbook.Nature TrailTo explore the nature trail, use this booklet to guideyou along the first loop which is 1/3 mile long andmarked with a Green Diamond. To test yourknowledge of the type of trees and vegetation thatgrow along the trail, stop at the numbered posts andattempt to identify the trees closest to the post. Forthe answer, Match the Numbers in the Booklet tothose on the Post.Our aim at Arkabutla Lake is to keep this area aspristine as possible for you and generations to come.You can help us in this very important task bybringing all litter you take into the area back out withyou. Trash receptacles are placed at the end of thetrail for your convenience. Remember this is yourland, if we take care of it, future generations will beable to enjoy what you have helped protect today.

At the 2.5 mile trail marker, you will arrive at the site ofthe original construction headquarters building. Thisbuilding was constructed in early 1940 and was thefocal point for all construction activities during thebuilding of Arkabutla Dam. The building was torn downshortly after the dam was completed in 1943. A newbrick building was constructed at the South AbutmentArea, which would act as both home and office for thenewly appointed lake manager. At the present time,this building houses the lake field office. The safe fromthe old headquarters building, because of its size andweight, was left in place and is located within a few feetof its original position within the building. The safe wasused to secure the payroll for the workers constructingthe dam. The lab section is also in its original position,and was used to do soil and other material testing. Thisraised concrete structure is located forty feet southwestof the safe. A Wildlife Observation Platform has beenconstructed on the raised concrete portion of the old labsite. From this covered platform you can rest and enjoythe sights and sounds of the forest.We ask that you leave the area undisturbed, so thosethat follow will be able to enjoy this important site also.Points of interest on the trail network are located at thefollowing trail distance markers:.40.851.22.5Rest area and fish/wildlife observation siteRest area and beaver observation island120 year old cypress treeOriginal Construction headquarters bldg.Site and wildlife observation platform3.0 Wildlife food plot4.0 Beaver pond and rest area1Riverbottom ForestRiverbottom forests cover much of the southernUnited States, generally in the low lying areaswith moderate to good soil drainage. They arecomposed chiefly of various oaks, hickories,beech, sweet gum, and birch, which prefer togrow just beside the water. Most of thesespecies make excellent growth in this type ofenvironment and are used for lumberthroughout the U.S. The forest in this area willnot be cut but will continue to house and feedthe many wild animals and birds which livehere. Some of the more common ones youmay see on your walk are raccoons, greysquirrels, deer, woodpeckers, and fox squirrels.Look carefully as you walk and you may see adeer track or two.Fox SquirrelsSize: Head andbody, 17 7/8-271/2”(4504-69.8 cm); tail,7 7/8-13” (20-33cm); weight, 17 5/837 1/8 oz. (5041,062 g)Habitat: hardwoodforests, borders ofcypress swamps,thickets, and urbanareas. Prefers largetrees.

Http://www.treelink.org/whattree/index.htmSlippery ElmRiver BirchThe thin, papery, scaly bark on the trunk of this treeimmediately identifies it as a Birch. This species growsmuch farther south than any of its northern relatives,along slow moving, silt-laden rivers and streams. Theseeds ripen in May and June when water levels are highand fall into the water to ride the current to some muddyshore where they will germinate. Can you think of anyother plants whose seeds are spread by water? How arethe seeds adapted for their journey?Slippery Elm was well known to the early pioneerwoodsmen for its slippery inner bark. They chewed thisbark to quench their thirst and steeped it in water toproduce a common remedy for sore throats and fever.Even today, Slippery Elm is still used for this purpose.The powered bark was recommended for poultices. Theupper surface of the leaves of this tree feels likesandpaper. Slippery Elm is susceptible to the Dutch Elmdisease, which is rapidly killing the beautiful AmericanElms in many cities and towns.

mmSycamoreA tree often seen along river and lakes is thesycamore. The early settlers often sought out the landwith these trees growing on it because they indicated aplace of rich soil. The wood is very difficult to splitand, as a result, is found even today in butcher shopsas chopping blocks. As you look up into the tree youcan see the flaky, dark bark peeling off to exposenewer, creamy white bark. This and the strange,brown, ball-shaped fruit make it an easy tree toidentify. The seed balls are shed irregularlythroughout the fall, winter, and early spring. Althoughvery few animals eat this fruit, the tree itself is used asa nest or dens of owls, hawks, birds, and ortr/comShellbark HickoryThis tree would be hard to mistake for any other. Doyou see why it is called the shellbark hickory? Thehickory family includes the pecan trees, which areplanted for their fine, tasty nuts. The nuts of the“true” hickories are equally tasty but much moredifficult to extract from their shells.

16Coldwater RiverBefore Arkabutla Dam was built, the Coldwater Riverflooded the area you are now on, every year. Thisarea was part of the river’s flood plain. When a riveroverflows its banks onto its floodplain, the nativefloodplain forest is seldom damaged because itsspecies are adapted to periodic flooding. When man,however, moves his homes, factories, and farms ontothe floodplain, a flooding river can cause a great dealof damage. This was the case before Arkabutla Damwas built. This area no longer floods.Arkabutla Dam is an earth filled dam, 482 feet wide atthe base, 67 feet high and 11,500 feet long (that’sover 2 miles). It stores 5,100 acres of water (oneacre - foot equals one acre of water one foot deep) atconservation pool and when filled, stores 31,500acres of water, and has 255 miles of mortr/comMockernut HickoryThe compound leaves of this hickory are fragrant whencrushed. The kernel is sweet and not hard to extractfrom the tough nut. The various species of hickoryhave always found many uses. Their wood and nutswere used by both Indians and early settlers. TheIndians crushed the nuts and made “hickory milk”,which they used in cooking. The pioneers used thewood for smoking hams, making boxes, furniture, andeven gun ramrods. President Andrew Jackson earnedthe title “OLD HICKORY” from his men for being “astough as hickory wood”.

mHoneylocustThe large, forked thorns on the trunk of thehoney-locust trees are an excellent identificationfeature. This tree owes its name to the sweet,edible pulp in its strap-shaped pods. This pulpfurnishes food for cattle, deer, rabbits, foxes,squirrels, and other animals. During America’searly days, frontier children eagerly gatheredthem for their own taste treats. A thornlessvariety of the honeylocust is widely planted asan ornamental tree.American BeechThe American Beech is one of our mostbeautiful and distinctive trees. Its smooth lightgray bark makes the tree stand out even at adistance. The tree was named by the earlysettlers after the European Beech which has along history of use. The wood has been usedfor various tools and other purposes and thenuts are used for fattening hogs, and as asource of vegetable oil. The name “beech” hasa very ancient origin. The early writings of theGermanic people were inscribed on tablets ofbeech. As the word for beech becameincorporated into old English, our word “book”evolved from it.

amp Chestnut OakThis tree is commonly called “cow oak” becausecows like its acorns. Sometimes it is also called“basket oak”. The quality of the wood is secondonly to that of the best White Oaks and for thisreason, the tree has suffered excessive cuttingin many areas. Oak trees are among our mostimportant wildlife food species. Their acornsfurnish staple food for many animals and deer.Many small animals nest in old oak trees.Southern Red OakThe oaks are generally divided into two largegroups, the red oak and the white oak groups.The red group, of which this tree is a member,has tiny bristles on the tips of the leaf lobes andthe white group has leaves that are smooth.Look around you as you walk the trail. Can youtell from which group the leaves come?

Index1-Welcome to Arkabutla Lake2-Big Oak Nature Trail Map3-22-Plant and Animal Information23-Hiking Trail24-Points of Interest on Trail Network25-5 Mile Trail26-Coldwater River Nature Trail System Map27-Other Recreational OpportunitiesOther RecreationalOpportunitiesThe Corps of Engineers has developed many othermodern facilities.Concrete Boat Launching RampsEight (8) Launching ramps that allow easy accessto the lake for boating, skiing, or fishing. Theyare located at: Outlet Channel, Dub PattonRecreational Area, Bayou Point, Kelly’s Crossing,Pleasant Hill, Highway 51, Hernando Point andColdwater Point.Swimming and SunbathingThree (3) spacious, developed beaches are for useat South Abutment, Pleasant Hill, and HernandoPoint.CampingThree (3) Class A campgrounds are in operationwith hot showers, electricity, paved pads, anddump stations. They are located at: Dub PattonRecreational Area, South Abutment, and HernandoPoint. Primitive camping is allowed in many of theremaining recreational areas.

Coldwater River Hiking TrailTeam Upto Clean Up!The 5 mile trail system will take you back into the past as you travelalong streams that wanders through hardwood trees that are, in someinstances, over 125 years old and stand like guardians over the forestfloor sheltering a multitude of animal life. Whitetail deer browse anddoe deer deliver their young here in early spring. If you encounter ayoung fawn, please do not disturb or try to handle it in any way. Thebaby is not abandoned. The mother is close by even though you maynot be able to see her.Bobcat, fox, squirrel, turkey, and an occasional armadillo call this theirhome. Raccoon forage along the stream shoreline for small crawfishand frogs. Crawfish are the favorite food of this masked, mischievousanimal. The stream is also home to many fish, such as bluegill,sunfish, gar, and bass. On a sunny day, these fish can be seenswimming just under the surface. Logs that have fallen across thestream are a favorite perch for turtles and frogs to bask in sunlight.Woodducks can be seen near nesting boxes located at ponds whichhave been formed by nature’s best engineers, the beaver. A quietapproach could result in observing one or more of these busy animalsat work. Many species of birds inhabit the hardwood forest canopy.Stop and quietly listen to a beautiful serenade by nature’s featheredsongsters.The trail will also take you into an area of the present. As you crossPratt Road you will enter into a predominately pine forest. Rowcropsand pasture land covered most of this area in the 1930s. After thedam was completed in 1942, the area was planted in loblolly pinetrees.Pine stands, like other crops, must be managed. As you look outacross the forest floor in this area, you will see stumps, tree tops, treelimbs, and skid marks. This residue was left by the loggers whoperformed a process called thinning. During this process, inferiortrees and stands which have trees too close together are removedand sold for pulp, (paper products). The remaining trees will growand reach maturity in a shorter period of time.

2Coldwater River Hiking TrailHiking ommHackberryThe warty, gray bark of the Hackberry is an excellentidentification feature. The fruit of this tree is eaten bymany birds, and in the process many of the seeds arescattered far from the tree. Have you ever tasted aHackberry fruit? Hackberries often become infected witha virus, which causes them to sprout clusters of smalltwigs along their branches. These “witch brooms”, asthey are called, are another way in which you canrecognize a Hackberry.If you decide on a longer walk, turn right on the trailbetween stops 2 and 3.The entire 5 MILE TRAIL can be hiked on foot or touredon off road bicycles. The trail has THREE LOOPS, whichmeasure TWO, THREE and FIVE miles respectively. Thetrail system has two marked entrances. The FIRST islocated in the north Outlet Channel Area at the east sideof the foot bridge which spans Elbow Creek. The SECONDentrance is located in the Dub Patton Day Use Area 75 yd.northwest of the water treatment plant. Both entranceshave parking and trail maps.The trail is constructed so anyone entering the trailnetwork at the North Outlet entrance, may return to thestarting point at the ONE-AND-A-HALF-MILE point. Thetrail should appeal to all levels of hiking and bikingexpertise. Hikers are reminded that this trail system islocated in a lowland forest area. During the fall andwinter seasons there will be wet and muddy spots alongthe trail. A good pair of hiking boots is recommended.The TWO-MILE loop, which is marked with a WHITEdiamond on the trail markers, is mostly level with onlysmall inclines.The THREE-MILE loop, marked with a YELLOW diamondand the remainder of the FIVE-MILE trail, marked with anORANGE diamond has more bumps, longer inclines withvarying levels of steepness, sharp turns and downhills,making this part of the trail a fun ride for the moreadvanced cyclist.Trail distance is indicated with a BROWN diamond. Themileage is marked in white numbers.

4White-Tailed r OakThis species of oak is a favorite ornamental inmany southern cities due to its fast growth andsturdiness. If you can find any of the smallacorns, they will be almost black. They areusually hard to find because squirrels, bluejays,and other birds carry them away as soon asthey become ripe.Size: length, to 6 ft. (1.8m);shoulder height, to 3 3/4 ft.(1.1m);male weight, 75-400lbs. (34-181.4kg); female weight, 50-250lbs.(22.7-113.4 kg)Habitat: brushy,low mixedwoodlands, andforest edges.The White-tailed deer is the most popular big game animal inthe United States. The average weight of a mature buckranges from 100-200 lbs., depending on local food conditions.A mature doe usually weighs between 90-100 lbs. Browse,which is deer food, consists of tender twigs, new leaves, andbuds. However, they also forage seasonally on nuts, fruits,grasses, and aquatic plants. They can jump an 8-foot fenceand cover a horizontal distance of 30 feet in one leap. Theycan run at speeds of up to 45 mph. Contrary to popular belief,the size and number of points on a buck’s antlers depends onthe quality of food the animals eat and does not indicate age.

oxelderFlowering DogwoodAlmost everyone can recognize the Dogwood treein the spring. Its white blossoms are one of thefirst signs of spring. This is one of the mostwidely planted ornamental trees. In the forest,deer nibble on the tender leaves and twigs, whilesquirrels and song birds eat the red berries in thefall. Do you think you could recognize theDogwood in the winter by its bark? There is alegend associated with the Dogwood tree .maybeyour local library will help with this.From its leaves, you might think Boxelder is some sort ofash tree, but a close look at its paired fruits in the springwill prove it to be in the maple family. Sometimes calledthe ash-leaved maple because of its resemblance to anash, the Boxelder is one of the few maples with compoundleaves.Boxelder grows very quickly and has few insect enemiesor diseases, so if you have a spot you want to shade in ahurry, this is a good choice. And should you develop ayen for homemade syrup, you can always tap the tree inthe spring, just like a sugar maple.

fAmerican HornbeamThe American Hornbeam is a lovely little tree,usually regarded as a “weed tree” because itssmall size and poor form make it unprofitable toharvest commercially. It is very tolerant toshade and commonly occurs as a member ofthe understory in hardwood forests. Its wood ishard, tough, heavy, and difficult to dry. Itsmost popular use is in making handles forvarious tools such as hammers, hoes, etc. It is amember of the Beech family and the blue-graybark on its muscular appearing trunk resemblesthat of the Beech. The small nutlets aresometimes eaten by birds and squirrels.Red MapleRed Maple is the most widespread of oureastern maples. Its common name is veryappropriate, since there is something red aboutit throughout the year. The leaf stalks are redand in the fall the leaves turn beautiful shadesof scarlet and crimson, making this a popularornamental tree. The winter buds are red, andin the spring they give way to a riot of small redflowers and winged fruits. Our pioneerancestors made ink and dye from the bark ofthis tree. Red maple wood is used for flooringand small woodenware articles. It can betapped for sugar, too.

7.gifTouch-Me-NotThere are many common names for this fragileorange and yellow flower. This delicateinhabitant of shaded stream banks andriverbottoms earned its common name of touchme-not from its seed capsules which, when ripe,explode at the slightest touch, hurling the seedsin all directions. It is believed that rubbing withthe leaves will prevent and cure poison ivy.These plants are in abundance around thetrail can you find commRed MulberrySeveral species of Mulberry are cultivated indifferent parts of the world for their deliciousfruit, and in the Orient, Mulberry leaves areused to feed silkworms. The fruit of the RedMulberry is one of the best tasting of our wildfruits. It is a favorite of many birds and theywill usually strip a tree clean before themulberries are completely ripe. The leaves ofthe Mulberry tree come in three shapes canyou spot them?

11OpossumsSize: headand body, 1520 in. (38.150.8 cm);tail,9-13 in. (22.933 cm);weight,6-12lbs. (2.75.4 kg.)Habitat:open woods,farming areas,forest edges,and brushywastelands.Opossums spend their days curled up in ahollow stump or log and awaken at night tohunt for food. They will eat almost anything butthey are especially fond of persimmons andstories often have opossum hunts ending at the

important wildlife food species. Their acorns furnish staple food for many animals and deer. Many small animals nest in old oak trees. Southern Red Oak The oaks are generally divided into two large groups, the red oak and the white oak groups. The red group, of which this tree is a member, has tiny bristles on the tips of the leaf lobes and

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