The Lincoln Returns, Twenty more carts are staged, the Land is Filled

The Lincoln has been repaired and once again needles its way through the Saline carrying precarious loads.  Twenty more carts have been staged at a site near the recently capped landfill, and three at High Cross Rd. Bridge.  We have cleared carts from the Cunningham Ave. Bridge and Saline to Interstate 74.  Two miles Fifty carts.   

  

Almost Home

A Dig Reveals Artifacts, Industrial Ceramic Production 

The banks of the Saline have historically been used as land-fills and to a large degree still are.  We thought we might excavate after finding an area with many bits of strange ceramic pieces exposed by erosion.  The dig revealed a cache of objects relating to the industrial production of ceramics: Kiln stands, plaster molds, clay residues, mold positives like a keystone, and many hand sized steel discs and plates each treated with a different porcelain finish.  Perhaps the most striking forms were those vessels looking something like jet engines.  We found many broken examples but managed to find one complete although in three pieces.  It is not clear what these vessels were used for but they certainly had a specialized function.  One in particular was found with a copper tube nestled inside.  Evan speculates that it could have been some type of electrical component.  I believe we may have discovered the remnants of a long gone Urbana Industry; it will be interesting to see if we can locate a possible source for these objects.  My best guess for time period is 1960-70, based on the style of Pepsi Bottle found in the same layer but I am not certain.  

   

Still life at the Saline

Conditions: Cool and overcast becoming clear in early evening,  Water very low, clear, moderate insect perturbance

Observed Fauna:  Heron, Three Owls ( these are the same three barred owls we see each time we near the old landfill,  today one had a squirrel in its clutches) , Grackle ( This is a common bird of course but this one in particular perched in the Bush Honeysuckle above my head and whined a mammalian sounding call), Geese and three adolescents 

Urbana Parks Lends a Hand and Piles Accumulate

Daniel and Chris

Today we met with Chris and Daniel from the Urbana Parks.  Chris showed up with a backhoe tractor but he quickly realized that what we really needed to do the job was a large trailer, and graciously offered one up.  Evan and I showed up with a Ford Ranger expecting to load and drive 5 or 6 loads and we quickly agreed that a trailer would be fantastic and a welcome reward for all the trips we have made thus far schlepping debris up and down the Saline's water and its muddy banks.  Chris returned from getting the trailer and with him came Daniel; they both helped load and drop-off the carts and other debris.  They made what would have been 7-8  loads for the Ford Ranger in two.  For that we Thank Chris and Daniel very much and also their supervisor Shane and ultimately Tim who has taken an interest in the project and made the arrangements.  Coordinated effort pays off and the Urbana Parks District and its staff should be commended. Thank You!  

The pile as it stands June 9th.

 We have dug and removed 30+ carts from a half mile stretch of the Saline Creek.  We originally believed there to be only seven-teen carts, but as the work began and we spent more time in the this stretch of the creek more carts were revealed.   If we can manage to pull carts from the Saline all the way to St. Joseph, we might collect 60 carts.  The heavy concentrations of carts are in Urbana and as the Saline runs its way to St.Joe the number of carts per half mile is reduced significantly.  The next section we are to dig contains sixteen carts but we are likely to find more.  

The half mile stretch, 30 carts

The next half mile should deliver 16+ carts

                               

                                   

                                                                 SURFACE QUALITIES, SKINS, SEDIMENT CYCLES

                                                                                                                                          

  

The Saline is us, Created in our image, There our waste does flow

Conditions: Partly sunny and comfortably overcast, a rotting corpse was nearby the loading site but a light breeze helped alleviate the stench

Observed Fauna: Hawk, Two Ground Hogs,  a largely brown bird the size of a quail with an unusually narrow and long downward curving beak ( i have seen this type of bird on the saline once before but do not know what it is)

Equipment for the Manual Dredging of Urban Waterways

Ever since the beginning of our dredging operations, we have attempted to use a winch to ease the workload on our tired backs, however we weren’t really sure of its effectiveness until this week.  With the simple addition of a beaver stick, our opinion quickly changed.

For those not familiar with a winch, it is a mechanical device that is used to wind up, wind out or adjust the tension of a rope or cable. It primarily consists of a spool and attached hand crank.  Our winch was purchased at Harbor Freight for around $30.  Several components, including the bag it came in, are already showing signs of wear, however it is still going strong. 

How we use it:

The winch is used when we find a cart that is almost entirely buried in the bank or bottom of the creek.  We locate a tree with a diameter of at least 8” and that is within 5-15’ of the cart.  Using ratchet straps, we secure the winch to the tree, and using a wedge (in our case, a beaver stick) we adjust the angle of the cable for better leverage.  This simple modification has made the winch all the more useful.

If we are lucky, several cranks on the winch will do the trick, however this is rarely the case.  Usually both of us will shovel out part of the cart and then vigorously rock the cart back and forth until it is free from the sediment.  In any case, the winch is here to stay and we highly recommend this device for the manual dredging of urban waterways.

Scanning the spirit of the Saline

                           
                                                                                      

                                         Spirit of the Saline,Plastic Garlands and Carcass,Baroque Light and Dark



The Dr-100 has survived being baptized in the waters of the Saline with only a short circuited battery. Thankfully the design of the recorder allowed for two power options.  Two AA batteries should do it.Today Evan was in Chicago collecting data on native bees so a solo journey was required.  I took along the video camera. 7.34 miles; Meredith picked me up from the bridge at the tree farm.  Co. RD. 1900 E.Bridge/Saline. I have not been able to figure out the focus.  Auto focus is useful in a pinch, but I do not like the disruption in more controlled settings.  Tomorrow we will dig out carts and put them on high ground until we  have figured out the location of the staging areas.  Andrew's Ford Ranger will enable us to finish the cart removal.  I think we can take advantage of low levels on the Saline which will allow us to walk the Lincoln and SCAN up-stream to stage carts at each Co. Rd Bridge that crosses the Saline.  Now is the perfect time as levels are getting back to normal after the recent heavy rains. Maybe we should dig and stage all the carts before trying to remove them; taking advantage of the normal flow conditions.

Conditions:  Sunny and breezy, The levels of the Saline are near normal,Water is warming up; still turbid but clearing, Light insect perturbance,

Observed Fauna:  Two packs of Wood Ducks and chicks; one pack of nine and the other a pack of seven, two Owls, Blue Heron (I saw one with its wing stuck splayed out and stuck in a branch), Orioles (they are showing up down south Illinois as well, I think they are new to the area), Indigo Bunting, Ground Hog, Weasel (I have seen one other north of Crystal Lake Park but they are somewhat rare),Musk Rat, Painted Turtle, three Deer, Raccoon, Two types of large Butterflies one black the other Yellow, Dragon Flys,

Observed Flora: Mulberry Trees, Mr. Morus Alba and friends, are producing fruit, very green.  At a power line cut, i observed Pagoda Dogwood blooming(Cornus Alterniflora) , Catalpa trees are still blooming not positive if they are bignonioides or speciosos.

puncture wounds and staging precarious loads

                       

  Today the Lincoln was rescued from the Saline after being pinned below the surface for an entire week.  He suffered three puncture wounds but is crucial to our tug and barge strategy and must be repaired.  We gained access to the Saline through the automobile junk yard at Macks.  In the waiting room there was video playing on a flat screen t.v. of cars being flattened in a hydraulic smashing machine; i am sure the video was made "in house" as the shot was made without consideration for the sun which flared in the camera's lens and filled the scene with dramatic bursts.  A man named Donny came and escorted us through the yard.  He grew up in the neighborhood and is now in his fifties. Donny and his buddies used to swim in the "Boney" at the weir where Bryan and I lost the Lincoln.  The Boney that Donny mentioned is actually the Saline and I think kids still swim there; at that very spot I saw a rope with a loop tied at its end hanging from a tall, thin Ash or Hackberry tree.  Donny didn't know of the homeless camp that I have heard existed at the present day City of Urbana maintenance facility; which was previously Chief Shemanger Park, but he said some people might have stayed there if they didn't have any where else to go.  I guess i consider that homeless.  Donny escorted us all the way to the creek and helped us pull the Lincoln through the strip of dense Bush Honeysuckle and into the junk yard.  He seemed to enjoy recalling his days romping in the Saline. He warned us of the leeches as we waded into the Saline to lift the log  that pinned the Lincoln but he also mentioned their usefulness as fishing bait.  There are indeed leeches in the Saline; we have uncovered them burrowed in soggy heaps of plastic, but I do not consider them a threat.  

The SCAN has proven to be a very useful boat.  It is wider, very responsive, more stable and can be maneuvered easily by one person while carrying a passenger.  Our plan is to use the SCAN as a barge while pulling it with the Lincoln.  The next rounds of cart removal will require that we be able to float more carts over longer distances and to minimize the number of carts on the boat we are paddling.  It will be ideal if we can float five or six and possibly seven carts at a time.  Five on the SCAN and two on the Lincoln.  The carts are top heavy when piled on the Lincoln and can easily topple him.  Thankfully the SCAN seems to be well suited for precarious heaps of plastic and rusting metal. 

The Lincoln is fine,  The SCAN has proved it's useful, many carts remain

We managed to stage all the carts and debris that we had dug up between the East Lawn Cemetery and the
gigantic shed at the sewer treatment plant.  The conditions of the Saline were finally manageable after several
 bouts of heavy rainfall that kept the water high and moving very quickly.  There were sixteen carts, and three bicycles, in addition to clothing , plastic bags and wrappers, car parts, building materials, landscape fabric, fencing and barricades, a crutch, pull top beer cans, BBQ grill, and various other unknown objects.  The pile is impressive and we hope to remove it from the staging ground on Wednesday granted Andrew can spare his  Ford Ranger for the day.  The Urbana Parks District leases the property from the Sewer District.  The Parks District has been extremely helpful and sympathetic to our project by allowing us access to the Saline and the staging area from their lot, and, lending us a staff member with equipment.

The Material Annex

Conditions: Sunny, hot but not uncomfortable, fast moving turbid water, minimal insects.  

Observed fauna: Owl, Blue Heron, water snake minus head, Egret, Toad, Ground  Hog

Observed Flora: Catalpa trees are in bloom

The Project Emerges and the Work Begins

During our exploration of an 11 mile stretch of the Saline Creek, we've discovered approximately 50 shopping carts wedged in log jams and incorporated into the banks .  The carts originate in Urbana and we assume are carried by high water and fast current down stream as far as 10 miles.  The map above shows the Saline from Urbana to St. Joseph and the locations of each shopping cart found along the route; each cart was marked with GPS and photographed; the portraits can be seen below. 

The work has presented itself and we have begun removing the above carts and returning them to their origin in Urbana and Champaign.