HOLOSCENE: Final Booklet

7/31/2019 HOLOSCENE: Final Booklet

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01|HOLOSCENE

anintegratedsolution

_______________________________ ____________PRIMARYTHESIS ADVISOR DATE

_______________________________ ____________THESIS COMMITTEE CHAIR DATE

MAY2012NORTHDAKOTASTATE UNIVERSITY| FARGO,ND

signature

/ title page

HOLOCENEhigh performance landscape systems// anintegratedsolution

ADesign Thesis Submittedto the Departmentof Architecture andLandscape Architectureof NorthDakota State University

By Vanessa Christine Hefti

InPartial Fullment of the Requirements for theDegree of Bachelors of Landscape Architecture


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01|HOLOSCENE


table

ofcontents

NORTH DAKOTA

MINN

ESOTA


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01|HOLOSCENE


abstractThis work studies landscape infrastructural solutions to communityhealth. It addresses the health, sustainability,and resilience of habitat-edenvironments.The work suggests aninterconnectedworking land-scape systemof soft engineeringcanserve as a civic asset andamenity

while solvingconventionalinfrastructuralproblems.

Proventhrough history conventionalinfrastructure has beenan envi-ronmentalliability,whereas soft infrastructure has beenin demandinthe formof public parks,park systems, and city planning. The needsof the present day for improvedpublic andenvironmentalhealthlendanopportunity toexplore landscape systems as ecologicaldesignsolu-tions that wouldotherwise be solvedwithhard infrastructure.

KEYWORDS}

soft infrastructure

landscape systems

ecologicalcorridors

urbanenvironment

workinglandscapescivic amenityenvironmentalhealth

oodmitigationrenewable energypark systems


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02|STATEMENTOFINT

ENT

No snowake in an avalancheever feels responsible.

Stanisaw Jerzy Lec,poet & aphorist


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03|USER/CLIENTDESCRIPTION

MAJORPROJECTELEMENTS

user/clientdescriptionRESIDENTS/communityResidents of Fargoand the surroundingcommunities are the primary cli-ent,as their environment,andtheir interactionwith it,is directly affected.The proposedalteration of aesthetic and functionalsurroundings resultindifferent recreationalforms,a new aesthetic,change inproperty value,change inenvironmentalhealth,anda general shift towards a greater wellbeing.

Residents inthe communities require areas of public access withnetworksof circulation with variable types of recreationalspace includingplazas,parks,and trails.The community requires economic incentive inorder forany proposedactionto be practicaland feasible.

WILDLIFE/vegetationAs urbanwildlife and vegetationare generally fewin number and oftenhomogenous in range, openingup ecological corridors throughthesespaces provides an opportunity for growthand diversity.Native ora andfauna require accessibility,nodes and networks of habitat, and properconditions inorder toestablish andourish tofunction for the purposedutility.

RESEARCHERS/plannersResearchers and professionals,mainly inthe elds of urbandesign, envi-ronmentalplanning,public policy,and environmentallaw, stand togainbenet fromthe study of the project.Potentially,the site may be usefulasa case study or precedent for the designand implementationof relatedinitiatives.Researchers and planners require a detaileddescriptionof thedesign,implementation,and adaptive management strategies performedonthe site inorder tolearn fromand further implement them.

INTEGRATED HIGH PERFORMANCE PARK SY


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03|SITEINFORMATION

MACRO SCALE //ecoregion >North America

>>Grassland >>>tallgrass prairie >>>>messic-wet tallgrass prairie

MICRO SCALE //site area >Fargo/Moorhead & outlying areas >>central to the downtown along the Red River >>>aux

MICRO SCALE //typology >site requiring infrastructure & remediation >>populace demand for infrastructural solution >CASSargusvillereilies acresnorthrivermapletonoxbowkindreddavenportbriarwoodharwoodfrontierwest fargoprairie rosefargofargoethorace

totalacreage

2560.65274320.8221235.357282503.3699261.83059924.7076158.9720684.74632771.37414109.933659701.6199725.5923830752.5336417899.7536964.73221

~73076

CLAYfeltongeorgetownglydonsabincomstockdilworthmoorhead

totalacreage

648.593671650.556007926.117521289.453649147.8131952055.38329312621.53659

~17339

MUNICIPAL

totalacreage ~90415

0 100MI5025

N


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ooding

water supply

water quality

mass wasting

soilerosion

ecologicalextinction

unplannedsprawl

incongruent design

wastedpublic space

issu

03|SITEINFORMATION

1

2

3 4

5

veterans bridge sign

oodingpark andtrail


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PROJECTEMPHASIS

PLANFORPROCEEDING

AREAS OF FOCUSProgramelements inrelationto the areas of focus:

public health/public amenity[ civic recreation[ access,parking, &maintenance

[ wastewater wetlands &detentionbasins[ native prairie restoration[ interpretive educationalcomponents

economic sustainability[ renewable energy resources[ access,parking, &maintenance

[ civic recreation

[ adaptive management strategy

ecologicalsustainability[ native prairie restoration[ wastewater wetlands &detentionbasins

[ renewable energy resources[ interpretive educationalcomponents

[ adaptive management strategy

03|

The emphasis of the project is tointegrate workinglandscapes intoanur -banfabric alteringthe form of the fabric tobetter serve the function.Theresultingalteration aims tocreate a resilient public,environmental,andeconomic healthof the local community,while reconstructingthe devas -tatedunderlyingecosystem.

Specically the project looks at design solutions for public health andamenity,environmentalsolutions toimprovingeconomic andurban sus-tainability,and the greater context of reconnectingwithnative ecologicalsystems as a means of improvingpublic andenvironmentalhealth withinterdependent andmutual gains.

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PREVIOUSSTUDIOEXPERIENCE

skillsetdevelopment

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Let everyone sweepin front of his own door, andthe whole world will be clean.Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,GermanPlaywright, Poet, Novelistand Dramatist


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04|PROGRAMD

OCUM

ENTATION

from this...

to this


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The project site is the last segment of the San DiegoRiver through MissionValley.Urbansprawl hadtaken over the agriculture of the area narrowingthechannelandimpactingthe naturaloodplain,bringingabout seasonalood-ing.The Army Corps of Engineers was brought intoaddress the issue in 1971.Their solution,not atypical, was a concrete oodcontrolbasin.Many citizensof the Valley were against the plans.One soil scientist thought their solutionwouldstopthe river fromrechargingground water(Jost, 2011).

The project was stalleduntil private investors steppedin. Acoalition of pri-vate landowners andpublic agencies grewtired of the seasonalooding,butwerent resolved with the Corps solution. They calleda hydraulic engineer,HowardChang,to advise them.The channelwas already narrowand hadlittleroomfor expansion.He informedthem,Withanearthen channel,the velocityhas tobe far lowertoprevent the streams banks fromeroding(Jost, 2011).It wouldnt have tobe 1,000feet wide,as other engineers suggested.It wasfeasible tobuilda vegetatedchannelno greater than400feet wide if it weredeepenough andhad dropstructures or weir toslow downthe water.Thosedropstructures couldbe integratedwith trafc crossings to save money on

bridges(Jost,2011). The groupof investors hiredthe landscape architecturermWimmer Yamada Associates towork withArchitects,CivilEngineers andBiologists todesignthe project.

04|RESEARCH

CASESTUDY

TYPE ood mitigation through ecological infrastructurePROJECT TITLE // First San Diego River Improvement Project

LOCATION San Diego, CADESIGNERS Wimmer Yamada and CaugheyDATE 1982-1990CLIENT City of San Diego


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04|RESEARCH

CASESTUDY

The plancalled for a series of ood controlsegments (to allot for the 100yrood) alongthe length of the valley incorporatingrecreationalamenities.Dueto newlegislation, the teamhad to mitigate for lost habitat. The revitalizedchannelwas linedwith native vegetationas opposed toconventionalgrassor concrete.The rst segment of the plan was 2.5miles with a re-vegetated42-acres of riparianwoodland and 15 acres of freshwater marsh.It includedislands for nestingbird habitat.A ve-year monitoringperiodwas institutedtomonitor mitigative measures.

The landscape corridor has provensuccessfulover the past 25years with cre-atedwetland habitats,wildlife preserves,bikeways,pedestrianpaths andhasreducedand controlledthe seasonalooding.It is notedthat prior tothe FIS-DRIP, SanDiego River had a longhistory of winter ooding,vandalism, gar-bage dumpingand overgrownwetland areas that were lled with evasivevegetation.The project has provento revitalize the community as not onlya solutionto a problem, but anembraced public amenity that has actuallybeenexpanded uponthroughout the years andgreatly raisedlocalpropertyvalues.

Great examples of landscape design often go

unrecognized because the nished look is so natural

it is unnoticed as man made by the observer.

2011 ASLA Professional Awards(First san diego, 2011)


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04|RESEARCH

CASESTUDY

TYPE renewable energy: windPROJECT TITLE // Windstalk

LOCATION Abu Dhabi, UEADESIGNERS Atelier DNA: Collaborative design laboratory

ISSE (Innovative Structural and Speciality Engineering)eDesign Dynamics: Ecology and Renewable Energy

DATE October 2010CLIENT 2010 Land Art Generator Initiative design competition

The Windstalk designconsists of 1,203carbonber reinforcedresinpoles. Thepoles stand55m highwith a 30cmdiameter base and5cmdiameter tip.Thetop50cmglowwithan LEDtipthat dims or lightens inproportiontowindconditions.

The poles are anchoredto the groundwith concrete bases 10-20min diame-ter.Inthis design they are laidina logarithmic spiralandthe bases are shapedlike vortices withnotwo alike.

The poles are electric generators utilizingthe force of the windthat acts uponthem,muchlike a wind turbine.The concept functions witha stack of piezoe-lectric ceramic discs withineach pole.Betweenthe discs are electrodes,everyother electrode is connectedby a cable,one oneach side,that traverses thepole.Whenthe poles are in motion,the discs become compressed.This com-pressiongenerates current throughthe electrodes.The concrete bases housea torque generators,these generators convert kinetic energy into electric en-ergy.This is done through current generatingshock absorbers.

Abackup systemwas designedfor whenthe windisnt inmotion. Belowthepoles are tolarge chambers.Part of the electricity generatedfrom the polesgoes topower a set of pumps. The pumps move water fromthe lower cham-ber tothe upper chamber.The chamber acts somewhat like a battery for thesite.When the windisnt inmotion, the water from the upper chamber fallsows downtothe pumps turningthem intogenerators.


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It is roughly estimatedthat the project is comparable to the output of thatof a conventionalwind turbine array.It is also notedthat this systemhas theadvantage of beingpackedintodenser arrays then that or a traditionalwind-farm,optimizingspace.

The teamnotes that the project is conceptual,but basedon a set of systemsthat already exist andwork. It combines these systems intoa coherent syner-getic whole(Windstalk,2010). Inaddition,the layout severs environmentalfunctionas rainwater is designedto slide downthe bases collectingon thebase plane,wateringthe vegetationin the spaces below.The non-blade de-signof these alsoserves birdspecies.As is the argument withtraditionalwindpower,birds andbats and migrationroutes wouldhardly be impacted.

04|RESEARCH

CASESTUDY

Our project takes clues from the way the wind

sways a eld of wheat, or reeds in a marsh.

Atelier DNA,(Windstalk, 2010)


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The York Hillcampus of Quinnipiac University is completinginstallationof therst micro-windfarmin the country.The Windspire designis part of the Uni-versitys larger Sustainability Strategy. They have installed25 vertical-axisturbines, andplan on42 total. The turbines varyingin height from 35-45ftgeneratingan estimates 84,000kilowatt-hours of power per year,enough topower over half of the externallights on the 250acre campus. The designisset intoa garden plaza oncampus, appearingmore like a kinetic sculpturegardenthan an obtrusive structure.The Windspire maximizes windpowerregardless of changingwind speedand directiondue toits propeller-free de-sign.It is of note that the turbines are low-noise,as is one the commoncom-plaint of proximity whenit comes toconventionalwind turbines.

04|RESEARCH

CASESTUDY

The technology and vertical axis design of the

Windspire allowed us to place wind power right

in the center of campus.

The unique grouping of Windspires will serve

not only as a visible symbol of sustainability, but

also as an i ntriguing kinetic sculpture

beneath which students will be able to sit and

take in the panoramic views of the Connecticut

hills.

Jeff Riley, Centerbrook Partner,(Quinnipiac university, 2010)

TYPE renewable energy: micro wind farmPROJECT TITLE // Windspire Plaza

LOCATION Hamden, ConnecticutDESIGNERS Centerbrook Architects and Planners

Windspire Energy Inc.DATE October 2009CLIENT Quinnipiac University


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The project is twomiles fromdowntownMilwaukee ona linear 25acre pocketof land.Tothe north the site is borderedby the last stretchof naturalriverwaybefore becomingconned by sheet pile walls.The south side is borderedbythe railroad.

It is the nal project of the 140acre revitalizationproject of former industriallandof the in the Menomonee Valley Master Planof 2001. The plancalledforthe remediationof browneldconditions,redevelopment toreestablishman-ufacturingjobs,andgreenspace.The overarchinggoalthis legof the planwas totransformthe irreversibly alteredland andhydrologic conditions toamosaic of biodiverse landscapes,includingforest,prairie,and ephemeralwet-land,native to Milwaukee andecologically appropriate for newconditions,with systemic and meaningfulengagement of the community(Making awild,2011). The project lent itself wellas the newsite for the UrbanEcologyCenter,an environmental educationand science facility.The integrationofbuildingfunctionwith landscape functionwouldserve toenhance andfacili-tate the work of the organization.

Ecologicalconsiderations were at the forefront of planning decisions.Theyreferencedthe historic river course,hydrologic conditions, and vegetationwith current trends toinform quantitative biodiversity andstructural goalsfor proposedhabitats. They consideredpatch dynamics whendeciding trailroute anddensity as not tofragment habitat, providinga grasslandmosaicwithaccess to wet habitats and forests.Sun patterns,precipitation,and to-pography were assessedin additionto biotic conditions andanalysis of ad-joiningneighborhoods tosee the potentialcommunity interaction.

The plan articulates innovative methods to achieve un-compacted soil andmicro-topographic variability.It calls for the establishment of prairie,oak sa-vanna,and forest,describingnine community types with479native species,but does not neglect the notionof aesthetics numeratinghabitat types,char-acter andspecies of visualessence. The project highlights urbanand ecol-ogy,surroundingvisitors withnature, a mere walk away.

Anexample of what we can andshouldbe doing inall cities:replacingavery pollutedarea witha native landscape. [] Acomprehensive approachtohealth issues.2011ProfessionalASLAAwards Jury (Makinga wild,2011)

04|RESEARCH

CASESTUDY

TYPE browneld remediation/ecological restorationPROJECT TITLE // Menomonee Valley

LOCATION Milwaukee, WIDESIGNERS Landscapes of Place, LLC, Nancy M. Aten, ASLADATE 2006CLIENT The City of Milwaukee


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04|RESEARCH

CASESTUDY OCT 2006 JUNE 2007JULY2006

Lespedezacapitata GaurabiennisDesmodium canadense

Design plays a strong role in restoration within the

fabric of citiesworking out how to strengthen the

relationships of people with nature to the sustained

benet of both.

Landscapes of Place, LLC,LandscapesofPlace.com,2011

FORESTED TARGET PLANT COMMUNITIES //MP4Forest is important toenhance the ripariancorridor,reference historic condi-tions andmaximize biodiversity.The goal is toestablish the largest forestedblocks possible unfragmentedby trails.Intermediate shrublandserves slopestabilizationandhabitat,while providinga distinctive character (Aten,2011).

PRAIRIE ANDSAVANNA TARGET PLANT COMMUNITIES //MP5Grasslands serve ecological restoration.Prairie and savanna communitiesare incorporatedtorespond toaspect,hydrology,and habitat need.The oaksavanna serves as a plant community,referencingits history as native toMil-waukee.The species lists are designedto provide grasses,composites,andlegumes.The overallaim is to provide character mixes of eachsub-habitat,enhancingbiodiversity (Aten,2011).


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04|PROGRAMD

OCUMENTATION

holoscene

gradient

gr. holos - cenos - scene

holos= whole/entire cenos= new/recentscene= view/picture/where something occurs/milieu


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04|PROGRAMD

OCUMENTATION

royal parks> city parks>> park systems>>> national/state parks>>>>recreation> publichealth>> preservation>>> conservation & economics>>>>


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04|RESEARCH

HISTORICALCONTEXT

UrbanHealth| public parks as solutionsInthe 1800s the view of the environment beganto emerge as a com-mons where the pubic goodprevailed over private interest.In 1870the Massachusetts Boardof healthasserted,all citizens have aninher-ent right tothe enjoyment of pure anduncontaminatedair,and water,andsoil, that this right shouldbe regarded as belongingto the wholecommunity,and that noone shouldbe allowedtotrespass uponit byhis carelessness andavarice(Wellock,2006).

The mid-1800s markeda time of emergent awareness of urbanhealthwithlinkages formingbetweenurbansanitary conditions anddisease.A demand grewfor government interventionand soonmunicipali-ties begancreatingwater supply systems,sewer lines,and city parks.The Report onthe Sanitary Conditions of the LabouringPopulationofGreat Britainby EdwinChadwick in1842 emphasizedmedicalauthori-ties advocatingmore city parks toabsorbdeleterious gases.Parks,re-formers concluded,were the lungs of the city andpromoted health(Wellock,2006).

The sanitary movement can to be because urbanizationand indus-trializationcaused demandfor a cleaner environment. More than90percent of Americas industrialcapacity was locatedin urbancenters(Wellock,2006).While this industrializationbrought about muchben-et,it alsobrought lth,disease,fouledair, andpollutedwater,damag-ingthe health of the populace.

UrbanHealth|The worlds urbanpercentage tripledin the 1900s withthe totalnum -ber of urbandwellers risingfrom225 millionin1900 to2.8billionin1998(Wellock,2006). Urbanimpacts extendbeyond the urbanfabric.They traveldownwind and downstreamto neighbouringcommuni-ties andsometimes they have globaleffects.Cities absorb ever-largerquantities of water,energy,and materials.Inexchange they pumpoutgoods and services,as wellas pollutants,garbage, andsolidwastes.This is what McNeillterms the urbanmetabolism(McNeill,2000).

Rapidurbanizationcontributedtosevere pollutionand environmentaldistress.Early inthe 1900s NewYork hadgarbage barges dumptheircontents intowater outside the citys harbor.Other cities did differ-ently,but the concept was the same:throwit in your neighbors yard.After WorldWar II,New York City consignedits trash toStaten Island,where the worlds largest landll openedin 1948.The Japanese hadenoughmoney andingenuity tond gooduses for garbage,convert-ing some into constructionmaterials (McNeill,2000). By 1940 mostcities addressedthese difculties thoughgarbage collection,sewage

systems,and water treatment plants.This left themwith pollutionde-rivedfromindustry and transport.By the 1970s,to some extent somecities solvedtheir problems by shuntingthemoff on downstreamordownwindneighbors (sometimes buyingland inother municipalitiesto dumpit on) but eventually this proves less practicalas neighborseventually learnedthe power of litigation.


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RESEARCH

HISTORICALCONTEXT

04|

a judicious expenditure for such

objects is always a wise and s afe

investment.

The important point, he urged,was to anticipate future needs withaviewto securingthe areas that are neededbefore they become sooccupiedor acquire suchvalue as toplace thembeyond reach.Lookforwardfor a century,to the time when the city has a population ofa million, and think what will be their wants.They will have wealthenoughto purchase allthat money canbuy, but all their wealthcan -not purchase a lost opportunity(Newton,2006).

Clevelandfurther emphasized the needfor a regionalpark systeminanaddress entitledPublic Parks,Radial Avenues,andboulevards:Out-line Planof a Park Systemfor the City of St.Paul.In it he expressedItseems soevident that St.Paul and Minneapolis eventually, and at nodistant day,willbecome virtually one city,and the interests andfuturewelfare of eachmust be so intimately connectedwith that of the other,that it is very desirable that they shouldunite in the designingan ar-rangingof improvements of the area whichnow separates them,bywhichthey are tobe mutually benetted(Newton,2006).

His plans were never fully actualized.However,public servants and pri-vate citizens throughout the years took part inbuilding a park systemthat,today,is one of the citys greatest amenities.

Public Parks | Cleveland:evolution&economics of the park systemHorace WilliamShaler Cleveland was quotedby Olmstead as beingthe oldest landscape gardener inthe country.Clevelandwas trainedinengineeringand landsurveying,setting upan ofce withRobertMorris ClevelandinBoston for the practice of what they termedland-scape andornamentalgardening (Netwon,2006).

As early as 1872 Clevelandbegan urging authorities of MinneapolisandSt. Paulto be more aware of the areas naturalpotentials for a sys-temof public parks.In 1883a Board of Park Commissioners for the Cityof Minneapolis was created.The BoardengagedClevelandto preparea generalplan. They publishedhis report ina pamphlet,Suggestionsfor a Systemof parks and Parkway for the City of Minneapolis withitsaccompanyingplan for a network of parks and boulevards.

The subject of public improvements in the formof parks and park-ways is sure inits rst inceptionto meet with opposition, owingto anaturalmisconceptioninthe minds of inexperiencedpersons whoim -agine that such improvements must necessarily involve the immediate

outlay of very large sums of moneythe repeatedexperience of othercities,in this county as well as Europehave invariably demonstratedthata judicious expenditure for such objects is always a wise andsafe investment.

In the tenyears succeeding the commencement of work onCentralPark in New York,the increasedvaluation of taxable property inthewarms immediately surroundingit was no less than$54,000,000, af-fordinga surplussufcient,if used as a sinkingfund,to pay the entirecost of the park inless times than was requiredfor its constructionthe expenditures whichbut yesterday were so bitterly denouncedhave provedthe best investment that couldpossibly have beenmade.The popular idea,however, that the purchase of lands for parks andparkway involves the necessity of immediate large outlay for their im-provement is not only erroneous,in fact,but in many cases wouldbeinconsistent witha wise economy(Newton,2006).


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RESEARCH

HISTORICALCONTEXT

04|

TownPlanning| Howards GardenCityEbenezer Howardhad a radically different theory of town.He calledita GardenCityand publishedit in1898. The theory lookedat organ-izingbetter communities.

He suggested there was a Townmagnet and a Country magnetand arguedthat neither the Town magnet nor the Country magnetrepresents the fullplanand purpose of nature.Humansociety andthebeauty of nature are meant tobe enjoyedtogether.The two magnetsmust be made oneTownand country must be married,and out ofthis joyous unionwillspring a newcivilization(Newton,2006).

Howardlistedcomponents of his GardenCity theory as: Town-country(advantages of bothtown andcountry: a populatedcenter limitedandsurroundedby a larger agriculturalzone,bringingmarkets of the towntothe farmer andthe country within tothe town-dweller.),Transporta-tion,limited size (the agriculturalzone would act as a buffer againstuncontrolledgrowthof the populated center),landheld intrust (inorder toretain the community, landwould be leased,not sold,to oc-

cupants),control of planning (there would be fully controlled plan-ning prior toconstruction,including establishment of densities andgeneralform,allowance for desirable individuality),wards (neighbour-hooddistricts), spaciousness (there wouldbe for all ample space forhomesfor roadsso wide andspacious that sunlight andair mayfreely circulate,and inwhich trees,shrubs,and grass give the towna semi-ruralappearance),industrialemployment (tobe on the outerring of the town),dispersal of towns (once a town hit its capacity,anewtown wouldform a distance away,maintaining the zone of coun-try space with satellite cities that wouldgroup arounda Central City)(Howard,1902).

SeveralGardenCities were created,but results have beentoovariedtogeneralize success of the theory or not (Newton,1971). AlthoughhisGardenCity holds many aws,includingthe seemingly utopianidealuster,his principles andthe notionof town planningare sound.


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04|PROGRAMD

OCU

MENTATION

REGIONAL GEOLOGY // Pleistocene Epoch_1.6 million years ago_The Ice Age

Headwaters:


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REGIONAL HYDROLOGY // Red River Basin_North America_~45,000 sq mi

04|RESEARCH

SITEINVENTORY

Headwaters:Wahpeton,NDUSA

Elv.948ft

Mouth:Lake Winnipeg,ON Canada

Elv.712ft

Length:320mi(1,689,600ft)

Width:50mi(264,000)

ElevationChange:233ft

0 40,000FT

0 6MIN

FLOOD PROGRESSIONooding

ponding

protected

oodwalllevee [constructed]levee [earthen]levee [sandbag]

Channelization= fewer oods + invites people tosettle inoodplains ..

. whenit does oodcauses

1800 settlement>prairie grasses removed>> felds ploughed>>

landform> climate>> limited waterholding/slowing vegetative co

ANNUAL PEAK STREAMFLOW100YR500YR

50YR

1900

1850

One of the biggest wetlandareas in the worldwas fromManitoba/Dakotas toOntario/Ohio(McNeill,2000).


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loam - silt - clay - sandy outwashglacial till : alluvial deposits

poorly drainedhigh groundwater table : gleying just below the A horizoncommonly ponded: winter, spring, after heavy rain

4-5yr re regime

headwater streamsoodplainsshallow swales

04|RESEARCH

ECOLOGY

EcosystemsEcosystems are recognizedby differences inclimatic regime.Climateis the source of solar radiation and moisture,acting as the primarycontrolfor the ecosystem(Smith & Smith,2006). As this componentchanges,the other components change inresponse,like landform.Cli-matic effect changes withscale. Macroclimate is the climate just abovethe localmodifyingirregularities of landformand vegetation.Macro-climate denes major ecosystems.These major ecosystems are termed

ecoregions.

Ecosystemcomponents include the biologic community and the relat-edows of energy and nutrients make intheir physicalenvironment.

WET-MESIC

Allnature is linked together by invisible bonds;every otureis necessary tothe well-beingof some other(Wello

Roughly 1percent of the birds andmammals inexistence iextinct by 1995.Most modern extinctions occurredbecauloss,although some derivedfrom huntingor predationby

species (McNeill,2000).

Loss andfragmentationof prairie landscapes combinedwinnatural processes have hadnegative consequences for landplants and associatedanimals.Many remnant prairiesurroundedby agriculturalgrasslands untilthe 1950s.Thisport their natural structure and function(U.S. Fish& Wil2008).Few of these agriculturalgrasslands remain,causinedprairie islands surroundedby row-cropelds and humment.Without proper management, these areas continudue totheir size,isolation, absence of naturalprocesses andhydrologic cycle maintenance,and inadequate buffethemfromsurroundingagriculturaland urbanlanduses. Tare more vulnerable topesticide drift andcontamination,andgeneral degradation(Tallgrass EA).

BIODIVERSITY

1acre of establishedprairie canabsorb9 inches of rainfallper hourbefore runoff occurs,and willintercept as muchas 53tons of waterduringa 1-inch per hour rainevent (Tallgrass Prairie Restorations,LLC).

Noother ecosystemin America removes as muchcarbonfromtheatmosphere as prairie grasslands (nps.gov,complex prairie ecosys-tem).

Furthermore,their deep roots helpwater inltrate intothe soilrechargingour depletedgroundwater stores.Sturdy prairie plantscaneven helpstop erosionon slopes andshorelines.This not onlyprevents damage toyour property,it also keeps silt fromcloggingour streams andrivers.

BIRDSblackpollwarbler Dendroica striataCommonloonGavia immerhornedgrebePodicepsauritus

summer breeding/migrationroute/


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ECOLOGY

habitat

vegetationgrassesforbes

wildlifeshamphibiansreptilesmammalsinsectsbirds

wetmesic

riparianwetland

warmseasoncoolseason

weatherprecipitation

disturbance regimesdroughtregrazing

biodiversity

site integration04|RESEARCH

ECOLOGY

FLOURA

INVERTEBRATES

FISH

AMPHIBIANS/REPTILES

MAMMALS

AmericanburyingbeetleDakota skipperPowesheik skipperlingRegalfritillary

Brook SticklebackCreek chubFatheadminnowJohnny darter

Blanchards cricket frogCopes gray treefrogNorthernredbelly snakePlains garter snakePrairie skinkSnappingturtleSpiny softshellTiger salamander

Deer mouseEasterncottontailWhite-tailedjackrabbitNorthernpocket gopherPlains pocket gopherAmericanbadgerElkAmericanbisonCoyoteFranklins groundsquirrelGray foxJumpingmiceMeadowjumpingmouseLeast weaselLittle brownmyotisLong-tailedweaselMeadowvolesMink Mustela visonMule deerMuskratPrairie voleRedfoxRichardsons groundsquirrelStripedskunkThirteen-linedground squirrelWhite-taileddeer

NicrophorusamericHesperiadacotaeOarismapoweshiekSpeyeriaidalia

CulaeainconstansSemotilusatrom acPimephalesprome lEtheostomanigrum

Acriscrepitans blanHylachrysoscelisStoreriao. occipitomThamnophisradixEumecesseptentrionChelydraserpenti naTrionyx spiniferusAmbystomatigrinum

PeromyscusmanicuSylvilagusoridanuLepustownsendiiThomomystalpoideGeomysbursariusTaxideataxusCervuselaphusBisonbisonCanislatransSpermophilusfran kUrocyoncinere oargZapusspp.ZapushudsoniusMustelanivalisMyotislucifugusMustelafrenataMicrotuspennsylvanmink Mustelav isonOdocoileushemi onOndatrazibethicusMicrotusorchrogasVulpesvulpesSpermophilusricharMephitismephi tisSpermophilustri decOdocoileusvirgin ia

hornedgrebe Podiceps auritusBohemianwaxwingBombycilla garrulusAmericancoot Fulica AmericanaAmericanwigeonAnas AmericanaAmericangoldnchCarduelis tristisAmericanbitternBotaurus lentiginosusAmericanredstart Setophaga ruticillaBairds sparrowAmmodramus bairdiiblack ternChlidonias nigerblack-crownednight heronNycticorax nycticoraxblue-wingedtealAnas discorsbobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorusburrowingowlAthene cunicluariacommonyellowthroat Geothlypis trichasCoopers hawk Accipiter cooperiidickcisselSpiza Americanadowny woodpecker Picoides pubescenseveninggrosbeak Coccothraustes vespertinusgadwallAnas streperagrasshopper sparrowAmmodramus savannarumgreater prairie-chickenTympanuchus cupidokilldeer Charadrius vociferuskingbirdTyrannus spp.Laplandlongspur Calcarius lapponicuslark buntingCalamospiza melanocorysleast ternSterna antillarumloggerheadshrike Lanius ludovicianusmallardAnas platyrynchosmarbledgodwit Limnosa fedoamarshwren Cistothorus pallustrismourningdove Zenaida macrouranorthernharrier Circus cyaneusnorthernpintailAnas acutanorthernshoveler Anas clypeata

olive-sidedycatcher Contopus cooperiorange-crownedwarbler Vermivora celataosprey Pandionhaliaetuspine grosbeak Pinicola enucleatorpipingplover Charadrius melodusredcrossbillLoxia curvirostrared-headedwoodpecker Melanerpes erythrocephalusred-wingedblackbirdAgelaius phoeniceusredheadAythya americanaring-billedgullLarus delawarensissedge wrenCistothorus platensisshort-earedowlAsio ammeussnowbuntingPlectrophenax nivalisSpragues pipit Anthus spragueiiSwainsons hawk Buteo swainsoniuplandsandpiper Bartramia longicaudaveery Catharus fuscescensVirginia railRallus limicolawesternmeadowlark Sturnella neglectawhite-wingedcrossbillLoxia leucopterawhite-facedibis Plegadis chihiwhoopingcrane Grus americanawillet Catoptrophorus semipalmatusWilsons phalarope Phalaropus tricoloryellowwarbler Dendroica petechiayellowrailCoturnicops noveboracensisyellow-belliedsapsucker Sphyrapicus variusyellow-rumpedwarbler Dendroica coronata

migrationroute/yearround

Natural forces of disturbance regimes, like drought, re,andgrazing have combinedtoform what we nowknow asprairies.Prairie is a generaltermfor several types of grass-dominatedecosystems. It is grassland dominatedby her-baceous plants,withtrees either absent or only widely scat -teredon the landscape (U.S.Fish & Wildlife Service,2008).Prairies receive variable amounts of precipitationand mayhave severalyears of drought,or below average precipita-tion.


28/43

HYDROLOGY

ooding

water qualitywater supply

aquifer recharge

eutrophication

04|RESEARCH

HYDROLOGY

69%of freshwater is locked upin ice caps and glaciers, 98%of theremaininglies inunderground aquifers,mostly at inaccessible depths.Only 1-quarter of 1%of the worlds fresh water is inlakes and rivers(McNeill,2000).Cities face the problems of procuringadequate drink-ingwater andgettingrid of,or diluting,wastes.

The sustainable and effective management of water resources de-mands a holistic approach- linkingsocioeconomic development withthe protection of naturalecosystems and appropriate managementlinks betweenland and water uses (WorldMeteorologicalOrganiza-tion,2011). Ariver basinis a dynamic systemin whichthere are many

interactions betweenland and water bodies.Therefore when prob-lems arise,it is necessary tolook at the functioningof the river basinasa whole rather thansimply xinglocal problems (WorldMeteorologi-calOrganization,2011).

The Bureau of Reclamation did a report stating in the event of adrought the area couldnot sustainits water supply bothWest FargoandMoorheadhave plannedto pipe inwater fromother stores.As youcansee by the water loss chart below,it wouldbe far more efcient toreconstruct tallgrass prairie wetlands toaidin rechargingthe aquifers.

WATER SUPPLYFargo Red RiverWest Fargo West Fargo Aquifer 415 bgals buriedMoorhead Buffalo Aquifer 250 bgals surcial

These water losses are attributed to pipe leaks>>

Distance transport suggested by the Red RiverValley Water Supply Project would be far moreexpensive in losses and construction than ac-quiring land for a high performance Wetland Re -charge landscape.

FARGO199619971998199920002001

total

120.149.612.339.329.921.1

~366.4 mil. gal.

440326421361420415

~2383

ave. monthlywater losses

ave. monthlywater use

Bureau of Reclamations solutions range:$28,240,000 - 150,711,000

transperation & evaporation

evaporation

precipitation


29/43

HYDROLOGICALPROBLEMS

ooding

water qualitywater supply

aquifer recharge

eutrophication

04|RESEARCH

HYDROLOGY

Annual Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan ood dam$194.8 million

RED RIVERWhapeton, ND USALake Winnipeg, ON Canada

Elv. 948Elv. 712Elv. Chan

FLOOD

baseprelimbrkout100yr500yrtotal

3410328532697040134102142160 acres

2011 Fargo submitted FEMA claims of$5.9 millinot a Federal problem and should not grant federis an annual issue that locals need to solve, nanctheir own community for choosing to live in a oo

Army Corps of Engineers ood solutions range:$1,032 - 1,462 millionAll alternatives consist of a >24 mile ditchoften c

Rochester, MN solved a similar problem with a paand limited hard infrastructure for $140 million

TALLGRASS PRAIRIE ECOSYS

1 acreof established prairie can absorb 9 of rainfall/hr before runoff occurs, and willintercept as much as 53 tons of waterduring a 1-inch per hour rain event (TallgrassPrairie Restorations, LLC).

In IL, est. percentage increase in wetland area reduces downstream peak ows 3.7%average ood ows 1.4%.Study of sub-watersheds of the Mississippi River found:deep wetlands reduce food peaks 1-23%, shallow wetlands 5-9%.

In Minnesota, wetland restoration costs range $95 -30,000 pe r acre

. . . restoring the entire acreage of Fargo towetland would cost half as much as the pro-posed diversion


30/43

04|RESEARCH

GEOLOGY

The Sherak andBrenna Formations have sufcient strengthto supportlow-loadbuildings,but are incapable of supportinglarger loadstruc -tures,such as highrises,water towers,bridge supports,etc.High-loadstructures are supportedby concrete piers (caissons) or steel pilingsthat transmit structural weight tormer sediment materialof glacialtillat depths of 100ft or greater.For instance,the FargoDome rests on240ft or greater caissons,some with diameters greater than5ft. TheFargo Water Treatment Plant on300ft caissons. Even the skywalksdowntownare supportedby caissons.

Caissons are constructedby massive augers boringthroughthe weakclay strata,temporary ironcasings placedin the hole tokeep it open,a cage of steelrod is placedintothe casedhole,and cement is pouredin,as the cement is pouredcasings are liftedout.The cement solidiestoconcrete andthis steel-reinforcedconcrete caissonis set tosupportI-beams andother supports for a high-load bearingstructure.

This structuralnecessity increases the cost of livingin the area.While,it is toolate tochange the path of history suggesting this was not anappropriate place tohabitat inthe rst place, for this amongother rea-sons, it proves the additionalneed for appropriate andstrategic cityplanning.

GEOLOGICALPROBLEMS

deformationmass wastingslope instability

developmentvegetation

meandersmass wastingslope instabilityerosion

stabilizationeconomics

structuralinstability

soils

Considerable engineeringandenvironmentalgeologic problems formfrom the nature of the sediments ands tratigraphic relationships ofoffshore lacustrine Sherack andBrenna Formations. Four specic ge-ologic conditions are present withinthe area: elastic deformation ofclay glaciolacustrine soils,shrink-swellproperties,inadequate bearingcapacity,and mass movements. The results are foundationinstabilityandriverbank erosionandinstability.

Plastic deformation,nonreversible changes of shape in response toap-pliedforces, of clay rich soils of the Sherack andBrenna Formationsoccurs across the majority of the area. Where unconnedthe highplasticity leads toslope instability.Channels of the RedRiver and tribu-taries incise across where the Sherack and Brenna Formations contact,

this leads toweak structural properties andtherefore extensive masswasting(a geomorphic process inwhich geologicalstructure movesdownslope under the force of gravity).Examples are prevalent alongthe valley walls andchannel margins throughout the valley.

The development of meanders is a naturalprocess of rivers.Higher ve-locity of water througha meander is divertedtoward the outside ofthe meander.This process retreats the cutbank by erosionand masswasting,shiftingthe channel towardthe outside of the meander.Sea -sonaloodingamplies the process.The repeateductuationof waterlevels results ina cycle of wettinganddrying soils,producingstructur-ally weak banks.Evidence of the rivers shiftingchannelare the park-lands of eastern Fargo (MickelsonField, Elephant Park, TrollwoodPark,El ZagalGolf Course,LindenwoodPark, etc.) developedonaban -donedmeander loops.Development in these areas has ledto expen-sive property losses,often at taxpayersexpense.

//Glacial movement_glacial melt_soil depth & composition/l d h l


31/43

04|RESEARCH

SITEINVENTORY

SURFIC

IALGEOLOGY

g/long-term drought water supply/sustainable water resources use

900ft

850

700

750

800

550

abovesealevel

BURIEDSURFICIAL


32/43

04|RESEARCH

CLIMATOLOGY

|fallFallSeason:September throughmid-NovemberOnaverage:11 days 32F or colder,2 days witha lowof 0The majority of colder days occur inNovember.First frost September 24,effectively endingthe growing season.

Average Temperature:43.5 FAverage Precipitation:5.21 inAverage Snowfall:6.7 inAverage Cloudy days:49 percentLeast amount of sunshine occurs aroundDecember 21,wihrs of sun.

MeanWind Direction:south-southeastMeanWind Speed:12mphDaily Average WindSpeeds: 26percent >= 20mphPeak Daily WindSpeeds: 27percent >= 40mph

Average annualtemperature:41.5 FJuly is the warmest monthwithanaverage temperature of 70.6 FJanuary is the coldest monthwithanaverage temperature of 6.8 F

Average yearly precipitation:21.19inchesWettest months are May throughAugust,averaging2.50inches per monthDriest months are December through February,averaging0.76inches per month

Average yearly snowfall:40.0inches.Snowfallruns fromOctober throughMay,January beingthe snowiest month

7060504030

2010

0

averagete

mperature(F)

3.53

2.52

1.5

10.5

0

averageperciptation(in)

76543

210

averagesn

owfall(in)

3-9

9-1515-

2121-27

averagew

indspeed(mph)

151311

975

310

averagesu

nshine(hrs)

Climatology is the study of climate, scientically denedas weatherconditions averagedover a periodof time.

Seasonaldata is a combinationfromMoorheadand Fargo,1996-2001AutomatedSurface ObservingSystem (ASOS) FargoAirport (Godon&Godon,2002).


33/43

04|RESEARCH

CLIMATOLOGY

SUN &SHADOWSTUDIESAsolar pathdiagram is a visualizationof the suns paththrough the sky.Thepathis formedby plottingazimuth (left-right) andelevation (up-down) an-gles of the sunina givenday to a diagram.Tondthe positionazimuth= 60,elevation= 30,imagine standingat the center of the diagramheading tothetrue north,turn60 degrees tothe right andraise your head30 degrees fromthe horizon.

60

40

20

0330

300

240

210

180

270

12

12

3pm

3pm

6pm

6pm

9pm

9

4:41

9:25

N

The major frequency of winds blowfrom the southeast at 9-21mph.May throughSeptember summer winds prevailfromthe southeast.November throughFebruary harshwinter winds prevailfrom thenorthwest.

WINDSTUDIESThe windrose shows the frequency of winds blowingfromparticular direc-tions.The lengthof each spoke aroundthe circle is relatedto the frequencyof time the windblows from the particular direction.Each concentric circlerepresents a different frequency,emanating fromzero at the center toin -creasingfrequencies at the outer circles.Each spoke is brokendown intofrequency categories that showthe percentage of time winds blowfromtheparticular directionand durationof the speedat whichit blows.

Windis formedfrom the balancingof inequalities inair pressure due toun-equalheating of the earths surface.Solar radiationis the energy source formost wind.Wind is createdby pressure gradient force,the Coriolis effect,andfriction (Lutgens &Tarbuck,2005). The pressure gradient is the magni-tude anddirectionof which air moves fromareas of higher pressure area toanarea of lower pressure.The Coriolis Effect is the deectionof the Earthsrotationon the atmosphere.Frictionacts to slow air movement and as a

consequence alters winddirection.Pressure differences create windandthegreater the pressure differences the greater the winds peed.The pressuregradient is the drivingforce behindwind and it has bothmagnitude anddirection.Difference of force is fromhigher pressure tolower areas of pres-sure.

Topographic effects or variations insurface compositionin the immediatearea alsohave aneffect onlocalwind patterns.

The polar continentalair mass of the regioncomes northfromCanada, andretreats across the great lakes.

8%4%

N

CASE STUDY| integratedThe City of Portland,Oregon recently signed a contract with Lu-cidEnergy to developa hydropower systemwithin the citys watermains.The system is basedon in-pipe turbines that capture energyfrom fast-movingwater inside gravity-fedwater pipelines.It pro-duces clean,reliable, low-cost electricity. They also plan to identifyinnovative applications for the technology,such as providingpowerto eco-districts,car chargingstations, puricationsystems and off-grid water agency tasks (Lucidenergy links,2011). Conventionalhydroelectric power generationis known to cause ecological andenvironmentalproblems,this designcauses no more disturbance,asit is implementedwiththe water main itself.


34/43

0

0 10,000 30,000FT

1 2 6MI

boundary_municipal

o/l_100YR/aquifer

water_stream

channel/leveemanmade water

site

100YRriver

built_

drainage ditch

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HOLOSCENE: Final Booklet

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