Virtual Field Trip to Spawn Creek
Normally, in our in-person workshops, we take participants out to help you read riverscapes, with a focus on:
- Identifying valley bottoms
- Recognizing structural forcing
While there is no perfect substitute for being in the field, this virtual page tries to recreate that experience for you at Spawn Creek.
Topic Covered in Virtual Workshop
- Module 3C - Valley Bottom Mapping & Virtual Field Trip
- Module 3D - Recognizing Structural Forcing in Riverscapes
Spawn Creek Field Tour
Explore the map for this virtual tour:
- Red line → guided tour route
- Yellow line → self-guided return
Guided Virtual Tour
Duration: 70 minutes
Walk up Spawn Creek, learning riverscape reading as you go. There is a six-minute orientation (watch intro only), then Joe explains observations live on the walk. Unlike a real field trip, you can skip ahead whenever you wish.
Intro to Guided Tour
The Actual Tour
Self-Guided Tour
Duration: 22 minutes
Walk down Spawn Creek on your own with a four-minute orientation (watch intro only). No narration — just ambient sounds to help you observe.
Intro
The Tour
Survey
👉 Take the Virtual Self-Guided Field Trip Survey
More to Explore
Spawn Creek
Drone video:
Along the tour, you’ll see fossilized beaver dams (travertine). Joe shared this on Twitter:
Middle of Spawn Creek and unnamed tributary with a bunch of "fossilized" travertine beaver dams...
— Joe Wheaton (@fluvialwheaton) June 1, 2020
Photo Album:
Bonus video:
Temple Fork
Spawn Creek feeds Temple Fork. Here’s more to explore:
Failure?
Beaver dams and wood jams are transient features. Sometimes failure is part of healthy riverscapes. In 2020, several beaver dams blew out, but that provided a chance to see their structure in action, as shown in this tweet:
So, this was cool... the beaver dams we used as an example of principle 2... finally blew out from spring runoff! But despite mourning the loss, its MORE complicated...
— Joe Wheaton (@fluvialwheaton) June 1, 2020
Aerial Tour of Beaver Dam Blow-outs: