Medford Station 6: A Tightrope, But Where's the Tightrope Walker?
THE CABLE YOU SEE, which stretches across the creek, is part of a stream-flow measuring station maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey. This agency measures the amount of water flowing in Bear Creek, crucial information for users of this intensely managed resource. Irrigation water, for example, is reused many times before it drains into the Rogue River.
At periods of low flow, the amount of water flowing is measured in cubic feet per second (CFS) by wading to the middle of the creek. When the water is too deep to wade, a measuring device is lowered from the trolly over the middle of the creek, and a measurement is taken.Other components of this station include the small green building across the creek. A gauge inside records the water level of Bear Creek every half hour. A measuring stick, visible outside the structure, is used to compare and/or back up informtiaon from the inside gauge. The antenna mounted atop the building relays stream-level data, via satellite, to the Bureau of Reclamation and the USGS.
Additional information about stream flow measuring in the Northwest is available here and here.
Clustered between the street and the path is an Oregon grape (Berberis aquifolium) shrub. The Oregon state flower is not a true grape, but does produce edible purple berries. The Takelma used its bark to dye basket materials a subtle yellow. It is an extremely tough, prickly bush that grows over much of the state and is frequently used as a landscape plant.
