Photo Tour

Photo Tour ��

This photographic tour of the walking trails starts on the west side at the Activity Center.

The entrance to the walking trail is located behind the Activity Center.	The trail winds its way east and north, passing behind the Monroe-West Monroe Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The west observation platform stands within the bounds of the former gravel pit.	The west observation platform offers an shaded view of the beaver pond. The central observation platform is visible directly across the pond. Click here to see the full-size (389KB) image.
The walking trail near the entry point dips and rises as it runs up and down the rim of the former gravel pit.	The walking trail emerges on the north side from the woods to the cleared area beside Constitution Dr.

The north side faces I-20 and Constitution Dr. The principal features on this side are the ponds and dams.

The walking trail on the north side sits atop a man-made earthen dam.	The man-made earthen dam is capable of controlling "100-year floods." It limits the rate that water leaves the wetland so that the earth has sufficient time to absorb it. Click here to see the full-size (201KB) image.
The resident beavers were dissatified with the man-made dam. In less than a month, they constructed their own dam and raised the water level to meet their specifications. The beaver dam is located on the lower left edge of the pond. It is concealed by grass and shrubs in this photo. Click here to see the full-size (258KB) image.	The north lily pond is smaller than the beaver pond. A handful of specially-built wood duck shelters are positioned in a semi-circle along the southern shoreline. Click here to see the full-size (271KB) image.
Water quality sensors have been placed in the drainage culverts beyond the concrete spillway. The metal box over the culverts continually records the quantity and quality of water exiting the wetlands.	The north side of the park bordering Constitution Dr is fenced off. Parking vehicles in this grassy area can impair the dam's ability to survive extreme floods.

The east side borders a mostly-developed commercial zone.

The walking trail leads back into the woods. Trees screen the north lily pond from the trail.	The open northeast observation platform is perched on the rim of the former gravel pit.
A thick patch of trees shelters the northeast observation platform. Click here to see the full-size (838KB) image.	The east observation platform offers the greatest variety of terrain types. Water, woods, and grassy areas are all visible this vantage point. Click here to see the full-size (759KB) image.
A short spur in the walking trail wraps around the east observation platform.	The crescent-shaped south lily pond is the smallest pond. It wraps around the south and southwest sides of the north lily pond.

The south side borders an semi-undeveloped commercial zone.

The walking trail runs very close to the commercial zone so the left side of this picture has less vegetation.	The southeast observation platform is positioned on the rim of the former gravel pit.
The southeast observation platform overlooks a large expanse of woods. Click here to see the full-size (329KB) image.	This photograph shows the abrupt demarcation of the southern border of the wetlands park. Click here to see the full-size (711KB) image.
The walking trail branches off north to the central observation platform.	The central observation platform sits on the water within the boundary of former gravel pit.
The central observation offers perhaps the best pond-side view. Both the west observation platform and I-20 are visible across the beaver pond. Click here to see the full-size (692KB) image.	The rocky subsoil occasionally makes it difficult for trees to anchor themselves. Click here to see the full-size (569KB) image.
The edge of the former gravel pit is readily apparent from many parts of the walking trail because of the steep drop-offs.	This spur of the walking trail overlooks a creek where water enters the wetlands park.