Читать книгу Fish Populations, Following a Drought, in the Neosho and Marais des Cygnes Rivers of Kansas - James E. Deacon - Страница 8

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The Neosho River, a tributary of Arkansas River, rises in the Flint Hills of Morris and southwestern Wabaunsee counties and flows southeast for 281 miles in Kansas, leaving the state in the extreme southeast corner (Fig. 1). With its tributaries (including Cottonwood and Spring rivers) the Neosho drains 6,285 square miles in Kansas and enters the Arkansas River near Muskogee, Oklahoma (Schoewe, 1951:299). Upstream from its confluence with Cottonwood River, the Neosho River has an average gradient of 15 feet per mile. The gradient lessens rapidly below the mouth of the Cottonwood, averaging 1.35 feet per mile downstream to the State line (Anonymous, 1947:12). The banks of the meandering, well-defined channel vary from 15 to 50 feet in height and support a deciduous fringe-forest. The spelling of the name originally was "Neozho," an Osage Indian word signifying "clear water" (Mead, 1903:216).

Fig. 1. Neosho and Marais des Cygnes drainage systems. Dots and circles indicate collecting-stations.

Neosho River, Upper Station.—Two miles north and two miles west of Council Grove, Morris County, Kansas (Sec. 32 and 33, T. 15 S., R. 8 E.) (Pl. 28, Fig. 2, and Pl. 29, Fig. 1). Width 20 to 40 feet, depth to six feet, length of study-area one-half mile (one large pool plus many small pools connected by riffles), bottom of mud, gravel, and rubble. Muddy banks 20 to 30 feet high.

According to H. E. Bosch (landowner) this section of the river dried completely in 1956, except for the large pool mentioned above. This section was intermittent in 1954 and 1955; it again became intermittent in the late summer of 1957 but not in 1958 or 1959.

A second section two miles downstream (on land owned by Herbert White) was studied in the summer of 1959 (Sec. 3 and 10, T. 16 S., R. 8 E.) (Pl. 29, Fig. 2 and Pl. 30, Figs. 1 and 2). This section is 20 to 60 feet in width, to five feet in depth, one-half mile in length (six small pools with intervening riffles bounded upstream by a low-head dam and downstream by a long pool), having a bottom of gravel, rubble, bedrock, and mud, and banks of mud and rock, five to 20 feet in height.

Neosho River, Middle Station.—One mile east and one and one-half miles south of Neosho Falls, Woodson County, Kansas (Sec. 3 and 4, T. 24 S., R. 17 E.) (Pl. 26, Fig. 1). Width 60 to 70 feet, depth to eleven feet, length of study-area two miles (four large pools with connecting riffles), bottom of mud, gravel and rock. Mud and rock banks 30 to 40 feet high.

According to Floyd Meats (landowner) this section of the river was intermittent for part of the drought.

Neosho River, Lower Station.—Two and one-half miles west, one-half mile north of Saint Paul, Neosho County, Kansas (Sec. 16, T. 29 S., R. 20 E.). Width 100 to 125 feet, depth to ten feet, length of study-area one mile (two large pools connected by a long rubble-gravel riffle), bottom of mud, gravel, and rock. Banks, of mud and rock, 30 to 40 feet high (Pl. 26, Fig. 2).

This station was established after one collection of fishes was made approximately ten miles upstream (Sec. 35, T. 28 S., R. 19 E.). The second site, suggested by Ernest Craig, Game Protector, provided greater accessibility and a more representative section of stream than the original locality.