Ineffective Roadside Erosion Repairs Along Park Lane at Minnechaduza Creek by the Cherry County Roads Department

Presented July 31, 2018 at the Cherry County Commissioners meeting.

There is an ongoing erosion problem along Park Lane at the bridge crossing over Minnechaduza Creek. Water runoff from the street has been diverted by the Cherry County Roads Department (CCRD) – the entity responsible for maintenance of this roadway – onto Valentine City Park property and which then drains into the creek.

Gully erosion at failed spillway.

An obvious extent of erosion was occurring in early July so the situation was reported to the CCRD office, with a request that a repair be done. The following steps by CCRD were then taken, as personally observed:

1. 1) A smallish berm of some sort of unknown aggregate was placed to move water southward to where it could pour off the bridge and into the creekway; the berm at the gully was washed out by a subsequent rain
   
2. 2) A larger berm of aggregate was placed at the problem site, which washed out during the next rain
   
3. 3) An asphaltic mix was strewn over the repaired berm to divert the water southward
   
4. 4) The asphaltic mix berm was modified so there would be a “spillway” into a gully to direct water runoff into the creek; a portion of the spillway was washed away during the rainfall on July 23rd, and the problematic situation was once again reported to the CCRD office. At this time it was mentioned the CCRD employee indicated that some sort of repair would occur on August 1, so a request was made for further details with findings requested to be heard later in the week.
   
5. 5) On July 25 a bunch of large rocks were dumped into the erosional gully to seemingly thwart erosion. It was another effort of failure as there are too many voids that will allow the unchanged route of the runoff water to erode beneath the rocks.
   
6. 6) Upon asking on July 26 at the CCRD office about the repair to supposedly occur on August 1, no information could be provided.
   The dump of big rocks occurred following an apparent consultation with a City of Valentine official (this situation has been discussed at least twice with the city manager).
   

This situation is problematic for at least these reasons:

Park Lane at North Lake Shore Drive. Erosional problem at the lower right of this photograph.

1. A. The problem has not been suitably fixed despite five attempts by county employees.
   
2. B. The runoff is being conveyed down the creek bank so erosion is occurring next to the bridge abutment, which might eventually result in a threat to its integrity?
   
3. C. Stormwater runoff from a county road is being forced upon a western extent of Valentine City Park, diminishing this public property. Why should a county issue become a city problem!
   
4. D. Sediment resulting from the runoff gully is going into the creek, and thus is a situation where fill is being illegally placed into waters of the United States, according to Section 404 regulations as dealt with by the Army Corps of Engineers. Runoff sediment is obvious in the creek at this site, thus there is a violation of this federal mandate. A sediment fence was placed along the creek-side on July 30.
   
5. E. Runoff water and erosional material is allowed to get into Minnechaduza Creek, degrading its water quality (as regulated by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality) by adding automotive road debris into the creek, as well as allowing roadside trash to get into the creek waters thus contributing to unacceptable pollution.
   

When will a long-term, permanent solution be placed here? An example of one solution is obvious on the west side of the street, where there is a drainage culvert. There are other solutions available (reshaping the street surface to establish a less-concentrated runoff pattern; perhaps a pond or wetland for runoff from Lake Shore Drive at the northeast corner of the Mill Pond, or maybe a bioretention garden at the park?).

The bottom line is: Why do Cherry county residents have to continue to pay for ineffective work associated with a roadway? Who is accountable for this obvious failure, thus far?

Rocks dumped by the Cherry County Roads Department at the erosion problem aside Park Lane, and within Valentine City Park.

Erosional material and can trash below the drainway failure at Minnechaduza Creek and Park Lane. June 30, 2018.

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County Fails Again With Repair While Valentine Street Department Does Right

August 20, 2018

The City of Valentine is attentive to roadway issues and their reaction and action was very obvious on the north side at Minnechaduza Creek on Friday, 17 August.

There is an ongoing and unacceptable situation along the Park Lane where it crosses Minnecheduza Creek. Maintenance along this roadway is the responsibility of the Cherry County road department. Cherry county officials and employees had repeatedly failed in their repair efforts, as despite five useless repair efforts the erosional problem continued. Even after the situation was presented at a Cherry County commissioners meeting where a document with details and photographs was presented, nothing changed. The only thing heard at the meeting was bloviating by a particular commissioner about this or that in previous years and how great the results had been during past times. There was an indication that the problem would be dealt with, yet it was not. Whatever county employee responsible for this failure needs to be held accountable as he has wasted multiple hours of employee time and thus money on doing worthless things.

Because of the big rain on Wednesday, August 15th, the sediment fence placed by the street crew of Valentine to prevent material from getting into Minnechaduza Creek was overloaded and there was a stream of the sediment that flowed beyond the fence but thankfully did not pollute the creek. Next to the street, there was a safety hazard as the roadside dropoff was more than 12 inches and the creekward incline fell off even more dangerously.

Upon reporting the situation to staff in the Valentine city office on Friday morning, the entire situation changed. The city of Valentine street crew took control. The office staff conveyed my message. A city worker quickly assessed the problem. A suitable and effective crew arrived, including heavy equipment and they were focused and seen to be quickly working to solve an ongoing problem, within the morning to provide a temporary repair.

City of Valentine staff and its street crew quickly arrived on last Friday morning – after having left a brief message in city hall – and addressed a situation which was actually the responsibility of the county. The current diversional situation is quite fine to avoid further erosion. It is however quite unknown when the county will provide a permanent solution to an obvious and ongoing problem. There would be no more stormwater runoff causing erosion on the bank along a county road. The creekbank in west Valentine City Park was being given attention and work done to ensure that sediment would not get into Minnechaduza Creek. The Friday repair was more than enough to make certain the fill, overlying asphaltic mix and temporary curbing would replace a worthless county effort.

The current repair is, however, only temporary. There has been no indication of a permanent repair by the county. The works needs to be acceptable to the City of Valentine and local residents. Perhaps commissioner Jim Van Winkle should pay attention to happening now, rather than speaking of past times which mean so little at their monthly meetings. Thankfully in January he will no longer be able to publically convey his historic haze of events which mostly now have only a slight significance. Perhaps commissioners Tanya Storer and Martin DeNaeyer should pay attention to local concerns rather than travel to Washington D.C. during these August days. Do they think their presence meant anything to people that have actual, significant national accomplishments? It seemed to have just been a photo opportunity?

City of Valentine employees listened and acted. My hearty thanks to them!

P.S. There was no change at this locale following the rainfall on the 19th. So there appears to be an adequate, temporary repair until the county does an actual permanent repair.

Children Enjoy Old West Nature Day at Valentine

Sounds of many kids having fun outdoors were obvious amidst the mighty oaks at Valentine City Park during Sunday afternoon, October 9th. Youngsters were appreciating the activities at Old West Nature Day. By walking from place to place, they could learn something about outdoor activities, and more subtly, some bit of historic lore.

A skill any of them could experience was archery, where Kim Martin, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was readily helpful. Most of the youngsters she helped had never before shot a bow, but were given the essentials for getting an arrow set, how to stand to aim at the apple target, and very importantly, how to do it safely. There was an obvious thrill by the archer when an arrow hit the paper apple target. Having six girls rapt in their attention, watching their friend shooting the bow as they awaited their turn, indicated the value to them of having this opportunity. One girl kept shooting because of her enjoyment, and repeatedly did so because there was no one else in line!

Similar experiences happened elsewhere beneath the colorful, autumn oaks where the winds of the season were slight and temperatures were quite nicely warm.

During this afternoon, some people walked about shaking and continuing to shake small jars they held. Why? Their arm-action was required to make themselves a sample of butter. They got the ingredients and then had to do the work to get something tasty to take home.

To create their own candle, many kids slowly dipped a short length of string into some hot wax. Their creation, once finished, was hung to cool, then retrieved later, once it was solid.

Next to the Girl Scout cabin was a dutch-oven cooking a unique batch of sweet chili made with bison meat. Anyone interested could taste a bit of the simmering food.

Close to Minnechaduza creek, Robin Roth, of Valentine, did a great job of showing the proper technique for throwing a tomahawk at a wood target. He conveyed a vital step for success, which was – well anyone with an interest will just have to get the answer from him. An adjacent tent featured his distinctive skins of plains mammals.

Acoustical music by the Roger Monroe family wafted among the arboreal setting during the afternoon event, as they created a musical theme. Near the seats where the musicians played, a tepee conveyed an essence of tribal history. Tin-stamping was another activity of the day, with a star usually made.

Westward at the Mill Pond, the National Park Service provided canoes that visitors could use to paddle around the choppy water, which was significant but not enough to be unsafe. A National Park Service ranger was on the scene to help get a watercraft afloat, and in some instances accompany someone.

Locally involved, and essential participants, were the sponsor the Niobrara Council, as well as the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as help by staff of the Middle Niobrara Natural Resources District.

Obvious during the day were efforts by volunteers, assisting and participating to accommodate the vivid interests of so many children. It was obvious, from my perspective for a while as a volunteer at the “archery range”, that the Old West Nature Day was once again a success due to community effort.

Issued in the Valentine Midland News.

Tree-planting Event a Success at Valentine

A tree-planting event held in recognition of the tenth anniversary was a success at the Valentine City Park.

About two-dozen people attended during 5 to 7 p.m. on May 4th to help plant 58 catalpa trees, 18 bur oak and three honey locust trees. Chili-cheese hotdogs, chips, smours and refreshments were provided for an after work meal. Sponsors were the Niobrara Council and Middle Niobrara Natural Resources District.

Also featured was an interactive display of the extent of the fire and landscape features, as provided by the Nebraska Fire Service that was an opportunity for people to discuss the fire, its characteristics and even to convey some personal recollections. Also presented was information on establishing firewise communities.

Earlier in the day, kids associated the Valentine Middle School and Future Farmers of America assisted the MNNRD to plant 1500 trees and shrubs. The types placed on the burned upland north of the city park, were ponderosa pine, jack pine, sumac, black cherry, hackberry, black walnut, American plum and golden currant.

“Fifteen-hundred is a good number for the kids to get into the ground,” said Zac Peterson of the MNNRD.

The trees planted were from the nursery at Bessey Forest, near Halsey.

During the ten years since the fire in 2006, about 22,000 trees have been planted, said Peterson. There is an approximately 30% survival rate.

During the late afternoon and evening, a record was kept of the various bird species present at the city park. The result was twenty species:

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Eastern Phoebe: associated with the two bridges

American Crow

Black-capped Chickadee

Ruby-crowned Kinglet: small and stealthy along the creek

House Wren

White-breasted Nuthatch

Eastern Bluebird

Swainson's Thrush: on the south side of the creek, towards the west end of the park

American Robin: appreciating the lawn to forage upon

American Goldfinch

Audubon's Warbler: wonderfully numerous, especially along Minnechaduza creek

Brown-headed Cowbird

White-crowned Sparrow: two still lingering

White-throated Sparrow: one readily seen near the pavilion

Chipping Sparrow: most territorial, but a few in a flock

Spotted Towhee

Northern Cardinal: in shrubbery along the creek

Not seen nor heard was the typical Belted Kingfisher, though it was probably elsewhere because of the many people enjoying the fine evening at the park.

Volunteers Improve Trail at Valentine City Park

A crew ready to work gathered at Valentine City Park on the morning of September 26th at 10 a.m. It was National Public Lands Day and attention was to be given to establish a new alignment for an eroded section of the Minnechaduza loop trail.

Volunteers included Mark Lindvall, Jim Dahlstrom, Kim Martin, Tom Borszich, Nathan Tillinghast and Jim Ducey.

Tools were ample with neariy all of them – including shovels, chainsaw, rake, a couple of adze, etc.; as well as some tasty donuts - brought by men in trucks of the National Park Service. Their contribution also included several appropriate lengths of 4x4 lumber needed to stabilize and provide steps for the trail. Borszich thankfully had a couple of long drill bits needed to drill holes for lengths of rebar hammered in to anchor the wood, as well as a spare power tool battery which helped in getting the work done.

Missing was a broom that could have been used to convey a clean situation, especially on the bridge were chainsaw work was done.

The day’s task started with removal of some worn pieces of 4x4 lumber on the hill slope. Three flags marked the new route for the trail. Shovel-fulls of dirt were moved to establish the new alignment. Tree roots were forcefully removed to get a properly wide and smooth surface. Lumber was placed and anchored. Eventually, some cedar branches were placed appropriately to stifle where erosion was most serious, adjacent to a groundwater spring which emptied into the adjacent Minnechaduza Creek.

Dirt was suitably placed to anchor the trail-side and get a proper setting for steps. Once the surface was leveled and smoothed, salvaged trail rock was spread over the dirt.

It was a job well done as by everybody present that contributed to park improvement. During the time, someone involved with a Scout group in Valentine stopped by and expressed a conciliatory tone as he would have liked to have the scout group involved, but he had learned about the project just a day or two prior.

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Alas, should have used the flash to take this picture, since it is the best available.

On Sunday, some personal time was spent picking up litter along the Cowboy Trail within Valentine. This may seem like an easy task, yet when trying to place the trash into either of the two available receptacles at the Valentine trail building, both were so completely full that there was hardly room to stuff in some pieces of paper with numbers, probably associated with some organized event on the previous day. To the east, bits of cactus were removed from the concrete – perhaps to help riders avoid a troublesome thorn piercing a bicycle tire – and some weeds were pulled from cracks in the trail surface and along its edge. The bench along the trail was the first place dealt with as weeds where feet belong is not welcoming.

Afterwards, some thorns were pulled from fingers because caution, or gloves are needed to deal with the prickly weeds.