Fluvial geomorphs...
So many streams flow
.. off the jumbled topography
…. of the Wallowa scarp...
Heritage of ancient seas,
.. eons of glacial carvings,
…. subject to giant beavers.
The Wallowa, a valley
.. of winding waters
…. and ancient swamps.
Beavers became muffoon
.. streams straightened,
…. swamps drained.
Ice scoured channels,
.. depleted riparian capacity,
…. challenged fisheries.
Knowledge brings change,
.. re-meandered channels,
…. slow riparian recovery.
People's will wanders,
.. bargaining economics,
…. ecological imperatives.
Time will tell eventually,
.. if human will is as long
…. as the flow of waters.
--r.anderson
