USING HISTORICAL RECORDS TO DETERMINE VEGETATIONAL VARIATIONS IN STREAMBANK COVER FROM 19th CENTURY SETTLEMENT TO PRESENT DAY IN THE ROOT RIVER SUB-WATERSHEDS OF SOUTH EASTERN MINNESOTA

This research compares and contrasts two sub-watersheds and their vegetational development from pre-settlement to present day. These sub-watersheds include flatland and bluff topography in the Driftless Area of southeastern Minnesota. These two waterways, Rush Creek and Pine/Hemingway Creeks, are tributaries to the larger Root River, which runs through southern Minnesota. Historical documents and personal observations will be used to study streambank variations over the last 150 years to study the impact of human settlement in this region. Research completed by Dogwiler (2010) shows that, prior to settlement around the Root River, the overall vegetation pattern was mainly prairie and savannah for both bluff and flatlands. Today, it is largely crop fields and pasture with some forest cover on the bluffs.

Rush Creek joins the Root River near Rushford, MN. This watershed is significant because it is one of few rural sub-watersheds, and has 90% of its land use in agriculture today, with only about 1% still containing lakes, streams or wetlands. The Pine/Hemingway creeks lie within bluff land, where the majority of the land is privately owned for agriculture, whereas 35% is state forested land. Historical research will be used to evaluate geologic and land use history and estimate how the streambanks have changed. With this information, interpretations can be made for future planning decisions. The results of this research will help provide insight into how the landscape in southeastern Minnesota watersheds has changed since pre-settlement and predict future vegetation developments in these sub-watersheds.