Columbia Missourian

FROM READERS: Reader photos of Flat Branch wildlife growth

By DERRICK FOGLE/MISSOURIAN READER

December 11, 2012 | 2:59 p.m. CST

These are 6-10" fish, mostly largemouth and striped bass, in the Hinkson Creek near the Green Tennis Center (~1/4 mile downstream past the bend). Despite extremely low water flow levels, the Hinkson has been a more stable habitat than Flat Branch Creek. ¦ DERRICK FOGLE/MISSOURIAN READER

Derrick Fogle is known by some as Columbia's "Hack Man," frequenting Liberty Plaza or Speakers Circle to put on a show with his footbags, boom box and camera. He works at MU as the Lead Audio Visual Systems Engineer and is a frequent commenter on the Missourian's website.

After a fire on Business Loop 70 caused pollution to run into Flat Branch, many fish and wildlife were killed in a certain stretch of the stream. Fogle frequently rides his bike through the park and shared these pictures of wildlife growth in the area after the fire. The creek and its wildlife have begun to show a strong recovery.

First significant ice formation of season on Flat Branch, in pool just above low water bridge, taken Nov. 27.

Looking downstream from new Garth Extension Bridge. This is actually a "test" photo I took while trying to come up with a good place to take a "daily photo" series for fall. Unfortunately, I hurt my ankle at the end of September, and was unable to be on the trail every day for a couple of weeks, ruining my chance to get a time lapse series of the fall foliage change this year.

I am planning to start a new photo series on the creek Jan. 1 and hope to run the daily photo series for an entire year this time. A springtime "green-up" photo series I did last spring can be found here.

Looking upstream at a creek crossing area just off the Hinkson Creek Trail (but this is actually still Flat Branch, about one-fourth mile upstream of where it meets the Hinkson). One of the conservation department water quality collection stations is about 20 feet downstream of where this photo was taken.

As I was photographing a swarm of crawdads, several young deer came rambling by. There are usually two to four young deer living in the upper Flat Branch Creek area each summer.

Looking upstream at the confluence of Flat Branch, left, and Hinkson Creek, right. Note that total creek flow at this point (after creeks join, June 1) is incredibly low, probably well under 10 gallons per minute.

This story is part of a section of the Missourian called From Readers, which is dedicated to your voices and your stories. We hope you'll consider sharing. Here's how. Supervising Editor is Joy Mayer.