EAGLESTAR.NET LAND AND PROPERTY REVIEW
http://www.eaglestar.net
Issue #45
December 2, 2008

IN THIS ISSUE:
Properties of the Week: WA, CA, CO
Special Report: Forests and Global Water Shortages
- Part 4, The Ecology of Surface Water: Watershed Topography
Sponsor's Corner: Panther Valley Ranch, AR
This Week's Top Searches
Auction News: AZ, GA, NE, OK
LandTerms.com Term of the Week: De minimis


"The land was ours before we were the land's."
- Robert Frost (American poet, b. 1874 - d. 1963), from 'The Gift Outright' in
'A Witness Tree' (1942)
Read the entire text of 'The Gift Outright' at
http://landterms.com/Quotations/Alphabetical_by_Author/F/Frost_Robert_-_America_Land_War_2324.html


PUBLICATION DATE CHANGE
The delivery schedule of the Land and Property Review has been modified a bit.
Look for it in your inbox every Tuesday.


PROPERTIES OF THE WEEK
Certified Organic Orchard with 2 Homes
Kettle Falls, Stevens County, Washington
9+/- acres of this 13+/- acre property are planted in fruit trees: peach, pear,
apricot, cherry, apple, and some berries. Plenty of water, with both city water
and a well. Trees require no irrigation once mature. The property has 850 feet
of road frontage. Listing ID: 20834. Find photos and more information at
http://www.eaglestar.net/noc.html

9 Acres Overlooking Pacific Ocean
Trinidad, Humboldt County, California
This 9+/- acre property is located off the coastal road. Watch the passing
whales, hear the seals, and enjoy fantastic sunsets from the house or anywhere
on the property. The home is old-growth redwood, 2,283+/- square feet with 3
bedrooms and 2 baths. Also includes a Victorian guest house, currently leased.
15 minutes from Arcata / Eureka airport. Listing ID: 17249. Browse photos and
view additional information at http://www.eaglestar.net/ekt2-.html

Southern Colorado Mountain Land For Sale
Westcliffe, Custer County, Colorado
Enjoy views of the beautiful Wet Mountains from this 5+/- acre parcel. Choose
from several home sites with natural rock outcroppings. Property is surrounded
by ponderosa pines with an open area in the center. Located in a quiet and
remote area, yet close to county roads. Listing ID: 20312. See photos and
details at http://www.eaglestar.net/wsmn23-.html


SPECIAL REPORT
I Can't See the Stream for the Forest
Part 4, The Ecology of Surface Water: Watershed Topography

This week we continue our special report on forests, water yield, and global
water shortages. This series explores future global and regional water
shortages and their relationship with forests and forest health. Is it
generally accepted that cutting trees where they grow dense and overcrowded can
improve both forest health and water yields. However, forest thinning
treatments of the same design and intensity, but conducted in two different
areas, will have very different results in terms of additional water yield.
This is because of the numerous factors that influence the size, timing, and
speed of rain or melted snow that moves across a watershed's soil surface. In
Part 3 of our special report, we explained how different soil types affect
surface runoff. Other abiotic (non-living) factors that greatly affect surface
flows are presented in Part 4, Watershed Topography.

A watershed is an area of land where all the surface runoff that is produced
from precipitation drains to a common point, called the watershed outlet or
mouth. Each watershed has a unique set of physical characteristics that
dictate, to a great extent, how much surface water is actually available in its
lakes, rivers, streams, and ponds. Of these, soil certainly is paramount, but
there are other abiotic (non-living) factors that are quite important as well.
A watershed's slope, size, shape, elevation, and aspect determine the speed the
runoff moves over the land following a rainstorm or snowmelt, how much water is
available at the surface to percolate into the soil, and how much water is
retained in the soil itself (called "soil moisture" or "soil water content").
Together these factors are known as the topography of the watershed.

Mountains vs. Molehills
The boundaries of watershed are typically made up of geologic ridges (mountain
ranges, etc.) that separate land areas. If precipitation falls exactly on top
of such a ridge, it will run down one side into one watershed and down the
other side into a different watershed. The slope, or steepness, of these
boundary features can greatly influence runoff speed, particularly when
precipitation falls directly on them. The slope of other areas in the watershed
are also important, especially the slopes of stream channels, and the slope of
the land between the boundary ridges and the mouth of the watershed.

Watersheds with tall, steep boundary features tend to have steeper slopes,
obviously at the boundary itself, but also between the boundaries and the
watershed outlet and along the stream channels that drain the runoff.
Watersheds with shorter, less-steep boundary features tend to be flatter and
less-steep all around, although there are certainly numerous exceptions. Water
runs more quickly across watersheds with greater slopes, so less water
infiltrates into the soil, because steep slopes prevent runoff from pooling at
the soil surface. Conversely, flatter watersheds with less slope allow the
water to flow more slowly across the landscape, and much more is absorbed into
the soil. Generally, the steeper the average slope of the watershed, the
greater the amount of runoff produced.

Long and Thin vs. Fat and Round
Watersheds are like people - they come in all shapes and sizes. The shape of a
watershed can affect how much surface runoff is produced from precipitation
falling across the land, and also affects how much sediment (soil particles
suspended in flowing water and deposited downstream) collects in stream
channels and at the watershed outlet. In addition, the shape of the watershed
helps determine the highest rates and volumes of surface flows. Long, narrow
watersheds usually have steep slopes and so tend to produce higher amounts of
surface water flowing at faster rates than shorter, rounder watersheds. They
also produce greater amounts of sediment.

It takes longer for fallen precipitation to emerge as surface flows at the
watershed mouth in a long and narrow watershed, even though the water is
flowing faster than in one that is shorter and fatter. Therefore, less surface
flow reaches the mouth at any given time, meaning that the highest volume of
water emitted at the mouth (called a "peak flow") is smaller in longer,
narrower watersheds.

Putting the Best Face Forward
The direction a slope faces is called its aspect. A slope's aspect plays an
important role in water yield, primarily because of the amount of sunlight it
receives. Slopes with different aspects may also receive different amounts of
precipitation from the same storm. North-facing slopes are generally wetter and
receive less sun than slopes facing other directions, followed by east-facing
slopes, then west-facing slopes. Slopes with southern exposure receive the
most sunlight and consequently are relatively warm and dry. The wetter and
darker the slope, the less evaporation and the higher the average soil water
content, which means the soil becomes saturated more quickly when it rains or
snows. Wetter and darker slopes produce more surface runoff. More north-facing
watersheds produce higher surface flows than east-facing ones, which produce
more than west-facing ones, and so on.

How High Is It?
A watershed's elevation has profound effects on surface water yields, in large
part because it dictates whether most precipitation arrives as rain or as snow.
Rain events are over relatively quickly, while snowmelt can continue for
months. Rain events produce higher peak flows than snowstorms, but generally
account for a much lower percentage of a watershed's surface flows over time,
especially streams and rivers that flow continuously ("perennial streams").
Elevation also influences the amount of precipitation, with those that are
higher generally receiving much stronger and more frequent storms.

The effects of a watershed's elevation on water yield go beyond precipitation.
Lower temperatures in higher elevations also mean lower evaporation rates, so
less water is lost to the atmosphere. Transpiration, the process by which trees
release water into the air, is reduced at higher elevations. Soil depths are
generally shallower, so naturally less surface water is able to percolate in
and the soils become saturated fairly rapidly. In higher elevation watersheds,
all these factors combine to produce relatively larger amounts of runoff than
those in lower elevations.

How watersheds work and the physical processes and conditions that dictate how
much surface water is produced after precipitation has fallen is extremely
important in the context of regional and global water shortages. Becoming
familiar with the various factors that affect surface water leads to an
understanding of how thinning trees from forested areas will improve both water
yields and forest health. Even if you don't individually own forested land, as
a U.S. citizen you are a joint owner of all U.S. public lands, forested and
otherwise. Supporting responsible thinning and harvesting operations on our
public lands is not the only answer to our water woes, but it is something we
can all do to help the forest and ourselves at the same time.

In next week's issue, we'll find out about the final abiotic factor that
affects surface runoff amounts, arguably the most important one of all - the
type, timing, intensity, and seasonal distribution of precipitation.


SPONSOR'S CORNER
The Land and Property Review would like to thank this week's sponsor, Panther
Valley Ranch.
Scenic Arkansas Guest Ranch For Sale
Hot Springs, Garland County, Arkansas
Listing ID: 20437
Panther Valley Ranch is an 82+/- acre guest ranch in the scenic Ouachita
Mountains and has been operated by its current owners since 1990. Located only
5 miles from Hot Springs National Park, the ranch was homesteaded in 1902 and
has been featured in Southern Living magazine. The 9 suites, 8 with hot tubs,
offer the best of rustic elegance. All suites have king beds with fine linens,
a fireplace or wood burning stove, satellite TV and DVD player, kitchen or
kitchenette with cooking utensils, and gas grill on the porch. The property
features a year-round, creek-fed lake, a 22-stall stable, and a 14-stall hay
barn. The sale includes a 1000-seat amphitheater with dressing room and
separate office, a maintenance barn and shop, and 9 gelding quarter horses,
saddles, and tack. This streamlined, turn-key facility is currently in
operation and includes everything you need to start booking guests right away.
View photos, additional details, and contact information at
http://www.eaglestar.net/bptst.html


THIS WEEK'S TOP SEARCHES
Recent popular and interesting searches by visitors to EagleStar.net:
"Butler County Kentucky"
"Cambria Co PA"
"farms in western KY"
"cabins in PA for sale"
"Bloomington IL"
"cheap lots in WV"
"Illinios prime farmland 500 acres and up"
"large tracts of land"
"cattle acres"
"land with a cave"
"luxury homes Greenville SC"
"40 acres Colorado"


AUCTION NEWS
Browse thumbnail photos and short property descriptions at
http://www.eaglestar.net/Land_Auction_Calendar/index.html

10-Unit Motel in the Heart of Hunting Country
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Oxford, Furnas County, Nebraska
10-unit motel on 2.5+/- wooded acres in the heart of Nebraska hunting country.
Attached 2 bedroom, 1 bath owner's or manager's apartment. The living quarters
have a full unfinished basement, sliding patio doors, all appliances, large
laundry room with two washers and two dryers, and have access to the motel
rental office. Each motel room has two double beds, TV with cable, dresser/desk
with chair, two lounge chairs, and a coffee maker. The scenic village of Oxford
is located in southern Nebraska on the Republican River. Superb commercial
investment or small business opportunity. Listing ID: 21814. View photos and
additional information at http://www.eaglestar.net/ww1.html

Phoenix (Anthem) Luxury Home on 0.3 Acres
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona
Territorial-style home in Anthem with a central courtyard, guest casita, custom
pool and hot tub. 5 bedroom, 3.5 bath and 4,017+/- square feet, built in 2003
on a .31+/- acre lot. Professional landscaping, private backyard that backs to
a greenbelt, located inside a gated community with playgrounds and a water
park. Unique finishing touches such as the tiled entry with a mosaic piece,
leading into multiple living spaces with fireplace, built-in art niches, and a
warm color palette. Private back yard has a large covered patio and an
excellent pool and spa. Listing ID: 21815. Browse photos and details at
http://www.eaglestar.net/ww2.html

Home and Lot in Upscale Neighborhood
Friday, December 19, 2008
Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma
0.38+/- acre lot for sale in a desirable part of Tulsa, OK. This property is
surrounded by luxury estates and within walking distance to Philbrook Museum of
Art and Woodward Park. Convenient to St. John's Medical Center, Utica Square
and Cascia Hall. Prime midtown location in exclusive Terwilleger Heights area,
adjacent to historic Maple Ridge. The 3,285+/- square foot home was built in
1979 and needs major renovation. Property interior will be available for
inspection on sale day 2 hours prior to auction. Listing ID: 21813. Photos and
more information can be found at http://www.eaglestar.net/ww7.html

Tahlequah Plantation Georgia Hunting Land
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Thomasville, Thomas County, Georgia
520 +/- acre quail hunting plantation in the heart of plantation country
offered high bidder's choice. 35+/- acre floodable pond. Fenced property.
Bank-ordered real estate foreclosure auction. Excellent hunting potential:
quail, deer, turkey, plus duck ponds. Day house for hunting trip headquarters.
Tahlequah Plantation has numerous home and building sites and would be an
excellent location for a lodge or private estate. Property has timber, road
frontage, and water from a 12" well. Listing ID: 21812. Photos and contact
information are at http://www.eaglestar.net/ddsn.html


LANDTERMS.COM TERM OF THE WEEK
http://landterms.com
Each issue we feature a real estate, forestry, natural sciences or other
land-related term from our partner site, LandTerms.com.

This week's term: De minimis
(Law): 1. Of minimal importance or significance. Minor issues that are too
trivial to be considered by a court of law. An example of a de minimis issue is
an act that is technically a violation of a contract, but causes no harm or
damage and does not alter the fundamental nature of the agreement.
(Real Estate) 2. A property that derives little or no value from on-site
facilities or amenities.

Need definitions for terms pertaining to land and real estate? Visit the
LandTerms Land and Real Estate Glossary. http://landterms.com


SUGGESTIONS
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