Rapids Stream

Winding a wet course through the bright green forest, the rapidly flowing stream strikes a singular sound that reminds the woodland dwellers of what drives the cycle of life so abundant in this sacred spot. The animals are restful today and the churning waters are all that can be heard echoing through the dense foliage. Listen closer and maybe you will hear the shuttering of leaves in the wind, or is it simply the small waterfall in the distance? Streams are important as conduits in the water cycle, instruments in groundwater recharge, and corridors for fish and wildlife migration. The biological habitat in the immediate vicinity of a stream is called a riparian zone. To qualify as a stream it must be either recurring or perennial. Recurring streams have water in the channel for at least part of the year. A stream of the first order is a stream which does not have any other stream feeding into it. When two first-order streams come together, they form a second-order stream. Typically, streams are said to have a particular profile, beginning with steep gradients, no flood plain, and little shifting of channels, eventually evolving into streams with low gradients, wide flood plains, and extensive meanders.