White River, South Dakota 



Location 



Mellette Co., SD; Sec. 19, R. 28 W.. T. 42 N.; GPS-UTM 4829632 N, 362066 E. 

 About 3.5 miles northeast of White River. 



From the junction of U.S. Highways 44 and 83 in White River, South Dakota, travel north 2.2 miles 

 on U.S. Highway 83. Then, turn right (east) onto an unnamed gravel road just south of the Little 

 White River bridge. Continue east for 2.3 miles to an unfenced area adjacent to the White River. 

 From this point, the photopoint is north of the road about 50 yards. 



Description 



September 22, 1999 



Island on White River 



Grasses. Stipa viridula, 

 Stipa comata, Bouteloua 

 curtipendula, Bouteloua 

 gracilis, Agropyron smithii, 

 Spartina pectinata, Elymus 

 canadensis, Andropogon 

 gerardii, Andropogon hallii, 

 Schizachurium scoparium, 

 Calamovilfa longifolia 



Forbs. Solidago spp., 

 Xanthium strumarium, Arte- 

 misia ludoviciana, Conyza 

 canadensis. Ambrosia 

 psilostachya. Ambrosia 

 gigantea 



Shrubs. Amorpha canescens. 

 Prunus spp., Rhus trilobata, 

 Symphoricarpos occidentalis, 

 Fraxinus pennsylvanica. Acer 

 negundo, Salix spp., Populus 

 deltoides, Shepherdia 

 argentea 



Riverbanks 



Trees. Populus deltoides, 

 Fraxinus pennsylvanica 



Synopsis 



The largest portion of land area 

 shown in the photograph is now 

 an island because of a change in 

 the river's course. Grazing 

 intensity appears to have been 

 extremely heavy in the 1927 

 photo (see horses) but much 

 reduced thereafter. Accordingly, 

 density of both herbaceous and 

 woody species have increased 

 along riverbanks, with Populus 

 deltoides the dominant tree. 

 Fields across the river are now 

 planted to Medicago sativa and 

 Bromus inermis. 



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