Forest suffers from drought

NASHVILLE, Ind. -- Clyde and Judy Flory arrived at Yellowwood State Forest at around 11 a.m. Saturday from Knox, a Northern Indiana town, after driving their slide-in truck camper for four hours. The Flory's brought their dog, Zeke, their mule, Indy and horse, Smoke, with them.\n"We like to camp and ride horses," said Judy Flory. She and her husband went horseback riding on an 8.6-mile horse trail in the afternoon when the thermometer was hitting constantly over 90 degrees. \nDespite a brutal combination of dry air and blazing summer heat, adventurous fishers, campers, hikers and horseback riders like the Flory's refused to let the weather conditions spoil their fun.\n"(Yellowwood State Forest is) nice and clean, except for the bees." A bundle of bees was flying all over the place Saturday evening at the forest. Yellowwood State Forest in Brown County is the largest state forest in Indiana. \nThis summer has been hot and humid around the Nashville vicinity. Nashville received 5.56 inches of rainfall June through August of this year, while the average is 12.5 inches, according to preliminary statistics of the National Weather Service. \n"The drought monitor issued by the National Weather Service indicates that Yellowwood Lake borders on a very dry condition," said Albert Shipe, Service Hydrologist at NWS of Indianapolis office. \nHe added that the monitor also suggests Southern Indiana, near the Ohio River, is in a drought condition, and the area could be in the driest condition since summer and fall of 1999, the worst fire season in over 50 years in Indiana. \nIn attributing the difference between this summer and the one in 1999, Shipe said the massive rain in May made the fuels moister. This resulted in higher dew points and humidity than in summer 1999, though warmer and drier weather followed for June through August this year.\nShipe also added that the area would continue to be in dry conditions through Sept. 14, and rainfall in September through the winter would not fully end the current dry spell.\nIndianapolis had the monthly average temperatures of 73.8, 78.3 and 77.4 in June through August this year, which are 2.1, 2.9 and 3.9 degrees above the average, respectively. Indianapolis experienced a daily maximum temperature of 90 degrees or above four times in June, 15 times in July, and 11 times in August, according to the NWS.\nIn the wake of the dry and hot summer, local tourism business is believed to have taken a turn for the worse. The number of visitors to Yellowwood State Forest might have decreased, though no accurate statistics were available, Stine said, based on her observation. She added Yellowwood State Forest consists of pieces of forest, and it is impossible to get an accurate number of visitors without a gate.\n"The warm weather tends to keep people inside and since we do not allow swimming in Yellowwood Lake, people tend to go to those places that have beaches or pools," Stine said. \nDespite the gloomy meteorological analysis, Yellowwood Lake maintains its poise in dealing with this year's summer.\n"The lake level is appropriate for this time of the year," said Brenda Stine, Resource Specialist of Yellowwood State Forest. "As soon as the fall rains come to the lake, it will return to the normal level." \nStine said the water level was 6 to 8 inches below the top of the spillway, the normal lake level. She added that small precipitation and high temperatures, causing higher rate of evaporation resulted in the lower water level at the lake.\nAs the lake's low water level is cause for concern, the more serious concern is how to slow sedimentation, which reduces lake depth. Stine said she would be in and out of the office in the next couple of weeks looking for a solution to the imminent problem.\n"Sedimentation is a natural process," Stine said. "Soil from the surrounding watershed, the land area that drains into the lake, gets washed into the lake. Someday, the lake will fill in completely and return to the forest. The Yellowwood Lake Watershed Group, a mix of private individuals and state employees, are looking at ways to reduce the rate of sedimentation into the lake and thereby extending the life of the lake."\nYellowwood State Forest has 133 water acres with 23,320 land acres. It is located about 12 miles east of Bloomington and 8 miles west of Nashville off State Road 46. You can reach the Yellowwood State Forest office at (812) 988-7945.