Miner's Marsh Earthcache EarthCache
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Located within the Town of Kentville, Miner's Marsh is a new wetland park developed by the Town in partnership with the Municipality of the County of Kings, Ducks Unlimited Canada and several other interested parties.
Newly developed Wetlands Park
As hard as it is to believe, just a short walk from Kentville's busy Centre Square will transport you to a wetlands nature preserve and recreational area that will make you think that you are far from the hustle and bustle of Kings County's shire town. A project that began with a land purchase in 1996 has been completed and officially opened on August 12, 2010.
This project, funded by numerous community supporters, has resulted in a 1.5-kilometre walking trail, a new bridge, a viewing platform and interpretive signage. The trail, which can also be accessed by bicyclists and has portions that are wheelchair-accessible, will bring visitors around Miner’s Marsh. There, they will have the opportunity to see waterfowl and wildlife.
The beautiful new footbridge transports the visitor from the parking lot behind the Law Courts into the trail system which circles the wetland area. The trails are wide and well groomed - take your bicycle along for easy transportation around the park. Be sure to stop and read the interpretive panels in order to make your visit educational in nature!
What is a wetland?
Wetlands are areas where the water meets the surrounding dry landforms -- a transition between dry land areas and deeper water areas. As a result, some wetlands hold water year-round while others may only hold water for one or two months each spring. In a wetland, the water table is either at or very near the soil surface. As a result, wetlands have plants and soils that are adapted to this ‘wet and dry’ environment.
Wetlands exist as part of a watershed, which is a landscape-level system through which water flows and moves.
What makes up a wetland?
In general, wetlands have three parts to them. The first is uplands, which are the dry land surrounding a wetland. Secondly, a Riparian zone, or an interface between uplands and a wetland, river or stream. The third part of a wetland is the aquatic area. This is the wet area of the wetland. The aquatic area can be deep, with lots of open water, or it can be very shallow, with no open water at all.
How does a wetland ‘work’?
Wetlands receive water from a variety of sources:
- groundwater
- rain
- water runoff from spring melts
- streams, rivers and lakes
Wetlands can be thought of as giant sponges. They absorb water from many different sources during wet periods, and they release it slowly into the surrounding areas during dry periods. In this way, wetlands can help to reduce flooding, ease the impact of drought and, most importantly, reduce the effects of erosion.
Wetland Geology
Wetlands have not gained as much attention as they ought to by geologists despite being so prevalent in the Canadian landscape. Some of this stems from a poor understanding of wetland geology and what wetland landforms are. Wetlands constitute unusual landforms in that they are formed of biological material predominantly shaped by biological processes rather than being formed of minerals and rocks which are shaped more by physical processes.
Wetlands are defined as a landform which has soil saturated with moisture either seasonally or permanently. Wetlands are characterized as having a water table that stands at or near the soil surface long enough each year to support aquatic plant life. Water in wetlands may be saltwater, freshwater, or brackish. The soil may be partially or completely covered with water. Wetlands typically include swamps, marshes, and bogs. Wetlands serve as food, shelter, and as a habitat for hundreds of native animal species.
Wetlands occur where an excess of water saturates soils and collects at shallow depths on the land surface long enough to sustain waterlogged conditions. Geological characteristics determine how the water reaches the land surface and where it is distributed in watersheds. Some wetland landforms contain more organic material than others, and some are wetter than others, but both constitute landforms nonetheless.
In the case of Miner's Marsh, the surrounding uplands serve as a funnel, directing groundwater, rain and water runoff from spring melts into the lowlands on which the marsh has formed. In addition, the presence of the Cornwallis River, which flows through the marsh, has had a major influence on the geology of the lowlands. It adds to the marsh by providing water at times of flooding, but more usually is the outflow destination for the water working its way through the marsh.
By its very nature, there is very little perceptible movement of the water in the marsh. This allows the sediment being carried by the water to drop to the floor of the marsh. Water does move through the marsh, but only very slowly unless the river overflows its banks. When that happens, Miner's Marsh will actually become a shallow lake! (Prior to my retirement, I worked in the Law Courts adjacent to the marsh. In the 29 years that I worked there, the marsh - and the parking lot - flooded twice!)
Every Canadian probably comes in contact with wetlands, either directly or indirectly, on a daily basis. Wetlands are distinctive features of the Canadian landscape and are part of our identity. We have always had to deal with wetlands, whether we wanted to or not, and we will continue to need to do so. Wetland geology is probably more important than ever because we now know that wetlands are unique and distinctive parts of the landscape and specialized knowledge and skill is required to deal with the many new environmental and economic issues that will be facing Canadians in years to come.
As usual when geocaching, and particularly at Earthcaches, please respect your surroundings while visiting Miner's Marsh. Take nothing but photographs and leave nothing but footprints - and those only on the paths, please!
To log this Earthcache please complete the following:
The posted coordinates will take you to the new footbridge across the Cornwallis River leading into the wetland preserve. Although not mandatory, it would be appreciated if you would upload a picture of yourself and/or your GPS receiver with the bridge visible in the background.
Walk the trail around the marsh in a clockwise direction from the bridge, making the following stops. In an e-mail to me through the link on my profile page or directly at kpineo[AT]gmail.com you must answer the following questions to claim this Earthcache as a find. Those logging this Earthcache but not fulfilling these requirements within a reasonable time will find their logs deleted.
1. Visit the viewing platform at N 45° 04.809' W 064° 29.428' and observe the water around the platform. What evidence of soil erosion can you see? Why?
2. Make another stop at N 45° 04.843' W 064° 29.345' and read the interpretive panel. In your own words tell me what the panel describes.
3. When you arrive at the two-level observation platform at N 45° 04.779' W 064° 29.146', look around the edge of the marsh area. What landform do you see that would have the effect of enhancing the marsh?
4. Find a location on the marsh side of the trail where you can safely examine the marsh soil. Describe the soil - colour, texture, size of the soil particles, etc. (There are several appropriate places on the trail as you continue clockwise from the two-level observation platform on around toward your starting point at the bridge.)
PLEASE DO NOT POST YOUR ANSWERS IN YOUR LOG - E-MAIL THEM TO ME DIRECTLY. Feel free to log your find here before sending me the answers but logs not fulfilling these requirements within a reasonable time will be deleted.
Information in this listing has been adapted from the Ducks Unlimited Canada website, newspaper accounts, as well as by personal visits to the site by the cache owner.
Special thanks to the Active Living Co-ordinator, Parks and Recreation Department of the Town of Kentville for her assistance, willingness and enthusiastic approval of the concept of this Earthcache. Thanks also to Ducks Unlimited Canada, of which the cache owner is a member, for the support and encouragement towards the development of this Earthcache. The cache owner also has a traditional cache at another nearby DUC wetland reclamation site. See GC20NPH - Duck, Duck, Goose.
Congratulations to hike4familyfun on the first to find!
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Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Pbzr naq rawbl gur znefu nern!
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