Rivière Tousquet/Tusket River EarthCache
Rivière Tousquet/Tusket River
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(other)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
The Tusket River is a major river system and drainage basin in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia. It has numerous branches and associated rivers, and also flows through a series of lakes and near its mouth,becomes a tidal estuary.
The Tusket River has been of particular interest to botanists since the early 1920's when pre-eminent botanist M.L. Fernald found several plant species not previously noted, and completely unexpected in Nova Scotia. To preserve this unique feature of the province, a 22 hectare protected area was established along the Tusket River, in an area that provides ideal habitat for the establishment and persistence of many coastal plain elements including 6 rare taxa, and the largest populations of Coreopsis and Sabatia along the river. The headwaters of the river lie in the Tobeatic Wilderness Area, which is part of the larger Southwest Nova Biosphere Reserve, created in 2001 under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme.
The Tusket Basin as a whole has a width of 32 kilometres (20 miles) between headlands at Chebogue Point and Lower East Pubnico. The mainland coastline between these two boundaries is highly indented and irregular with a measure of 500 kilometres (310 miles). Elongated points, peninsulas, ridges, drumlins (low hills) and eskers are oriented North-South, having been formed and carved by the last Ice Age. They are separated by many tidal channels, inlets, estuaries and bays. High tide in the estuary of the river carries salt water inland for 24 kilometres (15 miles). From the coast to the offshore there is an archipelago of 365 islands ( The Tusket Islands ) which are drumlins of various sizes.
A dominant feature of the Tusket Basin is the extensive area of salt marshes which occupy more than 8000 acres (3232 hectares), representing one third of the total salt marsh acreage in the province. These marshes are segmented by countless tidal channels, creeks, ponds and drainage ditches. Also visible at low tide are extensive areas of mud flats. These marshes and flats are associated with inshore islands and the indented coastline in the sheltered inlets, bays, channels, estuaries and tidal lakes.
In order to claim this Earth cache your log must meet the following requirements:
1. E-mail me the answers to the following questions:
A. What was the river's original First Nations name? What was the meaning of this name?
B. The river has how many branches and spans how many counties?
C. Name at least two species of rare flora that grow in the area. (Most grow no where else in Canada)
D. Is there a North-South earth formation as described above visible from the parking coordinates? If so, what would you describe it/them as (peninsulas, ridges, drumlins (low hills) or eskers)?
Feel free to include a picture with your log.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WAIT FOR CONFIRMATION FROM ME BEFORE LOGGING YOUR FIND. HOWEVER, LOGS NOT MEETING ALL REQUIREMENTS WILL BE DELETED!
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)