Cattaraugus County
Enjoy the wonders that abound within these Enchanted Mountains.
EARTHCACHE REQUIREMENTS
Each cacher must send his/her own answers BEFORE logging a find. Enjoy the journey (learning adventure) as well as the destination (smiley earned). Remember to take only pictures and leave only footprints. To get credit for this Earthcache, complete the following tasks:
1. MESSAGE ... How is this area different from other glacial remnants in the region?
2. MESSAGE ... At Waypoint 1… a. You are standing atop ??? ... b. You are looking down ???
3. MESSAGE ... Based on your observations (Waypoint 2) and the reading (Bog Succession) ... a. Describe two changes that occurred over this time period. ... b. What is a rough estimate of the rate of succession of this bog area?
4. LOG ... Post a picture at or near the posted coords. This picture is your log signature verifying that you were at the earthcache.
OPTIONAL - Please respect the time and effort involved in creating this earthcache by adding A and B to your log.
A. JOURNEY OF THE MIND ... Science explains what we observe. Relate (in your own words) something you found interesting in the reading. This adds to your learning adventure and your log.
B. JOURNEY OF THE HEART ... Art shares our personal experience of what we see. Share something special you found on site, and why it is special to you ... prose / story / poem / picture. This is a memorable addition to your log and will make other hearts smile.
Journeys of Heart and Mind ...
Stories to Touch the Heart and Puzzles to Challenge the Mind / Rainbow Tree Story
THANK YOU Loren Smith for permission to share this learning adventure.
ALLENBURG BOG
-This area consists of nearly 400 acres of forests and wetlands, including two glacial kettle ponds with bogs. Surrounding the bogs are kames and hills. In addition to the forests and peatlands, the area includes a small alkaline meadow.
- Allenberg Bog is also know as Waterman's Swamp, Congdon's Pond, and Owlenburg Bog. It is located on the border of the towns of Napoli and New Albion.
- The property's two bogs, one known as Congdon or Black Pond and the other, Allenberg Bog, are a few miles within the limit of the Wisconsin glacier's furthest advance in the line of glacial debris known as the Kent terminal moraine. The bogs are kettles, depressions formed as ice became stranded and partially buried when the glacier melted back approximately 15,000 years ago. The site lies in a valley within the Allegheny watershed close to the hydrological divide that separates the Great Lakes and the Ohio River basins.
- Its elevation, at 1720 feet above sea level, is higher than most other glacial lakes with bogs in the region. The consequent coolness of the habitat has allowed many plants to thrive that are more typical of the arctic tundra.
- The bog areas do not have boardwalks. This means that you will get wet, at least to the knees, depending on the time of year and where you step. The bog habitat is very sensitive, and foot traffic should be kept to a minimum.
VOCABULARY
BOG ... A freshwater wetland of soft, spongy ground consisting mainly of partially decayed plant matter called peat. Bogs are generally found in cool, northern climates.
KAME ... An irregularly shaped hill or mound composed of sand, gravel and till that accumulates in a depression on a retreating glacier, and is then deposited on the land surface with further melting of the glacier.
KETTLE ... Depressions formed as glacier ice melted.
KETTLE POND ... Formed thousands years ago when blocks of glacier ice melted, leaving massive holes, called kettles, that filled with fresh water.
SUCCESSION ... Transformation of an area from water to land.
BOG SUCCESSION FROM 2010 to 2016
-In June of 2010, we visited the bog to retrieve the Allenberg cache (GC2830F). We had quite the adventure trying to traverse the open expanse of bog water. At one place, a fallen tree over the bog ended up in yet more open bog water. At another place, a long narrow plank traversed the deep open water.
-Today (September 2016), we returned to the area. The area had changed considerably with no areas of deep open water. The pallet at Waypoint 2 is at the same location as the plank. The plank was more than twice as long as the pallet.
OPTIONAL - ZAEPFEL WETLANDS - NATURE SANCTUARY
N 42° 12.512 W 078° 53.509 - WETLANDS MAP
Remain on the trails and enjoy a hike throughout the sanctuary.
The Zaepfel Nature Sanctuary is situated within an area that was repeatedly covered by glaciers over the past 100,000 years. Zaepfel wetlands were created during the Pleistocene Era 15,000+ years ago. A glacial advance known as the Kent Glaciation paused here. This ice sheet bulldozed the gravels, silts and clays up in front as it scoured its way through the valleys. At the terminal of the advance, this “pile” of material, also known as a “moraine”, was left in place, blocking the valley and creating a dam of ice and debris. As the ice retreated, this dam held back the meltwater, resulting in a shallow lake. It is this ancient lake floor and shorelines that today are the Zaepfel Nature Sanctuary.
"The uplands and wetlands are protected under a federal conservation easement of the Wetland Reserve Program. As a result 547-acres are "forever wild". These acres are part of the 720-acres that make up the James A Zaepfel Nature Sanctuary and Research Center. There are several Eco-systems within the center. "Approximately 200 species of birds call this area home or migrate through it. You may observe eagle, osprey, blue or green Herron, varies of duck, loons, peregrine falcon, plus deer, turkey, and grouse. Bear, coyotes and otter also make their home here. At one point there were 10 beaver dens and 28 ponds. Currently there are approximately 15 ponds. There are 32 species of butterflies, plus synchronize fireflies, rare plants and amphibians. There are approximately 10 miles of foot trails within the center. Cold Springs Creek feeds the wetland and is part of a watershed that flows into the Allegany River. Zaepfel also sits on a huge aquifer separate from the wetlands." ... Rick LeFeber
TYPES OF WETLANDS
Wetlands are a critical, though endangered, ecosystem. Wetlands are areas of land which are wet or waterlogged at least part of the year. They have special water-holding soils and water-loving plants called hydrophytes. A wetland ecosystem is often the link between the land and water ecosystems.
-MARSHES - grasses
-SWAMPS - trees
-BOGS - mosses / acidic / water from rainfall
-FENS - reeds / alkaline / water from surface and groundwater
WONDERS OF WETLANDS
-CLEAN AND FILTER - Wetlands are extremely effective natural filtering systems. They trap and neutralize toxins and allow sediment and debris to settle out before the water enters a stream system.
-REDUCE FLOOD RISKS - Wetlands act much like a sponge by absorbing excess water caused by run-off from major rain events. By absorbing this water they help protect neighborhoods from the damaging effects of flooding.
-HABITAT FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE - Wetlands are often called "nurseries of life" because they provide food, shelter and space for thousands of water and land plants and animals. Of the threatened and endangered species in the United States nearly half of them use wetlands at some point in their lives.
-RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES - Wetlands provide ideal areas for people to observe and learn about nature. In some areas hunting, fishing, swimming, and small boating are permitted.
OPTIONAL - TAMARACK SWAMP
LAT 41.989, LON -79.555 ... N 41° 59.340 W 079° 33.300
A bushwacking adventure over the border to a National Natural Landmark Site
"Tamarack Swamp is approximately 4 miles north-northeast of the village of Columbus in Warren County. It is situated within State Game Lands 197 on the Pennsylvania-New York border and forms the headwaters of Brokenstraw Creek, which flows to the north. Before glaciation, however, the creek flowed to the southeast. About 23,000 years ago, this area of northwestern Pennsylvania was covered by a continental glacier. When the glacier was retreating, sediment within the melting ice was deposited as a kame moraine that blocked the wide channel of Brokenstraw Creek. This morainal dam reversed the flow of the creek, and ultimately the channel was abandoned. Kettle ponds formed from melting blocks of ice that established depressions in what would become the Tamarack Swamp. After clay and silt from nearby runoff settled in the ponds, acidic bogs of organic matter developed to form the base of the swamp. Tamarack Swamp was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1977."
SWAMPS VS BOGS
1.Swamps are low wetlands; bogs are generally higher than the surrounding land. Swamps receive water from rivers or streams and have some drainage; bogs receive water from precipitation and have no outflow; water is held by seepage.
2.Swamps are formed by the collection of river or stream water; bogs are formed either by terrestrialization or paludification.
3.Swamps have muddy soil; bogs have peat formed by dead and decaying vegetation.
4.Swamps generally support trees and many other wildlife; bogs support plants and animals who can adapt to low nutrients, water-logging, and acidic waters like many insectivorous plants.
RESOURCES
Allegheny Region Natural Sites ... http://rtpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/RTPI-Natural-History-Atlas-natural-sites-Allegheny-region.pdf
Guide CattCo Geology - Irving Tesmer Bull Vol 27 / page 16 http://rtpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/RTPI-Natural-History-Atlas-natural-sites-Allegheny-region.pdf
http://www.personal.ceu.hu/students/03/nature_conservation/wwddetail/Types_classif.html
https://water.usgs.gov/nwsum/WSP2425/definitions.html
http://www.growwny.org/location/zaepfel-nature-sanctuary/
http://www.timberlandrealty.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/CLDC-Wetland-Reserve-Map.pdf
Tamarack Swamp ... http://dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_20032479.pdf Brokenstraw Creek ... http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_20029600.pdf http://www.differencebetween.net/science/nature/difference-between-swamp-and-bog/