Jou Dique/ Playing Dikes EarthCache

Welcome to Celtic Shores Coastal Trail! We have been waiting for you! The 92-km Celtic Shores Coastal Trail stretches from Port Hastings to Inverness on the west coast of beautiful Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Explore the best of Canada’s seacoast as you journey along the trail where awe-inspiring natural beauty is matched by the vibrant celtic culture of our region. This exceptional trail system meanders along the coast providing first-class trail experiences for bikers, hikers, runners, quadders, skiers, snowmobilers and horse-back riders.

Instead of the ocean, the western coast of Cape Breton Island was covered with glacial lakes at least two times at the end of the last glaciation about 15,000 years ago. These lakes were dammed between a glacier in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Creignish Hills of southwest Cape Breton. Sand and clay were deposited in these glacial lakes as they formed in low-lying areas all along the coastal region. These deposits were instrumentalist in forming coastal wetlands. There are 3 types of marsh that can be seen at the viewing point (N 45° 53.845 W 061° 29.112), Coastal Saline pond, Salt marsh, Shoreline marsh.

A saline to brackish pond commonly found behind a barrier beach or bar formed of sand or cobble deposited by wave action that receives saline water by storm surge, spray or by regular or periodic opening to the ocean. This includes saline ponds often referred to as barachois ponds and tidal lagoons. Typical saline ponds are isolated from breaching, have no outlet and their saline influence is from spray and storm surge. Barachois ponds exist where the barrier is occasionally breached and also receive input from spray and storm surges. Tidal lagoons are semi-enclosed and receive saline input on regular or spring tides. Barachois ponds and tidal lagoons may also receive freshwater input from streams, while typical saline ponds receive inputs only from overland flow and groundwater.

Salt marsh is vegetated wetland that is flooded regularly by tidal water, or influenced by salt spray or seepage, such that the water and/or soil is saline or brackish. Tidal channels and/or ponds may be present. Salt-water cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) and other saline tolerant grasses and sedges often dominate low marshes, which are flooded regularly. High marshes are often flooded only during extreme tides and typically dominated by salt meadow cordgrass (Spartina patens). These are extremely productive wetlands that provide many critical environmental, societal and economic functions and services.

Shoreline marsh

The shoreline marsh include areas in or along lakes, ponds, rivers and streams with water less than 2 m deep and scattered emergent vegetation. These areas often have floating or submerged aquatic plants and mucky or mineral substrates. These wetlands are also referred to as lacustrine (along lakes and ponds) or riparian (along streams and rivers) marshes. The deeper portions of these habitats are also referred to as shallow open water wetlands.

Jou Dique/Playing Dike

The name of the community Judique, is said to be French in origin, Jou Dique refers to the changing or playing dike along the shores of the area. Grand Judique pond is the best example of this as the dike system has changed drastically as least 2 times in the past 100 years, and is the most visable to general public in everyday life, and therefore most likely to be noticed. These changes have not been slow progressive ones, in fact they tend to happen over night, they happen fast and always in stormy weather, drastically changing the ecosystem of the ponds. These ponds were commonly used for recreational skating in the 70's and 80's, and were emmensely popular for people spearing eels in the winter. Today the ponds do not freeze solid enough to walk on, and its not even known if eels are even present anymore. The shifts seem as dramtic as the time frame they take to occur, in the early 1900's the opening between the ponds and the ocean was noted as being near the Judique Train Station (Ref point 2) which is at the south end of the ponds, it is now roughly in the center, but for a time in between (at least 30 to 40 years), it was located at the North end, which can be seen in many maps and even Google maps (At time of release).

To log this Earthcache visit the viewing location at

N 45° 53.845 W 061° 29.112 and find the information board with the map.

Please answer the following questions and send in a timely manner to my geocaching profile or email.

Answers not received will result in deleted logs.

1. The Grand Judique Ponds fall into which category of wetland and why?"

2. The shifting (or playing) dike seems to be a unique feature here, what do you think causes this to happen?

3. On the maps of the ponds (at the view point, N 45° 53.845 W 061° 29.112), the tidal opening is still shown to be in the north end of the pond, what site of significance is also located there?

4. Approximate length of the shoal protecting the wetlands and how many pieces is it?

5. (Optional) Add a picture of yourself with the pond and ocean in the background.