Port Hood Provincial Park Wetlands EarthCache

Man's Accidental Wetland

Port Hood Provinacial Park Wetland

These wetlands are much newer then many in the region, and unlike many that were the result of glacial lakes along this coast, these were formed because of Man. 250 years ago they did not exist (as can be seen in the 1750's map above, the point does not exist), the sand dunes that protect the wetlands now would have been part of a large sandstone land mass that connected Port Hood Island to Cape Breton, a natural land formation that made the area a great port, fully protected from the North. The sand stone was high quality, dense yet easy to shape, and therefore was quarried and shipped to the Fortress of Louisburg for be used for the window and door casings of the original fortress. That left the sandstone land bridge weakened, and mother nature did her thing. Now the old port is full of that same sand, fully exposed to the north wind and storm surges, and the everyday ocean waves, creating the beaches that people enjoy today, but it also formed these dunes and the wetland behind them

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.

To log this Earthcache visit the viewing location at GZ,

The section included in this boardwalk which you will walk is a good representation of the entire dune system, and all answers are to be based on what you observe along the board walk.

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 Port Hood Provincial Park wetlands fall into which category of wetland and why?"

2. At the bench, estimate the height of the sand dune above the board walk.

3. Go to the 2nd ref. point and place your GPS/cell phone at the end of the hand rail, what is the distance from the end of the hand rail to the Earthcache GZ and what evidence is there that the dunes are in motion?

4. (Optional) Add a picture of yourself at the bench with the dedication showing.