Moss Lake, Abandoned Child EarthCache
Moss Lake, Abandoned Child
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This is a glacial pond in a rural area set aside for preservation. It is a drive-in park.
When the glaciers carved through the area we now know as Allegany County in Western New York State, they picked up rocks and rubble on their undersides, making them act as huge rasps, gouging out valleys, depositing the debris as the eskers that surround us. We forget that these monster ice machines made smaller dips and low areas. The areas south of the ice were very much like parts of the Northern Canadian forests we know today: mostly evergreens and poorly drained acidic bogs. As the glaciers retreated, the evergreen pine/spruce/fir forests followed. The land, released from the grip of the frozen invader, drained more freely and the bogs went with the evergreen-dominated forests. But some small examples persisted, such as Moss Lake. The site is a classic example of a postglacial sphagnum bog invading and filling a small kettle lake, with the various stages of bog succession well illustrated. Bogs such as this one began their life as glaciers retreated from the area. They left depressions, called glacial ponds, which filled with water from melting snow or rain. With no inlet or outflow of fresh water, the ponds then relied on rainwater for replenishment. Due to the low mineral content of melted ice and rainwater, these ponds were not attractive to the usual microscopic flora such as bacteria and fungi. Instead, the ponds were colonized by sphagnum mosses and heaths such as leatherleaf. The sphagnum moss consumed what minerals existed and excreted acids, producing acidic water. Over long periods of time, the moss built layers upon itself. The compressed moss formed a quaking mat over the water and became peat. This is what you see at Moss Lake. Recognized by the Nature Conservancy as an area of interest and value to preserve, it was purchased by them to afford it protection from development. It became a registered natural landmark in 1973. Please be aware this is a fragile area; please stay on the boardwalk when at all possible. This area has many glacial features including erratic boulders and glacial etchings/scratches on rocks. Many species of plants that thrive on high acid waters live here.
In order to claim this cache, you must estimate the ratio of open water to the encroaching sphagnum bog. In addition, you must estimate the total acres covered by the open water of the pond and identify three evergreen species of trees that fringe the pond. Please send these answers by e-mail to emtfire10@hotmail.com. Do not include them in your log.
If I do not receive your answers within 48 hrs, I must delete your log then.
Additional Hints
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