 |
|
| Geology - The preserve is under laid by metamorphic and igneous rock. It is part of the New England Upland which is composed of rocks of the Precambrian and early Paleozoic age. The bedrock of the preserve is part of Bedford Gneiss, (pronounced "nice") formation. Gneiss is a coarsely banded, metamorphic rock (rock formed from the effects of heat and pressure). It is especially frequent in older rocks which have been deeply buried and involved in the mountain-making processes. It is made up of quartz, feldspar and mica arranged in layers. In this preserve you see several stone walls. They are a sign of formerly cleared land, once boundaries for open pasture and crop land. The walls were often built of stone because of the scarcity of wood and also because there was no way to prevent fence posts from rotting. They seem to play a part in chipmunk habitat; the chipmunks use them as highways and lookouts from which they can spot predators. Crevices provide them with instant shelter when danger approaches. Blue Heron Lake - This lake was formed sometime before 1936 by the construction of a dam at its southern end. This enlarged a small marshy pond into what is now a hundred-acre lake with several small islands. The maximum water depth is eighteen feet, but most of the lake is from ten to twelve feet deep. The most abundant fish species are bluegill, pumpkinseed, yellow perch, and large mouth bass. Glacial Erratic - The latest geologic events that significantly affected our present land forms were caused by several consecutive periods of glaciation during the Pleistocene Epoch, which began over one million years ago and ended only 10,000 years ago. The largest boulder in the preserve, over six feet in diameter, was carried to this area by glacial action thousands of years ago.Bird life varies from the Great Blue Heron along the shore of the lake to the ovenbird in the woods. Birders have documented over 120 different species of birds in or near the preserve, including indigo bunting, goldfinch, northern oriole, scarlet tanager, green heron, pintail and bufflehead just to name a few. Wildlife - An abundance of wildlife is found on the preserve. Visitors can see large holes on trees made by the pileated woodpecker, tracks of raccoons by the lake shore, and deer rubs made by the white-tailed deer. Visitors to the preserve have seen coyote, fox, opossum, various moles, chipmunks, gray and red squirrels, flying squirrels, striped skunks and muskrats. In addition, several types of reptiles and amphibians have been seen, including spotted salamanders, and painted and snapping turtles. Wetlands/ swamps - The bog bridge takes you through one of the small wetlands found here at the preserve. Wetlands are among the most important ecosystems on earth. Wetlands are unique because of their hydrologic characteristics. Wetlands cleanse polluted waters, prevent floods, protect shorelines, and recharge groundwater aquifers. They support an extensive food chain, rich biodiversity, and provide unique habitat for a wide variety of flora and fauna. They are often located between dry terrestrial systems and permanently flooded deepwater aquatic systems such as rivers, lakes, estuaries, or oceans. Their distinguishing features are: the presence of standing water, unique wetland soils, and vegetation adapted to or tolerant of saturated soils. Referred to variously as marshes, swamps, bogs, wet meadows, potholes, and sloughs, a swamp is a wetland dominated by trees or shrubs. Unfortunately, more than half the nation's-wetlands have been drained. |
|