Natural History Walk (10/4/2014) – The Formation and Ecology of a Peat Bog
Retired UM professor, peatland researcher, and boardwalk founder Ron Davis will lead a walk that emphasizes the unique history and ecology of Orono Bog. Ron will start the walk by describing the landscape at and around what is now Orono Bog when the continental ice sheet was melting away, and the landscape was transforming into one that resembles those in today’s arctic region. What further changes transformed that landscape into what we see today? What were the driving forces that brought about the accumulation of as much as 30 feet of peat in the Orono Bog basin, and how does this peat control the present life of the bog? In what ways does the bog differ from the uplands of the City Forest, and why? More questions? Come ask and see.
Date: October 4, 2014; Time: 9:00-10:30am; Meet at the start of the Boardwalk. Limit of 12 participants. Please call 866-2578 or e-mail Jim.Bird@umit.maine.edu for reservations. If e-mailing, please include a phone number where you can be reached in case of a weather cancellation.