Botanical and ecological aspects of coastal raised peatlands in Maine and their relevance to the critical areas program of the State Planning Office

[From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]

Botanical and Ecological Aspects
of Coastal Raised Reatlands
in Maine

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W92 ive Oepartment, Maine State Planning Of fice
1980
January 19B2

BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF

COASTAL RAISED PEATLANDS IN MAINE

and

THEIR RELEVANCE TO'THE CRITICAL AREAS PROGRAM

THE STATE PLANNING OFFICE r o p uy o f i b r a r y

C S DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NOAA
by COASTAL SER@'ICEVQ CENTER
IAN A. WORLEY 2234 SOUTH HOBSON AVENUE
CHARLESTON SC 29405-2413
January 1980

A Report Prepared for the

Maine Critical Areas Program
State Planning Office
184 State Street
Augusta, Maine 04333

Planning Report No.69

Financial support for this project was provided
by the U.S. Water Resources Council under the
Water Resources Planning Act of 1965.

FOREWORD

The following draft report on coastal raised peatlands was prepared for
Maine's Critical Areas Program, and is being circulated for review. This
program was established by an act of the Legislature in 1974 which directed
the State Planning Office to develop an official Register of Critical Areas
and to encourage and coordinate the conservation of such areas as part of its
overall responsibility for comprehensive statewide planning and coordination
of planning activities. The Act defines Critical Areas as natural features of
statewide importance because of their unusual natural, scenic, scientific, or
historical significance.

The Act also created the Critical Areas Advisory Board to advise and assist
the State Planning Office in the establishment of the Register and the
conservation of critical areas. The program established by the Act is not
regulatory, with the minor exception that notification of proposed alterations
of critical areas is 'required of the landowners thereof. The program is
primarily one of identifying critical areas and providing advice to and coordi-
nating the voluntary activities of landowners, state and local government
organizations, conservation groups and others to the end of encouraging the
conservation of critical areas. The Critical Areas Program further provides a
specific focus for the evaluation and coordination of programs relating to
critical areas in Maine. The program also serves as a source of information
on critical areas and their management.

The purpose of these reports is to present the results of thorough investi-
gations of subject areas chosen for consideration in the Critical Areas
Program. The reports are an intermediate phase in a systematic registration
process which starts with the identification of subjects for consideration and
concludes with the analysis of each potential critical area individually and,
if appropriate, inclusion of areas on the Register.

Tn addition to the specific task they are intended to fulfill in the
registration process, it is my hope that these reports will be useful in a
more general sense as a source of information on the various topics they
cover. This report on coastal raised peatlands covers a topic which is
important for the Critical Areas Program to investigate at this time.
Competition for the peat resource is expected to increase dramatically in the
years ahead. There are several alternative uses for peat, namely 1)
horticulture - as a soil conditioner, 2) agriculture - as a soil for crops,
3) as an energy source, and 4) preservation of unusual ecological habitats.
Each of these uses has a place in meeting our needs. We should seek a balance
between the various uses of peatlands. The most unusual or exemplary
peatlands should be maintained in a natural condition while others are
carefully utilized. There are several private and public organizations
working to identify commercially valuable peat deposits. To complement this
work the purpose of the Critical Areas Program is to identify those areas
which have unusual natural values and hence should be preserved. To minimize
conflict or misunderstanding the Critical Areas studies and recommendations
will be shared with known private and public interests concerned with our peat
resource. For more information, and to return comments on coastal raised
peatlands or other aspects of the Critical Areas Program, feel free to contact
me or other members of the staff at the State Planning Office.

R. Alec Giffen, Assistant Director
Natural Resources Planning Division

ABSTRACT

The coastal raised peatlands of Maine are ecologically, scientifically,
educationally, and aesthetically significant natural features restricted to
a very narrow strip of Maine's.eastern coast from the tip of Mount Desert
Island to West Quoddy Head. Rare in North America, these peatlands are most
similar, in vegetation and morphology, to coastal plateau peatlands in ex-
treme southwestern New Brunswick, coastal Nova Scotia, and western New-
foundland.

This report defines criteria by which the scientific, scenic, and
natural attributes of the coastal raised peatlands can be assessed, and
recommends peatlands for evaluation under the Maine Critical Areas Program
based upon such an assessment. An inventory of all coastal raised peat-
lands in Maine was performed based upon a literature search and field work.
Two hundred twenty nine peatlands were considered, 159 overflown, and 59
visited. Eighteen. sites, including 21 peatlands, are recommended for eval-
uation for inclusion on the Register of Critical Areas. Eighteen addi-
tional sites are likely of similar significance, and these areas should be
field checked for.possible evaluation for inclusion on the Register of
Critical Areas as soon as field work is possible. The Shrub Slope peatlands
of extreme outer islands and points are recommended for study by the Crit'i-
cal Areas Program. At least 53 additional coastal raised peatlands are in
an essentially unaltered natural state; should additional features of sig-
nificance be discovered at some future time, some of the sites may be con-
sidered then for evaluation as potential Critical Areas. Immedi ate protec-
tive management at high use peatlands, notably Big Heath in Acadia National
Park, peatlands on Great Wass Island, and Carrying Place Cove Bog is strongly
recommended.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword ............................................................. i
Abstract .............................................................
.Table of Contents ...................................................
List of Figures ................................................. .... 3
List of Tables ...................................................... 5
Acknowledgements ..................................................... 6

INTRODUCTION ........................................................ 7
GENERAL METHODOLOGY .............................................. 7
EXTENT OF KNOWLEDGE ................ I .............................. 10
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF COASTAL RAISM PEATLANDS IN MAINE
AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR INCLUSION IN THE CRITICAL
AREAS REGISTER ................................................. 13

NATURAL HISTORY AND ECOLOGY OF THE COASTAL RAISED PEATLANDS ......... 17
THE COASTAL REGION OF RAISED PEATLANDS .... ........ 17
Location and Diagnostic Peatland Feature;*-.,--.- ........ 17
Physiography ........................... e ...................... 17
Climate .................. ... * .................. 18
PEATLANDS OF THE COASTAL REGION .................................. 20
Discovery of the Coastal Peatland Phenomenon .................. 20
The Coastal Plateau Peatland .................................. 21
Coastal vs. Inland Peatland Variation ......................... 23
Other Pe-a-tland Types .......................................... 30
@Shrub Slope Peatlands ......................................... 31
THE COASTAL RAISED PEATLANDS ...................................... 32
Prominence .................................................... 32
Biota ......................................................... 34
Origin and Deposits ........................................... 53
.Ecology ................................................. ..... 57
Physiography and Morphology ................................... 63
Disturbance ........... ................... 68
Regional Relationships ........................................ 74

SELECTION OF COASTAL PEATLANDS RECOMMENDED FOR EVALUATION
BY THE CRITICAL AREAS PROGRAM .................................... 81
.METHODS FOR THE RANKING AND SELECTION OF SITES FOR
RECOMMENDATION ................................................. 81
Significancy of Natural Features and Ranking of Sites ......... 81
Notes on the Significancy of Features at Disturbed Sites ...... 86
Site Classification ........................................... 87

RESULTS ... 88
Summary o e Classification of the Pea lands of the
. Study Area ............................................... 88
Sites Recommended for Evaluation as Possible Critical Areas .. 89
Sites Likely Suitable for Evaluation as Potential Critical
Areas .................................................... 127
The Smaller Peatlands ................... e .................... 128
Shrub Slope Peatlands ........................................ 128
Summary of the Natural Significance of the Coastal Raised
Bogs ..................................................... 130
Annotated Inventory and Classification of Possible Peatlands
in the Study Area (Table 4) .............................. 134

GENERAL EVALUATION OF COASTAL RAISED PEATLANDS FOR INCLUSION ON
THE REGISTER OF CRITICAL AREAS .................................. 156

RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................... 160

GLOSSARY ........................................................... 161

LITERATURE CITED ................................................... 168

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Location of the study area and the Coastal Region
of raised peatlands in eastern Maine .................... 9

Figure 2. Eastern North American distribution of coastal
plateau peatlands, Scirpus lawn communities, and
the phenomenon of minerotrophic species on om-
brotrophic peats ........................................ 14

Figure 3. Distribution of major plant communities on a
coastal plateau peatland ................................. 22

Figure 4. Cross-section of a coastal plateau peatland and
a nearby domed peatland .................................. 22

Figure 5. The "hollowless plain" phenomenon ....................... 24

Figure 6. The major physiognomic vegetation units ................. 24

Figure 7. Sheep laurel ............................................ 36
Figure 8. Sphagnum fuscum .......................................... 36

Figure 9. Black crowberry ......................................... 36

Figure 10. Baked-apple berry ....................................... 37

Figure 11. Scirpus cespitosus ...................................... 37

Figure 12. Sweet gale ............................................... 38

Figure 13. Common juniper .......................................... 38

Figure 14. Dwarf huckleberry ....................................... 39

Figure 15. Labrador tea ............................................ 39

Figure 16. Leather-leaf ............................................. 39

Figure 17. Cladopodiella fluitans .................................. 41

Figure 18. Bladderwort. ............................................. 41

Figure 19. Three-leaved false Solomon's seal ........................ 42

Figure 20. Carex exilis ............................................ 42

Figure 21. Cotton-grass ............................................ 42

Figure 22. Beak-rush ............................................... 43

Figure 23. Rhodora .................................................. 43

Figure 24. Blue-joint grass ........................................ 44

Figure 25. Grass-@pink .............................................. 48

Figure 26. Swamp-pink .............................................. 48

Figure 27. Bog goldenrod ........................................... 49

Figure 28. Pitcher plant ........................................... 49

Figure 29. Intermediate-leaved sundew .............................. 50

Figure 30. Round-leaved sundew ..................................... 50

Figure 31. Small cranberry ......................................... 50

Figure 32. Cross-sections of South Trescott, Heath and Carrying
Place Cove Bog ........................................... 55

Figure 33. Relation between major physiognomic vegetation units
and water table positions ............................... 58

Figure 34. Idealized cross-section through a coastal raised peat-
land with "offset" height ............................... 64

Figure 35. Variat4on in peatlands along a continental-maritime
gradient ................................................ 76

Figure 36. Variation in peatlands along a south-north gradient ..... 77
Figure 37. Evaluation Criteria Score Sheet ................ * ......... 82

Figure 38.- Summary Table of Significancy Criteria Scoring for
Coastal Raised Peatlands ................................ '85

Figure 39. Location of recommended coastal raised peatlands ........ 94

N.B. Figures 7, 9-16, 18-31 from Gleason (1963), used by permission of the
publisher. Figure 8 from Schofield (1969b), Figure 17 from Schuster
(1953).

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Principal differences between the larger raised
peatlands of the Coastal Region and those in
nearby inland regions .................................... 25

Table 2. Location and size of Coastal Raised Peatlands
recommended for evaluation as possible Critical
Areas ................................................... 90

Table 3. Significancy ranking of recommended sites ............... 92

Table 4. Annotated inventory and classification of possible
peatlands in the study area ............................. 134

Acknowledgements

Numerous institutions and individuals have been most helpful in the
preparation of this report.

I thank the Maine Bureau of Geology for use of aerial photography, maps
and facilities, the U.S. Soil Conservation Service for published and unpub-
lished soil surveys, the Environmental Program, the Botany Department, and
the Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station of the University of Vermont for
various assistance, most notably the outstanding typing by Deborah Hough, the
International Peat Moss Company for a tour of their facilities, the United
States Navy for permissi'on to visit sites within their property, several real
estate agencies for access to their local knowledge of ownerships, and the,
Critical Areas Program for assistance and encouragement throughout.

Thank you A. W. H. Damman, Charles Richards, Radcliff Pike, Jenny Cirone,
Les Eastman, Fay Hyland and Paul Favour for sharing your botanical expertise
and favorite peatlands, and Janet Sullivan and Mark Rooks for visiting many
peatlands with me. The local peatland knowledge provided by Mr. Gordon Kelley
of Jonesport and Mr. Robert Ackley of Cutler are especially appreciated.
Expert reviewing by Harry Tyler, Jr., and Liz Thompson have made the report
readable, and it is the vision of Hank that has made it a reality.

This report is presented in celebration of the long life of Mrs. Jenny
Cirone of South Addison whose years in that community and on Nash Island
typify the human heritage of this coast. To Paul Favour of Northeast Harbor
this report is dedicated, in honor of his wisdom of the natural landscape,
his many years of devoted work in Maine and the Northeast, and the especial
love.he has for Mt. Desert Island's Big Reath.

INTRODUCTION

This report has two major sections. In the first there is a rather
lengthy description of the raised peatlands of the most coastal portion
of eastern Maine. This section highlights the distinctive features of these
peatlands and why they are different from other kinds of peatlands that one
might encounter in eastern North America or elsewhere in the world. The
second section evaluates the significancy of these peatlands and recommends
that several be considered for inclusion on the register of Critical Areas.
A glossary appears at the end of the report.

Throughout this report the term "peatland" is used.for all portions
of the vegetated landscape underlain by partially decomposed organic material
(peat); many persons employ the term "bog" in exactly this way. There is
an immense diversity of types of peatlands, and many are elevated, raised
mounds of peat above adjacent terrain. A common technical use of the word
"bog" refers only to raised peatlands. Since nearly all peatlands with
which this report deals are raised, "bog" appears commonly in this report.

Within this part of Maine "heath" is commonly used for peatlands that
are treeless or that have only scattered trees. For many residents of the
region the term "heath" is unconsciously reserved for raised peatlands.
This report often employs this usage, especially in place names.

A final introductory note: this report is concerned with the raised
peatlands (or raised bogs) of eastern coastal Maine. The principai-features
of these peatlands are

(a) the several plant species and communities
that inhabit raised peatlands only in
eastern Maine immediately adjacent to the
sea, and

(b) the specialized plateau topography (three-
dimensional shape) of some of the coastal
raised peatlands.

Not all peatlands have distinctive plateau topography. Most of the raised
peatlands, including all with plateau topography, have the coastal species
and communities.

GENERAL METHODOLOGY

The general planning report on peatlands (Worley 1980a) in conjunction
with Worley and Sullivan (1979) provide a classification scheme for the
peatland types of Maine. Coastal Raised Bog is one type recommended for
study by the Critical Areas Program. The Coastal Plateau Bog, and type of
Coastal Raised Bog was recognized and described by Damman (1977), and his
work (see also Damman 1979a,b) forms the basis for much of this report.

After a thorough review of Damman's (1977) conclusions in the light
of other literature pertaining to the same section in Maine, a study area
(Figure 1) was chosen that would include all of Maine known to have Coastal
Plateau Bogs, and that would include some adjacent area in order to confirm
the location of the Coastal-Inland boundary. For ease of documentation,
the study area boundary follows U.S.G.S. quadrangle boundaries.

As an earlier investigation in 1977 to ascertain the diversity of Maine
peatlands had taken me to a number of these peatlands in the study area,
it was possible to compile an initial listing of all peatlands and potential
peatlands from U.S.G.S. topographical quadrangles. Fortunately most of the
quadrangles are of the 7!1' series, because the 15' series proved to be too
large a scale and too filled with inaccuracies with the designation, place-
ment, and size of wetlands. The master list was cross-referenced with exist-
ing literature for each site.

Once the master list was compiled, aerial photos, ranging in scale from
about 1:12,000 to 1:80,000 of the study area, were examined at the Maine,
Bureau of Geology. At that time many photos of large peatlands were absent.
After a further annotation of the master list from the aerial photo inspec-
tion, sites'for field checking in July and September, 1978, were selected
to include:

a) all sites well documented in the literature

b) some sites on both sides of,the supposed boundary between Coastal
and Inland peatland regions

c) sites at the easternmost and westernmost ends of the study area

d) a thorough representation of sites in extreme maritime settings

e) a large representation of sites mentioned in the literature

f) most large sites

g) roughly the same proportion of all possible peatlands within
different regions of the study area

h) a total of approximately 50 sites

It was recognized that some potential Critical Areas might go unvisited
due to the limitation of contractual resources.

At each visited site locations, if any, were sought for overall views.
Most sites were crossed on foot in at least two directions with three to
several portions of the lagg (the margin of the peatland) visited. Informa-
tion was recorded on hand-held tape recorder and in field notebooks; photo-
graphs of salient features were taken. Small sites might receive a visit
of less than one hour's duration, most site visitations were 11-2-3 hours long,
with a few, at large peatlands, being several hours. Several sites were
visited more than once.

H wlind TS NO T6 NO Stream
Passa- Lowell Pp 0
8 Pit d@
Orneville T4 NO P
T.p e dum. Princeton
Ugrange dinburg T3 NO
keag Grand Falls T43 MD Calais
Sum , No 21 City
Argyle Pit T42 MID BPP 27 D Pit Alexander Baring Pit
[email protected] Twp Greenbush T41 MD BPP B P
T40 MD eddy-
Alton T39 MD T37 MD T26 ED Crawford bemps
Greenfield T36 MID C arlolle or %
. Bep BPP app Cooper .1
H.d-n 4
th Great T34 MD T35 MD W A I -T 0 N I @ %@
Old Town Milford Pond 31 MD T19 ED 4, 0 Eastport
K@n - City T32 MD Pit T30 MD Opp Wesley SPI, No 14 Pit City
Devereaux BPP
Orono Twp
Bradley T28 MO T118 ED
Amherst Aurora T25 MD Opp Marion E rids
Veatie T24 MD BPP Northfield vp
ddinvto RPP
Bangor c
Hermon City et "') Clifton T22 MD AREA
n
aria,ille Osbor LIMIT OF STUDY
Pit
Holden . .. Centerv,lie
Himpd- T16 ID Deblois BPP Culler
Otis
rrington
n Eastbrook ones
Dedham
Columbia 7s+
Ninterport Bucksport herryfield
D
H A C K TS So Franklin 10 SID
rankfort Addis- 0
0 Ortand Ell worth T7
Prospect Verona City Hanc k 1@1i. SD Steu cz
%QOL %oil orrento
$960ts Surry
Searspor Penobscot
loop als

c, Blue Hill
Bar Harbor 4S'
040
rt SI r oks'nille Mount 4
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ranberry C::)
Isles
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Isle
North HA L
X St nington S an' Is Pit

Isle
Au
ut
.sion

Figure 1. Location of the study area and the
Coastal Region of raised peatlands in eastern
Maine. The area known to contain Shrub Slope
peatlands lies seaward of the dashed line.

Field checks sought to determine the general character of the peatland,
and to note the presence, extent, and quality of diagnostic features neces-
sary in establishing the significance of the site. An annotated checklist
format was used, deviations therefrom usually were the result of time limi-
tations. One field tape cassette was inadvertently lost after visitations
were completed.

Near the completion of the field work, a light aircraft was chartered
(September, 1978), and the study area overflown at low altitude. Documen-
tation on this most useful endeavor was by tape, notebook, and photography--
the last being a crucial resource for subsequent evaluations and recommenda-
tions. The flight.sought to include about 60-70 percent of the sites in the
study area, including all those likely to be recommended, and many poten-
tially good sites that were not visited. Following, and because of, the
flight a few additional sites were visited.

Although the work by Damman (1977) presented distinguishing charac ' ter-
istics for Coastal Raised Bog, as contrasted with Inland peatlands, his study
included far fewer sites than this work; furthermore, his concern was with
larger sites, whereas all sizes of peatlands were considered here. Conse-
quently, a classification of peatland types, or at least a recognition of
variation among peatlands, within the study area was necessary. Using the
concepts of Coastal Plateau Bog as given by Damman (1977) as a basis, other
types were recognized based upon the field work, and based upon the princi-
ples given in the general planning report (Worley 1980).

EXTENT OF KNOWLEDGE

Amazingly little is known about the Coastal Raised Peatlands of Maine.
It is only through the recent work of Professor A. W. H. Damman (1977, 1979a,
1979b, 1980) of the University of Connecticut that their ecology has begun
to be known. This report adds considerably to the.knowledge of the most
intriguing peatlands through the synthesis of previous work and the addition
of a large amount of new information. Several times the number of peatlands
visited by other researchers were field checked. No other workers have em-
ployed low elevation over-f lights and photography -some 159 peatlands were
overflown in this study. Even yet vast gaps exist in our knowledge of these
coastal peatland ecosystems.

Numbers and Sizes This study is by far the most complete numerical
inventory of peatlands in the coastal region. The Wetlands Inventory of the
Maine Bureau of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (McCall 1972) is sorely in-
complete in this part of the state as many to most of the raised peatlands
do not appear in the Inventory (Worley 1980a). The National Wetlands Inven-
tory of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reasonably accurate for larger
sites, but since the data base was 1:80,000 aerial photography, the smaller
sites are poorly assessed. Vegetation designations are very generalized
and lack field checking except in rare instances (Worley 1980a).

Climate Damman (1977, 1979a, 1979b, 1980) and Johnson (1977) have
documented the importance of the maritime climatic effect in a general way,
but strictly climatic studies, and careful testing Qf the hypotheses put
forth by Damman, Johnson, Thompson (1979), and me (in this report) are lack-
ing. Weather stations within the coastal peatland region are exceedingly
sparse, and very incompletely document the maritime climate. Moreover,
their records have not been analyzed with peatlands in mind. Past climates
have not been determined through peat analysis anywhere in this coastal
area.

Geomorphology An understanding of the geomorphic relationship between
the underlying and adjacent landscape with the origin, development and main-
tenance of the coastal raised bogs is almost totally lacking.

Hy rology Damman (1977, 1979b, 1980) has discussed and hypothesized
some of the gross physical and chemical hydrological characteristics of
the larger coastal peatlands, with limited quantitative measurements. Thomp-
son (1979) noted gross patterns of surficial water flow on Great Wass Island.
Otherwise there is a complete void in knowledge concerning the water'relations
of these coastal peatlands, either as water functions in the life of the
peatland or as the peatland functions in the surrounding landscape.

Biota For over 90 percent of the peatlands there apparently exists
no biological information. Relatively-complete vascular plant species check-
lists occur only for parts of South Trescott Heath, Carrying Place Cove
Bog (both done by Osvald in 1927 and reported in 1955), and the larger
Great Wass Island peatlands (Thompson 1979). The species lists of Damman
(1977) are not site specific. Fernald and Wiegand (1910) noted some species
of interest at a few sitesiand Eastman (1978) reports herbarium records
of some rare plants that were collected from the region. No thorough enumer-
ation of bryophytes exists, though Osvald (1955), Damman (1977) and the
general bryological literature lists several species. No doubt a search
of herbaria. and the taxonomic literature would add additional species.
I am unacquainted with any publications on the algae, fungi or bacteria
of the coastal peatlands.

Large mammal surveys and bird counts possibly exist for a few peatlands,
but these were not sought out by me. There appear to be no mammal, bird,
invertebrate, or microorganism investigations, especially as they relate
to the peatland ecology.

Phytosociological analyses, food chain and web determinations, biomass
and productivity studies, population analyses, physiological and genetic
inquiries, succession studies, and other ecological investigations are com-
pletely lacking.

Peat Except for the few cores made by Bastin and Davis (1909), Osvald
(1955), and Cameron (1975), and the casual observations made by Osvald (1955),
Dachnowski (1926, 1929), Dachnowski-Stokes (1930, 1933), and a few others
about the exposed peats at Carrying Place Cove Bog, the scientific examination
and inventory of the peats of this coastal region is nil. Possibly the
records of mining activity at the Jonesport Heath might add some information.

The three-dimensional shape of the peat deposits, their stratigraphy ,
and their physical, biotic, chemical and hydrologic characteristics are
essentially unknown.

Time To my knowledge not a single radiocarbon date, pollen, fossil,
or sediment analysis, or geomorphic determination is available for these
peatlands. There has been no dating of origin, development, or specific
events in the history of any one of the peatlands. No studies have been
made of growth rates, peat deposition and decay rates, recovery times (or
modes) after disturbance, etc.

Man Mining activity has never been carefully documented, although
some records should be available. For example, peat mining of some sort
existed at the Jonesport Heath prior to 1944 (Trefethen and Bradford, 1933),
but what kind, on what part of the peatland, and the date of beginning re-
main to be discovered. Records of other human activity stem mostly from
hearsay, and lack documentation. The frequency and severity of fire is
unknown, as is the duration of fire history. Wood cutting, sheep grazing
,(as on southern Great Wass Island), military development, and other past
disturbances have not been researched in any way. The contemporary magnitudes
and . effects of acid rains, hunting, tourism, road building, etc., are
totally unassessed. The effects upon the peatlands by past or present legis-
lation concerning water, landscape, energy, wildlife, military, mining,
zoning, etc., has not been investigated. Unknown is the relationship of
these "heaths" with the sociology of the region or the state, historically
or in the future, especially with respect to perceptions of ownership and
landscape as they interact with value;,,, mores, and rights.

Future work I feel that at this time the topics most crucially in
need of study are: the sociological perceptions of the coastal raised peat-
lands, vegetation growth rates and peat deposition ecology, post-disturbance
recovery modes and rates, and hydrologic relationships with surrounding
landscape. That is, how are these coastal raised peatlands viewed and valued,
how do they grow, how do they heal, and as wetlands what is their role in
the quality and abundance of water in the landscape?

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF COASTAL RAISED PEATLANDS IN MAINE
A@D THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR INCLUSION IN THE CRITICAL AREAS REGISTER

Within NewEngland, elsewhere in North America, and the world as well,
open peatlands long have attracted interest and curiosity. Especially in-
triguing are raised peatlands, ecosystems capable of changing a landscape's
topography, re-routing streams, elevating water tables, maintaining their
own water apart from the ground water table, altering water chemistry, re-
taining ground frost well into growing seasons, altering local weather pat-
terns such as cold air drainage and wind turbulence, and eliminating other
ecosystems, including foreststhrough drowning or physical invasion. Raised
peatlands, by their morphology, topography, vegetation constituents and
pattern, and surface water characteristics denote local and regional climatic
variation, often more significantly than any other biotic elements.

The coastal raised peatlands in Maine occupy an exceedingly narrow
band of islands, points, and headlands along the eastern coast of the state
(Figure 2), defining a climatic region that extends into neighboring New
Brunswick. Similar coastal peatland phenomena also occur on portions of
the coasts of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Raised, slope, and blanket peat-
lands in extreme coastal environments are well known elsewhere in North
America along the northern Pacific coast, in northern Europe (notably in the
British Isles and Scandinavia), and in other similar settings such as south-
western New Zealand and southern Patagonia. Thus, Maine's coastal raised
peatlands define a very specialized climatic and ecologic region, a region
whose global counterparts are very limited in number and extent.

The most distinctive raised peatland type in Maine's coastal region is
the Coastal Plateau Bog. These pronounced plateaus are nowhere common in the
world, occur in quite limited numbers in eastern North America, and are un-
reported from western North America. Thus, the few Coastal Plateau Bogs in
Maine are the only representatives of this distinctive peatland type known,
in the United States.

Amateur and professional botanists and ecologists have been attracted
to these peatlands for many decades, being especially interested in the flor-
istic composition with its very distinctive coastal elements, and in the
colorful displays of orchids in summer and shrub foliage in autumn. The coas-
tal distributions of species and communities are of state, regional, national,
and even continental significance.

Among all ecosystems, peatlands retain more of their antiquity than any
others. Maine's coastal raised peatlands may be as much as 9000 or so years
old. The remains of plants and animals, including pollen and insect exo-
skeletons, in peat deposits give clues to past environments and events. Be-
cause these coastal peatlands can document the post-Pleistocene coastal envi-
ronment, they are of regional significance. Moreover, the erosion of peats
by tidewater gives important data on past land/sea relationships. Of national
significance is the complete cross-sectional exposure of the Carrying Place
Cove Bog, which provides an outstanding opportunity for the study of raised
peatland development.

'ILII I

y I i I/ I

it. I Zf-X 1K ICOASTAL
PLATEAU

PEATLANDS

Figure 2. Eastern North American distribution
of coastal plateau peatlands, Scirpus lawn
communities, and the phenomenon of minero-
trophic species on ombrotrophic peats. The
area with vertical lines contains Scirpus
cespitosus lawns (of the Scirpo-Sphagnetum)
on ombrotrophic peatland. The area with
horizontal lines has ombrotrophic peatlands
containing species restricted to minero-
trophic sites in other parts of eastern North
America. Adapted-.from Damman (1977, 1979b,
and 1980).

The economic significance of the coastal raised peatlands has taken
only two expressions, peat as a commodity, and peatland landscape preserved
for its natural.qualities. Forest products, berry crops, faunal harvest,
wildlife habitat, hydrologic reservoirs, and flood control have not been ex-
ploited economically; in some cases there is no potential, in others no
interest. The deposits of peat, especially the poorly decomposed Sphagnum
peats in the upper layers of the raised Peat masses, have been considered
and harvested for several uses, including surgical dressings, bedding, insul-
energy, and packaged horticultural peat. Some of the least decomposed,
most Sphagnum rich peats occur in the coastal raised peatlands, a phenomenon
of state significance. A few deposits are fairly large and have economic
significance locally, perhaps at the state level. Sporadic mining has taken
place in the past; one mine operates now, several mines are contemplated.
Present and anticipated economic return are meager compared with income
from peatlands in neighboring Canada and the Lake States.

The monetary value of natural, undisturbed peatlands has increased sharp-
ly in recent years. As natural landscape feature% several coastal peatlands
enjoy considerable protection and recognition. The peatlands of Great Wass
Island were significant in the purchasing by The Nature Conservancy of the
southern part,of the island for $1,000,000. The State of Maine owns Carrying
Place Cbv-e BoX which is recommended for National Natural Landmark Registry.
The "Big Heath" is maintained as a natural-area within Acadia National Park.

The natural landscape of Maine has long been perceived to have distinc-
tive regions, places whose character has strongly shaped local societies and
individuals. Coastal eastern Maine is one of the most distinctive of those
regions, with its unique dialects, mores, and cultural history so evidently
influenced by the extreme oceanic climate, coastal environment, and landscape
of coniferous forests broken by open "heaths" and local blueberry barrens.
That the coastal raised peatlands (or "heaths") have a subtle but deep sig-
nificance in the development and maintenance of a local culture is reflected
in the common reference to "our heaths".

In areas of the world where peatlands are scarce, the peatlands often
receive considerable visitor use. In Maine, because there are so many peat-
lands, few are heavily visited. Furthermore, many persons do not enjoy the
wetness of many sites, the biting insects in season (which, incidentally,
are less abundant in coastal peatlands), and the often difficult access.
Most scenic appreciation comes from the vistas provided by the openness of
the peatlands, and the physiognomic similarity of the peatlands to Arctic
ecosystems. Peatlands within the sound or sight of ocean surf hold especial
fascination. The coastal raised peatlands are significant at the local,
state, and national level in their openness, accessibility, and proximity
to open ocean.

In summary, the coastal raised peatlands of Maine are distinctive feat-
ures of the natural environment and heritage of this state and are most ap-
propriate for inclusion in the Critical Areas Register. These peatlands are
highly specialized, have distinct but limited global relatives, and contain
the only Coastal Plateau Bogs known in this nation. They contain natural
features with local to continental significance. As landscape features
they are of interest to scientists and the general public. They are valued
as scientific resources, natural classrooms, and as aesthetic wonders for

their uniqueness and beauty. Locally they participate in the maintenance
of regional cultural characteristics. The monetary value of their natural
features is rising sharply. A few contain deposits of local economic sig-
nificance.

NATURAL HISTORY AND ECOLOGY OF THE COASTAL RAISED PEATLANDS

THE COASTAL REGION OF RAISED PEATLANDS

Location and Diagnostic Peatland Features

From the sou'thern tip of Mt. Desert Island to Lubec lies a narrow
strip of coastal Maine (Figure 1) with peatlands having distinctive features
resulting from their immediate proximity to the sea. In this "Coastal
Region" are found:

a) clearly raised plateau peatlands with steep margins,
b) sedge lawns of Scirpus cespitosus* occupying the central, upper
elevations of the larger, raised plateau peatlands,
c) abundant baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus) and black crowberry
(Empetrum nigrum), and their communities,.on raised peats,
d) species, such as common juniper (Juniperus communis), that pri-
marily grow in more nutrient-rich sites thriving on the nutrient-
poor, ombrotrophic peatlands, and
.e) undulating plains,' essentially those without hollows,-of Sphagnum
fuscum** in the upper elevations of the raised peatlands, plains
in which shrubs are sparse and diminutive.

Additional diagnostic and characteristic features of the coastal
raised peatlands, appear in later sections of this report.

Physiography

The coastline of rocky islands,.points and peninsulas with intervening
bays, coves, and tidal rivers of the Coastal Region extends from West Quoddy
Head, the easternmost point of the United States, at least to the southern
tip of Mt. Desert Island. Most of the rolling topography lies between 20
and 100 feet in elevation, except near Cutler and on the Schoodic Peninsula
where 100-170 feet elevations prevail. The occasional, prominent hills

There is no common name for Scirpus cespitosus. One could call it "tufted
bulrush" after the Latin scientific name, but I feel this name improperly
conveys the lawn habit assumed by this short member of the sedge family.
Consequently, rather than invent a contrived common name, none is used.

There is no common name for Sphagnum fuscum.- Restricted to raised
peatlands, this medium sized peat moss is the most truly@brown of the 30
or so Sphagnum species in the Coastal Region.

rarely exceed 300 feet in elevation, and are commonly less than 220 feet
tall.@ This coastal region is distinguished by its paucity of natural lakes,
especially when compared with adjacent inland areas.

Streams vary in size from seasonal to small rivers; gradients are
shallow so water flow is relatively slow with white waters and falls essen-
tially absent. Freshwater backwaters, deadwaters, and abandoned meanders
are rare, whereas tidal wetlands are locally extensive along streams.

Igneous and metamorphic bedrock prevails, overlain by glacial till and
loutwash modified by marine activity and overlain by clays and other ocean
sediments. All except the highest elevations were inundated by the sea in
the early post-glacial period. The coastline is now slowly submerging follow-
ing its maximum exposure a few millenia ago.

Soils are various and incompletely surveyed (Rourke et al., Ferwerda
persi comm.). Uplands are predominantly Lyman,.ScanticTa@-d Peru soils
(Rourke et al.1978) and undifferentiated Histosols (organic soils) fill
most lowlands. In extreme maritime environments immediately adjacent to
the sea, such as southern Great Wass Island, Histosols also occupy sloping
upland terrain. Bedrock outcrops are common, especially near the sea.

Climate

The extreme maritime climate of the Coastal Region is well known for
its high rainfall, considerable fog, moderated temperatures, and lack of
persistent snow cover. Damman (1977, 1979b), Johnson (1977), and Davis (1965)
have considered the ecological effects upon the vegetation.

The maritime climate of the Coastal Region (Anon. 1979) must be gener-
alized since there are very limited records from zone itself (Davis 1965).
Variation in a number of climatic factors parallel the Maine coastline.
The mean minimum January temperature along the outer tips of the islands is
140F, and in most of the Coastal Region it is 120F (in contrast with the
northern Maine mean minimum of OOF). The region has the greatest Normal
Annual Precipitation in Maine (perhaps exclusive of a few mountain summits
or upper slopes), 48 or more inches per year. Sites less than a mile from
the sea may receive substantially more rainfall. Only about 20 days per
year does one or more inches of snow fall, and the average.period of contin-
uous snow cover is less than 50days (probably quite a bit less on outer points
and islands), which contrasts with greater than 125 days in northern and
western Maine.

0
The mean July maximum temperatures are below 78 , but decrease rapidly
eastward to less than 700 at West Quoddy Head, which has the coolest summers
of any place in Maine (except, perhaps, for some high mountain summits). The
freeze-free season length is greater than 140.days, exceeding 160 days in the
eastern-most part of the Coastal Region, contrasting with less than 80 days
in northwestern Maine.

Great Wass Island is one of the most exposed sites on the Maine coast
according to the Davis marine exposure index (Davis 1966, see also Johnson
1977). Thompson (1979) notes:

in@summer the temperature is often perceptibly
lower at the southern end than at the northern end of the
island, there is usually a sea breeze along the southern
shore (even when there is none inland), and the area often
receives fog when just a few miles inland it is clear."
Great Wass Island has a mean maximum January temperature of 30-320F,
higher than any other Maine area except the central coastal region. Mean
maximum and minimum July temperatures (74 0- 760F and 520-540F) are among
the lowest in the state. Precipitation is underestimated since fog drip is
not measured. Fog signals operate for about 400 hours during July and
August (Fobes, 1946, in Thompson 1979), or about 27% of the time. Vogelmann
(unpublished data, 1979) has determined (on Camel's Hump Mountain, Vermont)
that low vegetation may intercept and drip several times the amount of pre-
cipitation that is recorded in conventional rain measuring devices. Thus,
the southern Great Wass Island peatlands may have an effective precipitation
far over 100 inches per year.

Damman (1977) determined "temperature differences between inland peat-
lands, some located only 7 km (4.3 miles) from salt water and 25 km (18
miles) from the coast line, and coastal bogs" by the sucrose inversion
method:

"Average temperatures during the vegetative season
in the inland bogs are 2.5-30C (4.5-5.40F) higher than
in the coastal ones, and almost 40C (7.-20F) higher than
in the very exposed bogs of Campobello Island and Quoddy
Neck. This is a considerable temperature difference,
the magnitude-of which is better appreciated if one real-
izes that this corresponds to an altitudinal change of
500-600 m (1640-1960 ft) and 800 m (2620 ft), respect-
ively."

The average annual temperature at depths 2.5-4.5 cm (1-1.8 in) below
the surface of Sphagnum carpets for the period June 8 to September 16
(100 days) for three Coastal Plateau peatlands was (data from Damman 1977,
Table 4):

Carrying Place Jonesport Kelley Point
Cove Bog Heath Heath
Sphagnum fuscum 1970 15.70 C (60.3 0F) 16.50C (61. 70F)
hummock 1971 17.30 C (63.1 0F) 18.2 0C (64.80F) 18..@@i'C (64.60F)

Sphagnum rubellum 0 0 0 .0
carpet along. 1970 15.80 C (60.4 0F) 16.90C (62.4 0F)
pool 1971 17.5 C (63.5 F), 18.7 C 65.7 F

Note that hummocks are cooler than hollows, and temperatures increase
to the southwest. The former corresponds with the persistance of ground
frost; ice beneathsome hummocks may persist into at least July in the east-
ernmost portions of the Coastal Region.

PEATLANDS OF THE COASTAL REGION.

Discovery of the Coastal Peatland Phenomenon

Although a number,of investigators (Shaler 1887, 1890, Ganong 1891,
1897, Bastin and Davis 1909, C.A. Davis 1909, Fernald and Wiegand 1910,
Bastin and Williams 1914, Burr 1917, Nichols 1919, Osvald 1928, 1.955,1970,
Waksman and Stevens 1929, Dachnowski 1929, Dachnowski-Stokes 1930, 1933,
Rigg 1940, Trefethen and Bradford 1944, Deevey 1951, Kennedy 1963, Cameron
1975, Johnson 1977, Damman 1977, 1979a,b, 1980, and J. Davis and White
1979) reported that eastern Maine contained New England's only raised
peatlands, few recognized or documented variation with distance from the
sea.

Among the first to recognize the Coastal Peatland Region were Fernald
and Wiegand (1910) who reported

"In the heaths or raised peatbogs which abound close
to the sea in this outermost coastal strip of eastern Maine
are many other sub-arctic plants which disappear abruptly
when we go inland only a short distance - often only a few
yards - from theshores of the Bay of Fundy or the Atlantic.
The heath-formation occurs not only in depressions or on
plains where the close carpet of Sphagnum, Empetrum, and Rubus
arches toward the center into a low dome, but in many places
near the sea this heath - or bog - vegetation climbs the
rocky hummocks and slopes, thus forming a continuous undula ting
or even abruptly sloping boggy carpet such as is familiar in
the alpine region of many of our mountains. In general
this narrow coastal subarctic strip extends along the outer
mainland and islands to Great Cranberry Isle."

Thus, not only did they recognize the Coastal Region, but they described
Shrub Slope peatlands (see later in this report) which were not noted again
until the work of Worley (unpublished data, also Worley and Sullivan 1979)
and Thompson (1979).

Perhaps because of his knowledge of maritime influences in the peat-
lands of northern Europe, the British Isles and Scandinavia, Osvald (1928,
1954, 1955, 1970) noted the presence of a maritime peatland phenomenon in
Maine, and made a major point of the maritime differences in the Canadian
Maritime Provinces. He visited (Osvald 1955, 1970) peatlands in 1927 near
Sydney (Sydney Bog), Hermon (Hermon Bog and Hermon Center Bog), Deblois
(Denbo Heath and Bog Stream Heath), South Trescott (South Trescott.Bog)
and Lubec (Carrying Place Cove Bog). Only the last two did he consider
coastal, even though the Deblois peatlands are but 20 miles from the sea.

Osvald (1955, p. 110) concluded:

"In north-eastern Maine, several types of raised
bog occur. There is a gradual transition from slightly
raised bogs in the middle part of Maine to conspicuously
domed inland bogs in northern Maine, and from the fairly
wet inland bogs to the rather dry coastal bogs."

He further commented that the coastal peatlands have a greater im-
portance of lichens beneath dwarf shrubs, and may have a "relatively high
frequency" of Scirpus cespitosus. Alliance with extreme maritime peat-
lands of eastern New Brunswick and Cape Breton Island was noted, especial
emphasis placed upon the presence of the Scirpus.

Recently, A. W. H. Damman (1977) of the University of Connecticut
documented the "strikingly different topography and vegetation cover of
the bogs in a narrow coastal belt," and proposed several ecological factors
as important causative agent's (1977, 1979a,b, 1980). His work is thoroughly
discussed in this report.

The Coastal PlateauPeatland

This section gives a brief description of the Coastal Plateau peatland,
its shape and plant communities., Additional detail follows in later sections.

The Bay of Fundy region (Damman 1977) of Coastal Plateau Peatlands and
Coastal vegetation dominance types extends from the southern,tip of Mt.
Desert Island to slightly east of the mouth of.the St. John River (Damman
1977, 1980; Gemmell and Keys 1979), never more than a few miles from the
ocean. This small region of specialized peatlands and communities (Damman
1977, 1979a, 1980) contains a minor proportion of the peatlands and peat-
land acreage of Maine (Worley 1980a) and New Brunswick (Gemmell and Keys
1979). None of the peatlands are nearly as large as many of the peatlands
that occur inland, from east central Maine (Worley 1980a) to the north-
eastern coast of New.Brunswick (Gemmell and Keys 1979).

Coastal Plateau Peatlands occur elsewhere in North America (Figure 2)
along the Nova Scotian coast and the west coast of Newfoundland (Damman
1977, 1979b).

The larger peatlands of the Coastal Region are plateaus with a simple,
concentric zonation of a few plant communities (Figure 3). Along the margins
of the plateaus are well developed laggs or moats with low herbs and
Sphagnum (notably the Smilacina-Sphagnum pulchrum community), tall grass
meadows of blue-joint grass (Calamagrostis canadensis), thickets of rhodora
(Rhododendron canadense), leather-leaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata), and/or
sweet gale (Myrica gale), or forests of black spruce (Picea mariana) or
larch (Larix laricina) with various understories. The pronounced plateau
slope rises abruptly 3-10 feet above the laggs. Overall 1:20-30, this
slope locally may be as steep as 1:3-5. The steeper slopes usually have
wet depressions, mud bottom communities, and/or occasional small ponds.

Fig. 4. Water level fluctuations and distribution of plant commu-
nities on a transect through Jonesport bog. a large plateau bog in
the coastal belt. For communities with an irregular surface the
water level extremes are shown with respect to both average
hollow and hummock surface.

Figore 3. Distribution of major plant
communities and water.level fluctuations
on a coastal plateau peatland. Repro-
duced from Damman (1977, Figure 4).

WDDYSEMPS
10
7@

JONESPORT

Fig. 2. Cross-section through an convex raised bog (Meddy-
bemps Heath) and a coastal plateau bog (Jonesport bog), Note
that the coastal bog has been drawn at twice the scale of the
inland bog. The abrupt change in slope on the right side of the
profile through Meddybemps Heath is a slump zone resulting
from erosion by the brook.

Figure 4. Cross-section of a coastal
1
P@ateau peatland and a nearby domed
peatland. Reproduced from Damman
(1977, Figure 2).

The lowest portions of the slope may have leather-leaf and/or rhodora
(but generally not nearly as extensively as at some inland peatlands),
or open low forest whose trees become much shorter on the upper portions
of the slope. The. remainder of the slope is dominated by Kalmia-Sphagnum
fuscum communities, the sheep laurel (Kalmia angustifolia) being quite
abundant.

Instead of the bog slope continuing.to rise forming a-dome (a common
inland phenomenon) it flattens (Figure 4). The larger the peatland the
greater proportion of plateau. As the slope levels the hummocky E @lmia-@
Sphagnum fuscum communities become replaced by the Em2etrum-Sphagnum fuscum
community. As one approaches the central regions of the plateau, this
community may become "hollowless" plains (Figure 5), in which. 'Sphagnum
fuscum forms a firm, slightly undulating continuous surface, mostly devoid
of discrete hollows, that has very sparse, exceedingly sho -rt shrub growth
seldom more than 2-5 inches tall. Locally black crowberry (Empetrum
nigrum) may achieve 30-50 percent cover.

The central zone of the-largest plateaus has nearly continuous Scirpus-
Sphagnum. fuscum lawns (Figure 6). Hummocks or ridges are virtually absent,
as are ponds or discrete ephemeral pools. Wet depressions and mud bottom
communities do not exceed 5-10 percent of the area. Commonly the vegetated
surface is dominated by Scirpus cespitosus lawns, some areas with carpets
of *Sphagnum rubellum and S. flavicomans. Sphagnum fuscum varies in abundance,
but its low cushions are small and scattered. Very wet most of the time,
this central plateau zone is flooded in the spring and after heavy rains,
with water levels even during drought within 16 cm (6.3 in.) of the surface
(Damman 1977).

The graphically simple plateau topography and vegetation zonation
occurs only at the Jonesport Heath, the Kelly Point.Peatland Complex and
at Carrying Place Cove Bog (which has much natural disturbance). Most
other sites have topographic and vegetation variation. Some of the varia-
tions are discussed later in this report.

A more complete discussion of the character of the Coastal Plateau
Peatland, its topography and vegetation, its differences from inland,types,
and the ecological factors that cause and maintain its character are given
by Damman (1977, also 1979b and 1980).

Coastal vs. Inland Peatland Variation

The "principal differences between the bogs in and outside the coastal
zone" (Table 1) given by Damman (1977, Table 3) primarily compare the Coastal
Region only with the immediately adjacent inland terrain, and refer specifi-
cally to the largest peatlands in an area:

"The differences in the topography of the coastal
and inland bogs . . ., as well as those in the vegetation
cover, are most clearly expressed in large peat bogs.

HUMMOCK-
HOLLOW

"HOLLOWLESS" PLAIN

PEAT

DWARF SHRUB

SPHAGNUM

RUBUS CHAhiAEMORUS

SCIRPUS CESPITOSUS.

Figure 5. The "hollowless plain" phenomenon of
the coastal raised peatlands. Note that the
plain is at approximately the same height as the
hummock tops.

HUMMOCK -
HOLLOW

LAWN
M U D
BOTTOM

P E A

DWARF SHRUB

SPHAGNUM

LICHEN

SCIRPUS

Figure 6. The major physiognomic. vegetation units
of the coastal raised peatland plain. Note that
T

the mud bottom areas are lower than the hollows
and lawns.

Table 3. Principal differences between the bogs in and outside the coastal zone.

Inland Coastal

Domed but with very gentle barely visible slopes Clearly raised platcau with obvious bog slope and
almost flat central part
Tre:s and patches of forest often present in the Trees restricted to the bog slope
entral, ombrotrophic parts of the bog
(presumably trees covered most of this
originally)

Dwarf shrub communities cover almost the entire Dmarf shrub communities only on slopes and edge of
bog surface plateau; Scirpus cospitosus lawn communities
cover the plateau

Bog moat (lagg) poorly defined Bog moat often well-developed

Pools common in bog center. Mud bottom Bog pools rare. Mud bottoms cover very little area
vegetation unimportant and almost restricted but can occur anywhere on plateau; most common
to area with bog pools in disturbed areas

Gradual change from minerotrophic to ombrotrophic Mineral soil water limit clearly v isible in vegetation
conditions; mineral soil water limit obscure, and topography
can only be recognized in floristic composition
of vegetation

Gaylussacia community'restricted to these bogs Scirp Sphagnum fuscum and Empetrum@Sphagnum fuscum
communities restricted to these bogs

Empetrum nigrum and Scirpus cespitosus occttr Rubus chamaemorus, Empetrum n1grum and @rus
very locally; Rubus chamaemorus absent* cesPitosus extremely abundant

For other floristic differences see section on distribution of, individual species.

Table 1. Principal differences between the
larger raised peatlands of the Coastal Re-
gion and those in nearby inland regions.
Reproduced from Damman (1977), marginal let-
ters added.

Size affects peat depth, the relative importance of
minerotrophic water from the surrounding uplands,
as well as the direct effect of surrounding hills
and fores ts on wind force and snow drifting. In
many small peat bogs, these local environmental
factors may overrule the regional factors or con-
found the vegetation pattern. . .. . In general,
the small bogs will deviate increasingly from the
regional pattern the more rugged the topography,
the nutrient-richer the surrounding mineral soil
areas, and the higher and more uninterrupted the
forest surrounding the bog." (Damman 1977, p. 140)

Thus, the distinctions are derived primarily from a few large sites such
as the Kelley Point Peatland Cqmplex (coastal) and the Great Heath (inland),
and not the many smaller peatlands in both regions. However, each of the
distinctions of Table 1 can be qualified to have broader applicability:

a), Of the inland domed bogs that I have visited, a few locally have
an obvious bog slope forming part of their margin. Likewise, some
of the coastal plateau peatlands, especially many of the smaller
"ands,have marginal bog slopes with little rise or a barely
pean
perceptible slope. As Cameron (1975) notes, plateau-form peatlands
occur in both inland and coastal regions., though the inland
plateaus have less distinctive rise and lower elevations. Runaway
Pond Heath north of Machias is considered a plateau by Car@eron
(1975) and an inland bog by Damman (1977), whereas Larrabee Heath,
south of Machias, is considered a plateau by Cameron (1975) and a
coastal plateau by Damman (1977). Both peatlands have quite
similar surface topographies, being not large plateaus with
central areas that are very shallow domes rather than flat ex
panses, with Larrabee Heath slightly more elevated (Cameron 1975).
Only Larrabee Heath has coastal communities and species.

b) Many of the smaller, coastal peatlands have open canopy tree growth
over some or all of their raised surface. The trees are progress-
ively less tall to the center of the peatland, always less than 6 ft.
in height (often 3 ft. or less) in the central region. Similarly,
although some inland raised peatlands have trees in their central
region, there are many devoid of trees except at their margins, as
well as many either uniformly covered with trees,(closed or open
canopies), or partially covered with trees with tree heights and
densities less in the central regions. Damman (1977) suggests that
open inland peatlando are maintained treeless by fire. Perhaps
true for some sites, fire maintained treelessness cannot account
for the hundreds of open, inland peatlands.
C) Damman's (1977) distinction needs qualification for coastal
peatlands, for not all coastal peatlands have Scirpus cespitosus
lawn communities, nor are dwarf shrub heaths restricted to mar-
ginal slopes and plateau edges. In some cases Scirpus dominated
lawns occur not centrally on the plateau but marginally at
slightly lower elevations. When Scirpus joins beak-rush (Rhyncho-
spora), cotton-grasses (Eriophorum spp.), or sedges (Carex spp.)
in soaks, marginal moats, or fens, it is not just a coastal

phenomenon, for'such associations are not uncommon in the intetior
(Osvald 1970; Damman 1977, 1979b, 1980; R. B. Davis and Sawyer
1978; Worley, personal observations). Damman (1977, Table 1)
notes Scirpus lawns for interior sites for the Chamaedaphne-
Sphagnum rubellum vegetation unit, which.occupies large depressions
and filled-in pools, as well as along some pool margins. This
phenomenon occurs sporadically in the Coastal Region in the fens
that drain some raised peatlands, either along the raised peatland
margin, or directly away from the raised peatland. In most coastal
peatlands dwarf shrub communities extend over the entire raised
peatland. However, shrub height.and density are often lower to
very much lower at the highest elevations of the peatland. Char-
acteristically the Empetrum nigrum - Sphagnu fuscum community
becomes most prominent there. At times there may be broad ex-
panses of hollowless.Sphagnum fuscum with scarce dimunitive
black crowberry (Empet nigrum) and scattered baked-apple
berry (Rubus chamaemorus) which is either robust or subdued.
Regardless of coastal or inland location, the distinctiveness of
laggs varies primarily with the character of the adjacent topo-
graphy and hydrology. At many peatlands there will be areas of
well-defined laggs, and other areas of poorly defined laggs.
Throughout Maine there are a great number of lagg types,and their
widths vary immensely.

e) Inland sites vary considerably, many have no pools, some have over
50. Mud bottom communities similarly may be absent, abundant and
patterned, or limited and associated with pools. Bog pools are
indeed rare in the Coastal Region, being small and restricted to
the plateau margins or to marginal soaks, drains, or fens. There
are two noteworthy exceptions, occurring at the extremes of the
region. Big Heath at the southern tip of Mt. Desert Island has a
well-developed pond system quite unlike any other peatlands of the
region, possibly similar to those at Duck Pond Heath on Campobello
Island, New Brunswick, adjacent to the Maine border. The ponds
at the shoulders of the Carrying Place Cove Bog plateau are dis-
tinctive and persistent, having been described and photographed
in 1927 by Osvald (1955). At coastal peatlands mud bottom com-
munities are infrequent and scattered, except they are common at
disturbance sites (such as trails or mining scars), in laggs,
fens and drainac-eways, and along the steepest part of some mar-
ginal slopes of plateaus.

f) The mineral soil water limit distinctions seem most applicable to
the largest raised peatlands and some of the more abruptly raised,
smaller, coastal peatlands.. At other large systems and many of the
smaller systems, regardless of the coastal-inland position, for
vegetation and/or topography, the recognition of mineral soil water
varies from obvious to obscure.

g) The restrictions of communities to inland or coastal peatlands
have minor exceptions. Osvald (1970) does report the Empetrum.
nigrum-Sphagnum fuscum. community at Denbo Heath, an" inland
site. Black huckleberry (Gaylussacia,baccata) occurs locally
on some of the most maritime and exposed peatlands (e.g.,
Damman, 1977, Table 1, records the species at a coastal site;
Thompson, 1979, records the species on Great Wass Island peat-
lands). At peatlands very near.the sea, both black huckleberry
and dwarf huckleberry (Gaylussacia dumosa) grow on ombrotrophic
peat, the latter commonly as distinctive circular clones.
Thompson (1979) recorded dwarf huckleberry at seven of eight,
and black huckleberry at three of eight, locations in the six
principal peatlands of Great Wass Island. At the sites sampled
dwarf huckleberry had cover values ranging from 1 to 13 percent,
and black huckleberry ranged from 1 to 5 percent. Both species
can form nearly pure stands, sometimes as very distinctive
circular clones.

h) Note that many coastal sites may have scarce or no Scirpus ces-
pitosus. Also, the abundance of black crowberry and baked-;@Pple
berry varies considerably from peatland to peatland, though they
are seldom scarce. Damman (1977, Table 1) also lists other
species "showing an affinity for oceanic conditions": Sphagnum.
imbricatum, Icmadophilum. ericetorum, bog goldenrod (Solidago
uliginosa), Cladonia terrae-novae, Sphagnum. flavicomans and
common juniper .(Juniperus communis). Because of their ease of-
recognition, the goldenrod and juniper are especially useful
indicators. Bog goldenrod is common to relatively abundant on
most coastal peatlands, whereas common juniper appears restricted
as a peatland species to only exposed-sites in the most oceanic
peatlands (a similar circumstance exists for the species in
the coastal peatlands of southeastern Alaska - Worley 1980c).

Some of the conclusions of Osvald (1955, 1970) should be compared
with Damnan's (1977, 1979b), recognizing that Damman's work is the more
recent and thorough.

Osvald (1955) and Damman (1977) contradict each other with respect to
site wetness. Osvald's observations ("fairly wet inland bogs . . . rather
dry coastal bogs") were limited and casual, whereas Damman's results ("in
contrast to the inland bogs, the coastal bogs are wettest in the center")
were quantitative, although primarily restricted to two sites (Meddybemps
Heath and Jonesport Heath). No quantitative measurements of water levels
were made in this study, but I visited considerably more peatlands in the
coastal and inland regions than either Osvald or Damman. Damman's con-
clusions appear generally correct (especially at the largest sites), if
allowances are made for considerable variation among peatlands within each
zone. The variations are likely due not only to the climatic differences
noted by Damman, but also (especially for smaller sites) to the hydro- .
geomorphic setting of each individua '1 peat.land, the height of the peatland
above the regional water table, the areal dimensions and configuration of

the peatland, the absolute slopes of the upper and marginal surfaces, and the
prominent vegetation types and character of the hummock and hollow topo-
graphy as they affect evapotranspiration.

Consequently, overall peatland wetness cannot be used to distinguish
coastal peatlands from inland peatlands, although it seems clear that for
the largest sites, at the highest elevations of the peatland, there is less
lowering of the water table seasonally at coastal sites, as documented by
Damman (1977).

Osvald's second distinction is the-greater importance of lichens
beneath dwarf shrubs in coastal peatlands. Damman (1977, 1979b, 1980)
makes*no comment concerning Maine in this regard, noting lichens in dwarf
shrub,,communities at all sampled locations. From his Table 1 (Damman
1977) can be calculated a mean lichen cover in dwarf shrub communities at
coastal peatlands of 40.4%., and 34.4% at inland sites, thus supporting,
though just barely, Osvald's observation. At coastal sites Damman lists
a range of 5 to 85% lichen cover per sample, whereas at inland sites the'
range is 10 to 65%. In this study no quantitative determinations were
made, but I have no disagreement-with Osvald or Damman. The lichen dis-
tinctions are likely more distinctive than-recorded, but confirmation
awaits further research. With such little difference. between inland and
coastal sites, and with such variation among sites, lichen cover cannot
be used as a differentiating criterion.

Osvald's third distinction, the abundance of.Scirpus cespitosus in
coastal peatlands is a major point of Damman's (1977, 1979b, 1980), noting
its diagnostic importance forthe peatland type.

Another investigator, Johnson (19.77), used 19 raised bogs in Washington
County, all within 40 miles of. the coast, as data sources for a mathematical
analysis ("principal components, multi-variate analysis") of the niches of
plant populations. Eight of these sites are coastal raised peatlands. His
study sought to identify environmental factors that best correlated with
vegetation composition variation, observing geographical correlation should
it exist. His results correspond well with the conclusions of Damman.

Two environmental factors were discovered, titled "salinity-snow cover"
and "ombrotrophy-mesotrophy." The first appears to be a coastal-inland
gradient, having good correlations with distance from.the coast and with
the Davis (maritime) exposure index (R. B. Davis 1966). Exchangeable metal
ions increase in concentration towards the sea, no'doubt the result of
airborne salts originating from sea spray. Fiber percent increases, and
peats are generally drier (although rainfall tends to be higher) near the
coast. Less snow cover near the coast is hypothesized as a principal
causative agent. The plant species diagnostic of the coastal end of the
environmental gradient are baked-apple berry (restricted to near the coast)
and black crowberry (in abundance only near the coast), along with small
cranberry (Vaccinium-oxycoccos), round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia),
and bog goldenrod. The greatest richness of species (n-umber of species per
unit area) occurs near the coast at medium-dry sites. The high richness comes

from herbs and mosses, not shrubs.

Thus, by niche analysis Johnson showed that the largest share of
vegetation variance is related to mineral-ion concentration, especially as
modified by atmospheric input owing to proximity to the sea, and to the
amount of mineral soil ground water.. The first environmental factor,
and the first vegetation factor both display a coastal-inland gradient
whose sharpest distinction occurs between extreme coastal sites with
baked-apple berry and black crowberry, and more inland locations. This
distinction is mapped easily based upon the distribution of the combina-
tion of these two species, and corresponds exactly with the landward limit
of coastal raised peatlands. The second environmental factor, ombrotrophy-
mesotrophy, showed no geographical correlation and is not further discussed
.here.

Other Peatland Types

Unlike the central inland and southern parts of Maine, forested peat-
land appears uncommon to rare in the Coastal Region, except for that
whichborders or is otherwise contiguous with open peatlands. In the latter
case the open or semi-open area generally exceeds the forested area in
acreage. Thicket peatlands appear to be equally uncommon. One reason for
limited wooded peatland appears to be the absence of lakes (especially those
with bays), and freshwater rivers with deadwaters. However, since this study
made no attempt to locate wooded peatlands, some,or many, including potentially
significant ones, may have been overlooked.

Peatlands within the Coastal Region that are not forested, but differ
considerably from the types described in this report, are not many, and
do not seem to be of numerous types. At five sites, at least, there are
streamside, shrub-rich peatlands. Peatlands at the junction of Bagley
Brook and East Stream in Cutler and 0.8 mile northeast of Enoch Hill in
Whiting (and possibly the peatlands at 1.1 miles west and west-northwest of
Sandy River Beach in Jonesport) are shrub-rich, low plateaus whose raised
peats have displaced or entrapped streams. The peatlands at Ackley Pond
in Cutler, along Big Pond Stream on Petit Manan Point in Steuben, and north
and northwest of Forbes Pond in Gouldsboro have less distinctive raised
peats or consist solely of primary peats. Ackley Pond and Forbes Pond are
being filled by peatlands at stream mouths. The large Forbes Pond peatland
displays a classic geomorphology; the peatland, and perhaps the pond as well,
merit evaluation as a potential Critical Area.

At and near the upper reaches of Schooner Brook in Cutler, and north of
the Jonesport Heathiin Jonesport, large complexes of shrub and thicket wet-
lands, graminoid, sArub, and wooded fens, wet meadows, and streams may con-
tain various peatland types, and certainly are physiognomically very much
different from any peatlands described in this report.

Shrub Slope Peatlands

During visits to central and southern Great Wass Island, an undescribed
peatland type was discovered, one previously mentioned by Fernald and
Weigand (1910). A subsequent investigation was undertaken to document sub-
strate and peat topography, peat depth, composition, and degree of decom-
position, vegetation composition, vigor, and community patterns, certain
chemical and physical properties of the peat, and the composition of the
litter. The analysis of the data is complete, and manuscript preparation is
underway (Worley 1980b).

Still being assessed are the relationships of these peatlands with
other heathlands, including those on mineral soils, and with blanket peat-
lands, whose deeper peats support a different vegetation. That these Shrub
Slope peatlands occupy the terrain with the most exposed, rainy, foggy,
cool temperate, maritime climate on the Maine Coast is of considerable sig-
nigicance.

The Shrub Slope peatlands on Great Wass Island are best expressed and
most extensive in the southwastern portion of the island, but occur else-
where on the island at least as far northward as just south of Folkingham
Cove (Thompson 1979). This peatland type consists of several Ericaceous
shrubs, especially sheep laurel (Kalmia angustifolia) and leather-ieaf
(Chamaedaphne calvculata), forming dense cover over peats 4-16+ in. in
depth that lie over undulating bedrock with slopes at least as great as.
13 degrees. In some locations there occur black crowberry (Empetrum
nigrum) and/or Sphagnum spp. The peat is little to moderately decomposed,
and has chemical properties reflective of an ombrotrophic setting adjacent
to the sea. A few pools were found on the slopes. Trees, when present on
the shrub slopes, are somewhat to much stunted, and usually legs than several
decades old. Tree death on the slopes is relatively common, and it appears
(though-not carefully documented) that the occasional trees are not colon-
izing the surface, for death and establishment are about equal. Charcoal,
ash, and tree wood seem to be absent in the peat, the age of which is un-
determined.

In the course of this study a few additional locations possibly having
Shrub Slope peatlands were noted all at the heads of islands or peninsulas
that are very exposed to the sea (see later in this report).

THE COASTAL RAISED PEATLANDS

Prominence

Frequency

Peatlands occur throughout the Coastal Region, being especially
numerous in the Cutler area, covering the highest proportion of the
landscape at Great Wass Island, and being the largest and most extensive
on the lower Jonesport peninsula.

The peatlands and associated wetlands of the Jonesport peninsula
form an extensive system extending from the central portions of the pen-
insula through the Jonesport Heath to Kelley Point. The bulk of these
peatlands lie in a NWN-SES line about 5 miles long, and are (at least in
places) underlain by gravels and sands, possibly of pro-glacial out'@Iash
origin, with subsequent marine modification. Along this axis there appear
to be significant ecological gradients.. At the northern end are diverse
wetlands including at least wet meadows, graminoid fens, and tall thickets;
in the center are the exemplar Coastal Plateau Peatlands; to the south is
the Kelley Point Peatland Complex, which includes fens, a Coastal Plateau
Peatland, and some Shrub Slope peatland. The full significance of this
gradient awaits discovery; it may be an expression of climatic variation,
substrate character, hydrologic regime, or some combination of these.
Clearly the maritime influence (especially fog, low cloud, mist, rainfall,
sea breeze and precipitation ionic content) increases to the south and
southeast.

On Great Wass Island peatlands occupy most depressions, especially in
the southern part of the island. An exceptionally humid, cool, temperate
climate prevails (Thompson 1979), as the extreme maritime setting of Great
Wass Island as it projects well into the Bay of Fundy produces the highest
Maine rainfalls, fog, mist,. or cloudnearly every day, and moderated temp-
eratures. Dry, sunny weather is rare; commonly sea fog protects the island,
or at least its southern portions, while sunny skies and dry, high pressure
prevails just landward. Consequently, not only do peatlands occupy depressions
and form raised plateaus, but the farther south one goes on the island the
greater the proportion of organic material in upland soils, with organic
soils predominating on upland in the southern third of the island, and the
more prominent becomes the Shrub Slope peatlands wherein shallow peat soils
with an ericaceous shrub cover covers many bedrock slopes.

In the vicinity of Cutler peatlands are nowhere large, but they are
notably numerous and express some variety in types. With increasing near-
ness to open tidewater, the peatlands have more prominent coastal morph-
ologies and communities. Less than 15 miles from the sea, the coastal
phenomena are nearly completely replaced by inland types. In addition to

the smallercoastal peatlands, there are occasional examples of other peat-
land types, such as Open Basin Lakeside, and Riverside Shore (c.f. Worley
and Sullivan 1979).

Most of the terrain upon which there are coastal peatland phenomena
is between 20 and 100 feet in.elevation. The peatlanda are most frequent
at the most abundant elevation in a.region; thus near Cutler and on the
Schood-ic Peninsula most peatlands are between 110 and 170 feet in eleva-
tion, whereas for the remainder of the Coastal Region 63% of the peat-
lands lie at elevations of 50 feet.or less and 81% are at 70 feet or less
elevation. Of the peatlands recommended for evaluation as potential
Critical Areas similar elevations prevail, only West Quoddy Head Heath
(110 feet) exceeds 70 feet elevation.

Size

Peatlands within the Coastal Region range in size from a fraction of
an acre to several hundreds of acres. Only the.Jonesport Heath (including
the North Unit) exceeds 500 acres, totalling perhaps as many as 900-1000
peatland acres. No more than five other sites exceed 200 peatland acres,
and not.many others have more than 125 acres of peatland. Most raised
peatlands are between 40 and 125 acres, and probably the most peatland
acreage and peat volume in the.Coastal Region occur in peatlands of this
size. A great many peatlands le8s than 40 acres are found throughout the
region; many are forested or shrubby, and it is not known what proportion
are raised.

The ability of the topography to so evidently limit the occurrence
and lateral spread of the ombrogenic peatlands indicates that the moisture
excess (c.f. Damman 1979b) which permits the formation of the Coastal
Plateau peatlands and other raised peatlands of the region is also a limit-
ing factor to continued expansion. Although even less than 10 acres is
sufficient to demonstrate a raised peatland morphology and coastal dwarf
shrub communities, plateau.development with central Scirpus lawns appears
to require a minimum of about 60 acres, achieving its full characteriza-
tion only at sites 130 acres or more in,size.

With increasing size, the peatlands have more evident and more simple
morphologies and community zonations. This is a direct result of the in-
creased ability of the raised peatland ecosystem, which receives its nutri-
ents andmoisture only from the atmosphere (except for the laggs, of course),
to ameliorate the localeffects of topography, ground water, and climate.

Of the sites recommended for evaluation as potential Critical Areas,
most are between 50 and 250 acres, the largest 420, the smallest 13*. The

Acreages given by Cameron (1975) for eight sites recommended by this re-
port average 17% less 'than the acreages determined here for the non-forested
portions of the peatlands (for three sites the'difference exceeds 30%)

non-forested portions of these sites are somewhat smaller,.occasionally
(as at Big Heath) considerably less. Ten of the sites have quite dis-
tinctively raised plateaus. The plateaus of Corea Heath, the "large unit"
of the Jonesport Heath, Larrabee Heath, Jonesport Heath North Unit, Great
Cranberry Island Heath and Kelley Heath are between 170 and 103 acres,
the South Trescott Heath, Kelley Point Peatland Complex, and West Jones-
port Heath plateaus are between 79 and 59 acres, and the extant plateau of
Carrying Place Cove Bog is about 22 acres in size.

Biota

Plant Communities

A plant community, as used here, is an assemblage of plants commonly
found together. The community is recognizable by its'constituent species
and.the relative abundance of the individual species. This section lists
the different kinds of communities and the different communites reported
for peatlands in the Coastal Region. The taxonomic relationships of some
of the communities are also noted.

Quantitative site specific vegetation descriptions of a very limited
number of coastal peatlands have been made by Osvald (1955, see also 1970),
Damman (1977), Thompson (1979), and Worley (1980b). Osvald gives species
lists and some cover-abundance values for a few stations at both'Carrying
Place Cove Bog and South Trescott Heath; Damman presents synthetic commun-
ities based upon cover-abundance values taken at a few stations at Jones-
port Heath and possibly at a few other sites in Maine as well as some New
Brunswick sites; Thompson lists percent cover values for plants at three
locations in the Central Peatlands of Great Wass Island, and two locations
in the Southwest Peatland of that island, as well as giving verbal community
descriptions in conjunction with a vegetation map of southern Great Wass
Island; and Worley in a description of the Shrub Slope peatlands of Great
Wass Island includes cover values for plants at a few locations in the
Southwest Peatland..

Very brief, non-quantitative vegetation notations are give by Bastin
and Davis (1909) for South Trescott Heath, Fernald and Wiegand (1910) and
Dachnowski-Stokes (1930) for Carrying Place Cove Bog, Dachnowski (1926) for
West Jonesport Heath, and Rigg (1940) for Harrington Heath.

Seven peatlands in the study area were visited by Davis (Bastin and
Davis 1909) in 1906, five being coastal raised peatlands. These are cited
again in Burr (1917) and in Davis (1909). The terms "moss bog" and "heath"
used by Davis do not distinguish different peatland types (Nichols 1919).

None of these studies is a detailed phytosociological work, and the
stations are very few in number and mostly subjectively chosen. Consequent-
ly, Dominance and Sub-dominance Vegetation Types (Worley and Sullivan 1979)
are quite incompletely enumerated. Furthermore, the amount of vegetation

variation perceived by one traversing a peatland clearly exceeds the
vegetation listing, there being considerable variation within the broad
community patterns presented here and by Damman (1977, 1979a,b, 1980).

Damman (1979a) contrasts the vegetation with its European counterparts
(see later in this report), and describes (Damman 1977, 1979b, 1980) the
eastern North American raised peatland vegetation pattern. The remainder
of this section reviews Damman's work, then adds Dominance Types from other
workers and from field work done in this study. This listing of Dominance
Types is grossly incomplete, especially for less frequent communities,
forest and tall shrub communities, lagg communities, and fen communities.

The principal communities of coastal raised peatlands can be grouped
in five categories: Dwarf Forest (Low Forest), Dwarf Shrub (Low Shrub),
Lawn, Mud Bottom, and Fen. Other categories remain to be described. The
most abundant communities (Dominance Types and Sub-Dominance Types) re-
cognized to date are:

Dwarf Forests
Black spruce (Picea mariana) - (sub-dominance not reported)

Dwarf Shrub Heaths
Sheep laurel (Kalmia angustifolia) - Sphagnum fuscum
Sheep laurel - naked*
Sheep laurel - lichen (Cladonia silvatica)
Black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) - Sphagnum fuscum
Black crowberry - naked*
Leather-leaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata) - naked
Dwarf huckleberry (Gaylussa7c-iadumosa) - S2hagnum spp.

Lawns
Scirpus cespitosus - Sphagnum fuscum
Scirpus cespitosus - Sphagnum rubellum

Mud Bottoms
Bladderwort (Utricularia cornuta) - liverwort (Cladopodiella
fluitans
Sphagnum. cuspidatum - naked

Fens
Three-leaved false Solomon's seal (Smilacina trifolia)
Sphagnum pulchrum
(other fens a@re -1isted below)

*"Naked" means there are no understory plants.

Dwarf Forests: Dwarf forest communities have not been studied, their
principal tree is black spruce, although tamarack (Larix laricina) may be
admixed.

Dwarf Shrub Heaths: The prominent dwarf shrub heath vegetation units
of ombrotrophic peatlands in the Coastal Region (Damman 1977, Table 1) of the
class Oxycocco - Sphagnetea, the Kalmia - Sphagnum fuscum heath and the
Empetrum - Sphagnum fuscum heath, belong to the Kalmio - Sphagnetum associ-
ation (Damman 1977, 1980; Pollett and Bridgewatp:-r-1973). This association
occurs throughout the raised peatland region of eastern North America to
some distance north and west of the St. Lawrence River (Damman 1980, Figure
3). Sheep laurel (Figure.7) is the dominant shrub, and Sphagnum fuscum
(Figure 8, a richly brown peat moss),.S. rubellum (a bright red or reddish-

MPETRUM

K. angustifolia

Ix 21/2
subsp, Eamesii
X 1/8

X V2
X 1/2 YX 2 '@@@X 2 V,
var. afropurpufeum

Figure 7. Sheep Figure 9. Black
laurel, Kalmia crowberry, Empetrum
ustifolia nigrum.

Figure 8. Sphagnum
fuscum (S. rubellum
looks much the same)

purple peat moss of similar size with
S. fuscum) or S. nemoreum prevail be-
neath; Cladonia species (lichens) are
often abundant, especially in burnt bogs
poor in Sphagnum.

The Kalmia anRustifolia - Sphagnum
fuscum community,- documented by Damman
S. cespilosus (1977, Table 1), is characterized by a
12-16 in. high dwarf shrub layer with
various understories. In the Coastal
Region the community contains additional
species' such as black crowberry (Figure
9), baked-apple berry (Figure 10),
Sphagnum flavicomans, and Icmadophila
ericetorum. Low black spruce, tamarack,
or even jack pine (Pinus banksiana) trees
and shrubs occur locally.

The Empetrum nigrum Sphagnum.
X2 X5 fuscum community, documented by Damman
1977, Table 1), is easily recognized by
the continuous, often "hollowless,"
Sphagnum fuscum carpet, the low height
(4 in. or so) of the sparse dwarf shrubs,
and the prominence of baked-apple berry
and black crowberry. In extreme coastal
X10 settings it may include abundant Sphagnum

Figure 11. Scirpus
-espitosus

imbricatum, scattered Scirpus cespitosus
(Figure 11), occasional sweet gale (Myrica
gAle, Figure 12), common juniper (Juniperus R. Chamaemorus
communis, Figure 13), and other species of
interest.

Osvald (1955, 1970) lists several
11sociation's" from coastal peatlands, a
sociation being a group of plants commonly XV2
found together, occupying a few square
feet or more, and generally equivalent to
11community" as used here. The dwarf Figure 10. Baked-apple
snrub sociations he lists are: berry, Rubus chamaemorus

Kalmia angustifolia Cladonia
silvatica sociation
Naked Kalmia angustifolia sociation
Naked Chamaedaphne calyculata soc-
iati-on
Empetrum nigrum - Sphagnum fuscum
sociation
Naked Empetrum. nigrum sociation

Fernald and Wiegand (1910) mention a
community dominated by dwarf huckleberry
(Figure 14) with an understory of Sphagnum M.Gale
spp., a community I have seen locally prom-
inent at sites very near the sea. Dach-
nowski (1926) noted at West Jonesport
Heath "a growth of low woody shrubs,
mainly Chamaedaphne, Andromeda,.Ledum, XY2
and Kalmia covers the surface but Empetrum
nigrum and Rubus.chamaemorus are also
abundant." The presence of bog rosemary
(Andromeda glaucophylla) may indicate Figure 12. Sweet gale,
recent burning prior to Dachnowski's Myrica gale
visit.

Osvald (1955, 1970), Damman
(1977), and Thompson (1979) list
many associated species in the
dwarf shrub heaths, whose' dominant
shrubs at most sites are sheep
laurel, Labrador tea (Ledum. Rroen-
landicum, Figure 15), Te-ather-leaf
(Chamaedaphne calyculata, Figure
Ik, 16), and/or black crowberry. Con-
siderable understory variation,
varying shrub composition, height,
/V@
and vigor, along with differences
in hummock-hollow topography pro-
vide diverse peatland physiognomy
and often are important in the
formation of vegetation pattern
on a peatland. These features are
J. communis yet to be documented in detail.
X Y2
Lawns: The prominent lawn
vegetation unit in the Coastal
Region (Damman 1977, Table 1) of
the class Oxycocco - Sphagnetea,
Figure 13. Common the Scirpus - Sphagnum fuscum
juniper, Juniperus lawn, belongs to the Scirpo -
communis Sphagnetum tenelli (Damman 1977,

G. dumosa

x 1/2

Figure 14. Dwarf huckleberry,
Gaylussacia dumosa

L. gr enlaild;cum

X2 x Y2 X2

Figure 15. Labrador tea,
Ledum groenlandicum

C. calyculara 1980; Wells 1976). Occurring in
oceanic and sub-oceanic regions
(Damman 1980, Figure 2)., notably
coastal eastern Maine, southwestern
and northeastern coastal New Bruns-
wick, most of Nova Scotia, and New-
foundland, this association is dis-
X2 tinguished (Damman 1980) by Scirpus
cespitosus, Sphagnum flavicomans,
S. te
19, nellum, Odontoschisma sphagni
X 61/2 X 1/2 (a liverwort), and the lichen
Cladonia terrae-novae; dwarf huckle-
berry and swamp-pink (Arethusa
bulbosa) have their optimum in this
association.
Figure 16. Leather-
leaf, Chamaedaphne The Scirpus cespitosus - Sphagnum
calyculata fuscum community, documented by
Damman (1977, Table 1) has abundant
Scirpus cespitosus above Sphagnum spp.

(variously S. rubellum, S. flavicomans, S. fuscum, and/or S. tenellum).
Topographic differences are seldom greater than 4-6 in. in these wet bog
flats and broad depressions.

Osvald .(1955, 1970) recognizes the lawns as the Scirpus cespitosus -
Sphagnum rubellum sociation. No other author describes them.

Scirpus cespitosus lawns are far more abundant,in neighboring Canada.,
and their expression in Maine varie,@ from site ... to site. It appears that
there are two principal variations.here: at several sites the Scirpus is
less dense, the topographyis more.hummocky, and Sphagnum fuscum and baked-
apple berry are more prominent, at other sites Scripus lawns occur margin-
ally. The species composition of the marginal lawns is not known.

Mud Bottoms: From the class Rhynchosporetum albae Damman (1977, 1980)
documents the coastal mud bottom.vegetation unit Utricularia - Cladopodiella.
Regional variation in mud bottom communities are not yet determined (Damman
1980), though the southern communities, as in Maine, are distinguished by the
absence of Carex limosa and Scheuchzeria palustris.

Damman (1977) describes the mud bottoms:

"This includes wet depressions with much bare
peat and areas with a very loose Sphagnum carpet. In
.this region Sphagnum cuspidatum is the most important
species in these carpets. The physiognomy varies
greatly depending on whether Sphagnum 9pp. or Clado-
podiella fluitans* are dominant, and whether Utri-
cularia cornuta** is in flower.. The vegetation of
the mud bottoms of the ombrotrophic bogs of this
region can probably best be included in two commu-
nities: the Rhynchospora alba Sphagnum cuspidatum
community*** and the Utricularia cornuta -.Clado-
podiella fluitans community. . . . The first occurs
primarily along the margins of pools and in depres-
sions with small water level changes or where the
Sphagnum mat can move with the water table. The
second community occupies the peaty depressions in
the bog. Both cover negligible areas in the bogs
of this region."

Figure 17.

Figure 18.

This community is not listed by Damman as occurring in the Coastal
Region, perhaps because of the limited development of ponds. I have seen
it along pools and minor stream courses in a few marginal fens or laggs.

U. cornuta

X Y2

Figure 17. The mud
bottom liverwort,
Cladopodiella fluitans V/2

Figure 18. Bladderwort,
Utricularia cornuta (the
basal portion with leaves
and bladders illustrated
is from a related species
vulgaris)

Nutrient-poor Fens: Also within the Oxycocco Sphagnetea is the
Smilacina - Sphagnum. pulchrum extremely nutrient-poor fen (Damman 1977,
TabTe -1) that occurs in the laggs of coastal raised peatlands. The Smi-
lacina trifolia - Sphagnum pulchrum community denotes the parts of ombro-
genic peatlands affected by minerotrophic ground'water, thus Sphagnum
papillosum, S. apiculatum, and S. flavicomans are also important. The
brightly colored, green to yellow-green leaves of the three-leaved false
Solomon's seal (Smilacina trifolia, Figure 19) clearly distinguish this
community, and hence the influence of ground water.

Thompson (1979) records several fens at Great Wass Island:

a) Carex exilis (Figure 20) fen with common Scirpus cespitosus,.
Eriophorum angustifolium and Rhynchospora alba.

C. ex*l's

S. trifolia

X YZ

Figure 19. Three-leaved X2
false Solomon's seal, Smilacina
trifolia

X X V2

E. angustifolium
Figure 20. Carex exilis

16
b) Eriophorum angustifolium (Figure
21),
virginicum, Scirpus ces
X10 pitosus fen.

c) Rhynchospora alba (Figure 22) fen
with common Eriophorum angusti-
folium, E. spissum, Carex paucl-
flora, and Eriophorum virginicum.

d) Carex trisperma, Eriophorum vir-
V ginicum,.K. angustifolium fen
with Rhynchospora alba, Scirpus
cespitosus and Smilacina trifolia.

X2 X10 e) As (d) except that shrubs (Myrica
XY2 gale, Kalmia angustifolia, Pyrus
floribunda and Chamaedaphne
culata) are more abundant.
Figure 21. Cotton-grass, Juncus gerardi is also present.
Eriophorum angustifolium

f) Scirpus cespitosus, Carex exilis,
Empetrum nigrum, Sphagnum spp. poor
fen.

Other prominent fen communities, some on
ombrogenic peats, include those dominated by
leather-leaf, rhodora (Rhododendron canadense,
Figure 23), sweet gale (Myrica gale), speckled
alder (Alnus rugosa), black spruce, tamarack,
norther7n whiCe-cedar (Thuia occidentalis),
and blue-joint grass (Calamagrostis canadensis,
Figure 24). The species compositions of these
communities are not known.

R. alba

X/2

Figure 22. Beak-rush,
Rhynchospora alba

R.canadense

X Y2

Figure 23. Rhodora, Rhododendron
canadense

X10

'X,O C. canadensis
X Ie2

Figure 24. Blue-joint grass,
Calamagrostis canadensis

Damman (1980, Table 1), with lists of species, shows the major floristic
differences in eastern North America among dwarf shrub, lawn, and mud bottom
communities of the raised portions of the ombrotrophic peatlands:

Species essentially restrictedto dwarf shrub communities
Sphagnum fuscum Gaylussacia baccata
Kalmia angustifolia Rubus chamaemorus
Vaccinium angustifolium Sphagnum imbricatum
Empetrum nigrum Polytrichum strictum
Dicranum bergeri Cladonia arbuscula
Cladonia alpestris

Species essentially.restricted to lawn communities
Scirpus cespitosus Odontoschisma. sphagni
Sphagnum rubellum Gaylussacia dumosa
Carex oligosperma Arethusa bulbosa
Cladonia terrae-novae

Species essentially restricted to mud bottom communities
Utricularia cornuta Cladopodiella fluitans
Drosera intermedia Sphagnum cuspidatum

Species of both lawn and mud bottom communities
Eriophorum virginicum Sphagnum tenellum
Rhynchospora alba

Species of both dwarf shrub and lawn communities, with sporadic
occurrence in mud bottom communities
Chamaedaphne calyculata Vaccinium. oxycoccos
Eriophorum spissum Sphagnum rubellum
Cephalozia connivens Kalmia polifolia
Drosera rotundifolia Ledum.groenlandicum
Sphagnum magellanicum Microlepidozia setacea
Sarracenia purpurea Andromeda glaucophylla
Aronia floribunda Mylia anomala
Pohlia nutans

Additional species are listed by Damman (1977), Thompson (1979),
Worley (1980b), and Osvald (1955, 1970) for a total in excess of 100
specie's that are reported to grow on ombrogenic peatlands in the Coastal
Region.

Rare or Restricted Flora

Unlike the coastal peatlands of British Columbia and Alaska, which
have abundant rare,,restricted, endemic and highly disjunct vascular and
crytogamic species (Schofield-196-9-a-;___Woi@le_y IM, 197-4, 1�86c_; S.tre-veler-*
et al. 1974), the coastal peatlands of Maine are exceptionally barren of
biogeographically interesting species,. a phenomenon noted by Fernald and
Wiegand (1910) who described the region as "the sterile coastal region of
eastern Maine."

The most prominent such species are black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum
sensu lato), baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus), and Scirpus cespitosus.
In Maine the first two are abundant along the eastern coast and locally
abundant on some mountains. Black crowberry also grows on some hummocks
of a few large inland raised peatlands. Scirpus cespitosus grows only very
locally on ombrotrophic peats in the inland, whereas it is common and
abundant throughout most of the state in various minerotrophic settings.

A moderate search of bryophyte literature, concentrating on the
liverworts among which are many of the most interesting disjunctions of
peatland plants (Worley 1972, 1980c), failed to produce any non-Sphagnaceous
species of the coastal peatlands whose distributions were noteworthy. No
such species were located at any of the sites, at least 15 minutes of each
visitation being spent looking at bryophytes (mostly in the most ombrotrophic
locations, and in and adjacent to ponds, wet depressions, and relatively wet
areas).

Damman (1977) comments on four Sphagnum species that are far more abun-
,dant in the Coastal Region than inland: S. flavicomans, S. tenellum, S.

imbricatum, and S. pulchrum.

Among vascular plants Damman .(1977) notes that three species, sweet
gale (Myrica gale), bayberry (M. pensylvanica), and common juniper (iHall_
erus communis) are "restricted to mineral soils and minerotrophic bog
borders" in Maine, but "in the immediate vicinity of the coast they can
be found also on ombrotrophic peat." I agree except that I have never
seen the common juniper on a "minerotrophic bog border." Records compiled
in this study list common juniper at only seven peatlands, all in the most
maritime parts of the study area, very near open ocean:

Big Heath, Acadia National Park
Great Cranberry Island Heath
Corea Heath
Central Peatlands, Great Wass Island
Southwest Peatland, Great Wass Island
Boot Cove Heath
Carrying Place Cove Bog

Fiv e vascular plant species listed by Eastman (1978) as rare in Maine
grow in peatlands of the Coastal Region. Baked-apple'berry is discussed
below, as is Empetrum atropurpureum. Only 28 citations are given for the
entire state for swamp-pink (Arethusa bulbosa). There must be at least
2-3 times that many peatlands in the Coastal Region with this species. My
visitations generally were after flowering times for this orchid, so no
notations were kept. Orchids, incidentally, appeared.to be locally abun-
dant in all coastal raised peatlands.

Also listed by Eastman is Geocaulon lividum; 11 collections are noted,
9 from interior mountains, 1 from "peat bog, Roque Bluffs," and one from
"heath at base of West Quoddy Head, Lubec" (the last two citations based
upon Fernald and Wiegand (1910). Stern (1979) has found G. lividum to be
not rare as formerly believed in the Mahoosuc Range of Maine and New Hamp-
shire. Similarly, this species probably grows at many or most coastal
raised peatlands. I am unfamiliar with the species, and did not seek it
out. The fifth species listed by Eastman, Carex rariflora, is only known
in Maine from "Bog, Petit Manan."

Lycopodium annotinum var. pungens was recorded by Fernald and Wiegand
(1910) on ombrotrophic peats at Boot Cove Heath and on Great Wass Island;
I found plants ascribable to this variety at the North Cutler Heaths.

Skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus -foetidus) occurs in several counties of
Maine (Hyland, pers. comm.), but is most common along the coast (Eastman,
pers. comm.). Most frequently a plant of wet meadows, woods, and thickets,
the plants become "sparse or absent" in the Sphagnous areas of peatlands
(Hyland, pers. comm.) except on some islands at the eastern limit of its
range, including Harbor Island in Muscongus Bay, Isle au Haut, Mount Desert
'Island, and Great Cranberry Isle (Eastman, pers. comm.), where plants grow
among Sphagnum along with swamp-pink, snake-mouth (Pogonia o hioglosso ides)-,---
Op
and pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea At least at Big Heath on Mount Desert
Island, this habitat is ombrotrophic.

Jack pine (Pinus banksiana) is listed by Eastman (1978) from a number
of sites scattered thr@o`ughout the state, none peatlands. It is known in the
Coastal Region in abundance on the Central Peatlands of Great Wass Island,
sparsely scattered on other Great Wass Island peatlands, rarely on the
margins of Corea Heath (Tyler, pers. comm.).

Baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus), according to Eastman (1978) has
been collected 15 times within the study area in 8-10 different peatlands
that span the Coastal Region from "Bog in direction of West Quoddy Head near
sea" to "Great Heath, Great Cranberry Island." A few montane sites are re,-.-.
ported by Eastman (1978), Fawey (1976), Marchand (1977), and May and Davis'
(1978). Some 114 peatlands considered in this study very likely contain this
species. At 38 of these sites visited all had the species, often in consid-
erable abundance. The range of the species extends from the small peatland
in the center of West Quoddy Head, to Big Heath at the southern tip of Mount
Desert Island (where it flowers, but does not fruit). It rarely occurs
inland of the Coastal Region. The robustness of baked-apple berry corresponds
to shrub canopy (and perhaps jointly to nutrient availability), possibly re-
flecting insolation requirements. However, even the smallest plants in the
most shrub-free, exposed sites may fruit abundantly.

This study made no attempt to distinguish species, subspecies, or var-
ieties of Empetrum. Eastman (1978) accepts Empetrum atropurpureum Fern. &
Wieg., noting its occurrence at 11.1ocations in the state, 5 being in the
Coastal Region, including 2-3 peatland sites (Harrington Heath, a heath
on Great Wass Island, and a citation for the Jonesport area without habitat
indication). Damman (1977) considers Empetrum nigrum sensu lato, and states
that it "occurs commonly throughout eastern North America, and is the only
Empetrum in the bogs described here." All Empetrum plants encountered in
this study are considered Empetrum nigrum sensu lato, following Damman (1977).

Curly grass fern (Schizaea pusilla , whose disjunct North America
population (New Jersey Pine Barrens, Nova Scotia, Bruce County, Ontario) is
well known but lacks suitable explanation, was sought with diligence but not
found.

Aesthetic Flora

The diversity of habitats in peatlands, coupled with the vistas pos-
sible by their openness, provide many showy blossoms, spectacular and subtle
foliage displays, dwarf forests and natural bonsai trees, and frequent
occurrences of the intriguing carnivorous plants.

Foremost in beauty to many people are the intricate flowers of the
several species of orchids that inhabit the peatlands. Most common are
grass-pink (Calopogon pulchellus, Figure 25) and swamp-pink (Arethusa
bulbosa, Figure 26), whose bright reddish-pink flowers in some years are
in considerable abundance.

Colorful lilac-purple and
golden displays of bog aster (Aster
nemoralis) and bog goldenrod (Soli-
IE@o uliginosa, Figure 27) vary seasonally.
Baked-apple berry (Rubus chamae-
morus) has a delical-ewhi-teflower
Th-at when in abundance is especially
attractive. Water lilies Nuphar
variegatum) are scarce in the Coast-
al Region, but flower with typical
lushness. Wherever they occur,
especially in laggs, marginal fens,
and in mud bottom communities,
bladderworts (Utricularia cornuta)
often produce copious, brilliant

61
X1

C. pulchellus

x 1/2

Figure 25. Grass-pink,
Calopogon pulchellus

yellow flowers that stand as dwarf
meadows of color above shallow
water. The large, curiously shaped
flowers of the ubiquitous and often
abundant pitcher plant (Sarracenia
purpureat Figure 28) nod above the
40,x I
Sphagnum carpets, while the minia-
bulbosa X,/. ture sundews (Drosera intermedia,
Figure 29, and D. rotundifolia,
Figure 30) flowers must be sought
at close inspection.

Figure 26. Swamp-pink, Most of the shrubs have color-
Arethusa bulbosa ful and fragrant blossoms, whose

shapes range from the expanded petals of the
laurels to the pendant bells of the blue-
berries. The red-pink laurel flowers (Kalmia
angustifolia and K. polifolia) ofttimes color
entire peatlands. Rhodora (Rhododendron
canadense) blooms before its leaves flush in
the spring, and in warm autumns there may be
a second flowering. Black chokeberry (Pyrus
melanocarpa flowers appear as white stars
amid green and brown leaves and mosses. Less
showy at a distance, but with great grace and
subtleness of design and color at closer in-
spection, are the flowers of the blueberries
(Vaccinum angustifolium), huckleberries

X2
S. Uligino a

Figure 27. Bog
goldenrod, Solidago
uliginosa

(Gaylussacia dumosa and G. baccata),
cranberries (Vaccinium oxycoccos, Figure
31, and V. macrocarpon), black crowberry
(Empetrum nigrum), and Labrador tea
(Ledum groenlandicum).
X/2
The three genera of carnivorous
plants have quite different and re-
markable entrapment mechanisms. The
specialized cone-shaped leaves of the
pitcher plant have hairs along the
inside that prevent certain insects
from departing. Digestion takes place
enzymatically in the water solution S. purpurea
within the bottom of the leaf. Other
insects and spiders use the leaf for
protection, including a moth that
drains the leaf and sews it shut to Figure 28. Pitcher plant,
form a home for its larvae. Sarracenia purpurea

I.A Y*rl

x 1/2
x 1/2
D. intermedia
D rotundifolia

Figure 29. Intermediate- Figure 30. Round-leaved
leaved sundew, Drosera sundew, Drosera rotundifolia
intermedia

The sticky hairs that protrude
from the leaves of the sundews not
only can snare an insect, but ad-
jacent hairs further constrain the
captive, which is digested as it is
held tighly to the surface of the
leaf. Unlike these passive carni-
vores, the bladderworts (Utricularia
spp.) actively trap their prey in
minature buckets.

Summer foliage colors are most
V. OXYCOCCUS attractive close at hand, where the
myriad of Sphagnum. hues - greens,
golds, yellows, reds, purples, and
browns - provide backdrop for the
green, greenish brown, and sometimes
purplish green leaves of shrubs and
herbs. Deep red pitcher plants may
X1 XI/2 locally dominate the landscape, while
Figure 31. Small cranberry, small, reddish entrapment leaves of
Vaccinium oxycoccos sundews, with their sticky droplets,
glisten at ground's surface.

With the advent of autumn the dwarf shrubs trade greenness for reddish,
purplish,and brownish shades. The most striking of all the autumnal foliage,
the brilliant scarlets and reds of the huckleberries and blueberries rival any
deciduous forest for sheer intensity and depth of coloration. More subtle,
but rich in its purplish tint, rhodora highlights many peatland margins.

Many persons enjoy the flowers and.fruits of bog sedges and grasses.
The star-like cluster of fruits atop beak-rush (Rhynchospora alba) are esp-
ecially notable. A bane to deer hunters, the arching stalks of blue-joint
grass (Calamagrostis canadensis) in marginal fens are especially attractive
to those who delight watching waves of wind sway the tall grasses.

The broad, open landscape of peatlands often is accentuated by dwarfed
trees, primarily black spruce. At some sites a miniature forest has formed,
most of which lies below the height of man. In extremes of nutrient defi-
ciency and maritime climate, dwarfed and stunted trees form natural bonsai.
Both dwarf forests and bonsai take on an aura of mysteriousness when envel-
oped in the frequent fog of their oceanic habitat.

Edible Plants

Peatlands produce several kinds of importan@ and tasty small fruits.
The Coastal Region is the only place in the eastern United States where
baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus) grows with sufficient abundance to
harvest. Considered a delicacy by some (especially in Scandinavia), it is
used as a table fruit, in desserts, in preserves, and in the production of
cloud--berry (another of its common names) liqueur. Once picked locally
with commonness, most baked-apple berries in the Coastal Region now go
unpicked. Several local persons talked about how their parents used to
pick pailfuls of the berries, but at present there are few actual pickers.

In the earlier parts of this century many of the peatlands were burned
periodically to enhance blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) production.
Commercial and personal blueberry fields on uplands have become so highly
developed that most peatland blueberry burning in the Coastal Region bas
been abandoned,. as has the picking of blueberries there.

The cranberries (Vaccinium oxycoccos and V. macrocarpon) were formerly
sought much more commonly than now. With the availability of commercial
cranberries few persons now put forth the effort required to harvest the
scattered berries of the small cranberry @_V- oxycoccos) from among the
Sphagnum mat, or of the larger cranberry (_V. macrocarpon) which is in-
frequently, but sometimes locally abundant in wetter places at peatland
margins.

A few persons seek out black crowberry (Empetrum nig for pre-
serves or desserts. Locally large quantities can be hand picked on many
of the most coastal peatlands.

The fragrant leaves of Labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum) are har-

vested occasionally for local use, or to be commercially packaged for sale
in herbal or health food markets.

Foraging classes from the University of Maine have learned edible plants
of peatlands during study trips to Great.Wass Island.

In former times, as recorded by colonists and later observers, local
Indians used nearly every peatland plant for some purpose (Kovacs 1979).
For example, Sphagnum served as diapers for babies, the berry crops for
food, and the rarer plants for medicinal or spiritual needs. The early
colonists used the berry crops for desserts and preserves, and tried
nearly every other plant as aremedy for diarrhea and other internal dis-
orders.

Faun-a

Site visitations were too brief to assess fauna other than exceedingly
casually, and no attempt was made to research faunal constituents.

Some coastal peatlands have numerous deer trails, including trans-
portation trails crossing directly from one boundary to another, and
reticulate graze and browse trails in shrublands (Worley 1980a). Deer
herbivory appears minor, important only in dense thickets of shrubs 2-5
feet tall.

Other mammal use appears light. No mammals were seen during any of
my visitations (all made during daylight); medium and small-sized mammal
trails,runways, and dens were scarce, restricted to sparse mouse or vole
runways. The small mammal sign approximated that seen in coastal peatlands
insoutheastern Alaska during years with population lows (Terry 1977).

Birds were not observed to be abundant constituents in summer, except
for a resident population of gulls at West Jonesport Heath, and occasional
gulls at sites adjacent to shorelines. Gull middens include the remains of
clams, sea urchins, and other intertidal organisms. Plant growth (usually
hummock tops) is locally enriched by the nitrogen and calcium-rich debris,
but is,occasionally killed by excessive guano.

At Carrying Place Cove Bog swallows (probably bank swallows) nest in
the vertical, sea-cut peat cliff.

Other birds in the open peatlands were very low in density during any
of my visits (June, July, and September). Often no birds were heard for
long periods. Very occasionally a few smaller passerines (including sparrows)
would flit about the dwarf shrub communities. No nests were noted in any
open peatland; occasional nests were noted where woody vegetation exceeded
3 feet in height. Where trees were present, bird diversity and frequency
increased rapidly with increasing canopy closure. Raptor use appeared
limited; occasional hawks hunted in a few of the open.peatlands, and at
the North Cutler Heath a single hawk defended territory (possibly a nest-

ing site) in the open peatlands. Other than the gulls, no sign or sight-
ings of shorebirds or waterfowl were discovered, except, as can be expected,
at the shores of sea-cut sites and at the beaver pond of Larrabee.Heath.
Some use of the open peatlands by migrating species can be expected. Palm
warblers and Lincoln sparrows are known at Big Heath,,Mount Desert Island,
the former is also known on Great Wass Island.

Invertebrates were not enumerated. Insectivorous plants had ample
prey. Ant colonies occasionally inhabit higher hummocks with bog haircap
moss (Polytrichum strictum), as they do in Alaska as well (Worley 1977).
Spiders were seen in typical abundance. Biting insects are much less
numerous than at inland wetlands.

Origin and Deposits

Sufficiently detailed surficial geological information was not avail-
able for sites to permit description of relationships between the - surficial
geomorphology and the ontogeny and maintenance of the peatlands.

Limited basal substrate data by Dachnowski (1929), Dachnowski-Stokes
(1930), Osvald (1955, 1970), and Cameron (1975) suggest that the coastal
peatlands may have initiated in marshes, shallow lakes, or even outwash
flats with high water tables. Initiation likely required standing water
or persistent surface water tables, but upon peatland establishment paludi-
fication of surrounding terrain became possible.

Of the sites in the Coastal Region sampled by Cameron (1975) the
underlying mineral substrate is sand at 30% of the sites, and clay at
80% of the sites. The origins of the sands and clays were not. determined.

In nearby New Brunswick coastal peatlands appear to have needed only
very small, shallow ponds for their initiation (Korpijaakko and Radforth
1972), whereas the importance of initial water bodies becomes more important
at more inland sites. Paludification of mineral terrain then quickly fol-
lowed in coastalregions as Spha_gnum growth in the coastal environment caused
the building up and lateral expansion of the raised bogs (Figure 32).

The initiation of these peatlands began shortly after the.retreat of
the sea following the close of the Pleistocene. Kennedy (1963) determined
that peatlands near Belfast and Bangor,also requiring ocean retreat for
their beginnings, have basal peats 9648 and 9748 years old as determined by
radiocarbon dating. . St. Andrews Bog, only a few miles into New Bruns-
wick from the Maine border, at an elevation of about 280 feet above present
sea level, has basal peats 7230 years old (Korpijaakko and Radforth 1972).

Peat deposits in the Coastal Region do not occupy deep basins, and
are not,known to exceed 18 feet in thickness, which includes raised peats
that extend above basin limits.

For 10 sites* sampled by Cameron (1975) in the Coastal Region there
is no correlation between acreage and either maximum or average depth of
peat. The maximum depths range from 8 to 18 feet (mean = 12) and the
average depths of peat range from 5-9 feet (mean = 6.1 feet)**. There
is a very weak correlation between maximum peat depth and the average
peat depth, suggesting the maximum to be twice the average. This cor-
relation may be an artifact of the sampling technique. For sites with
"Sphagnum moss peat" the maximum thickness ranges from 8 to 18 feet, with
a mean of 10.3 feet; these sites have maximum peat depths ranging from
8-18 feet as well, with a mean maximum peat depth of 12 feet. The ter-
tiary peats account for an average of 81% of the maximum depths. Thus,
one may generalize for the region then, that tertiary peatlands generally
have raised their local landscapes and water table 10 feet or more.

Data allowing a determination of lateral expansion beyond the basin
in which'the peatland initiated are almost lacking. Illustrations by
Damman (1977) and Osvald (1955) indicate such.expansion in cross-sectional
diagrams, but complete basins are not figured. Osvald (19,55) shows the
ability of the tertiary peats to lateraily ascend upland (Figure 32,
South Trescott Heath), in this case extending nearly 800 feet ENE of the
initiating.basin, to an elevation some 9.2 feet above the original water
level of the pond.

Osvald's (1955) profiles of the South Trescott Heath and the Carrying
Place Cove Bog show a developmental sequence of shallow pond or marsh
(cf. Dachnowski 1929), then sedge-Sphagnum fen in the primary basin and
producing secondary peats. Both sites were at least partly wooded there-
after,. a "swampy wood" at South Trescott, and trees atop'Sphagnum fuscum
bog at Carrying Place Cove Bog. Since that time tertiary peats have
elevated the growing surfaces as much as 15 feet.

Where peats are thickest at the 10 peatlands sampled by Cameron (1975),
four have "Sphagnum Moss Peat" from the surface to the base,,three have
"Peat" from the surface to the base, and three have Sphagnum Moss Peat over-
lying Peat, the former usually more than half the profile.. Commonly the
maximum depth recorded is very nearly the depth of tertiary peats. Thus,
the illustrations of Osvald (1955) may apply generally in the Coastal Region,

Not included are several of the largest sites, notably the Jonesport
Heath which is excluded by the U.S.G.S. policy of not providing data on
active mines or their reserves.

Maximum depths of peat at South Trescott Heath are 15 feet (Osvald 1955,
Cameron 1975). Based upon Osvald's work the average depth is 10.7 feet,
Bastin and Davis (1909) reported 6 holes with an average depth of 10.1 feet,
whereas Cameron (1975) gives an average depth of 5 feet.

2 4 S 6

WSW ENE

'L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L_ L L

1 2 3 4

F7 N S

L I- L L "L_ L

Fig. 1. Transect profiles through South Trescott Bog from the south-western margin to the north-eastern (above) and through Carrying
Place Cove Bog (below to the right). In both profiles the points where the soundings were made are Indicated by vertical U'nes. The
points are numbered from the left-hand side.
Legend- 1 - Sphagnum peat, slightly decomposed; 2 - Sphagnum peat, well decomposed, and wood-Sphognum peat with ]ayers of
charcoal and ash; 3 sedge peat and Sphagnum - sedge peat; 4 - fine-detritus and coarse-detritus g.%Atja; 5 - sand; 6 clay.
Height to length scale 10 : 1.

Figure 32. Cross-sections of South Trescott Heath and
Carrying Place Cove Bog. Reproduced from Osvald (1955).

Ln
Ln

the'peatlands originating in shallow depressions without deep water. Pre-
sumably, the conversion from shallow water or wetland to peatland was
relatively rapid, with tertiary peat deposition having begun shortly there-
after. Dating by radiocarbon, subfossils, or other means is necessary to
determine the actual historical sequence.

Maximum depths of peat at Carrying Place Cove Bog range from 17 to
20.5 feet (Osvald 1955, Cameron 1975). Upper layers of the bog are Peat
according to Cameron's'classification and are little decomposed, having
von Post* values of 1-4 (Osvald 1955). Lower layers are more decomposed
with von Post values of 6-10 (Osvald 1555). At South Trescott Heath, the
Sphagnum. Moss Peat (Cameron 1975) in the upper seven feet has von Post
values of 2-4 and 5-8 (Osvald 1955), whereas the lower Peats (Cameron
1975) are well decomposed, with von Post values of 6-10 (Osvald 1955).
A few additional peat characteristics for these and a few other sites are
provided by Cameron (1975) and Bastin and Davis (1909).

The vigorous plant growth of dwarf shrub heath communities (as evi-
denced by a lack of bare peat and abundant-lichens, and by closely spaced,
relatively tall shrubs and/or a nearly complete Sphagnum. ground cover) on
some of the sites with the deepest peats (e.g., Larrabee, West Jonesport,
and South Trescott Heaths) as well as many of the less deep sites suggests
active deposition of tertiary peats and a continuing increase in peatland
height.

Undisturbed sites with clearly defined central areas with Scirpus
lawn communities (notably theJonesport Heath, Jonesport Heath North Unit,
Kelley Point Peatland Complex, and Carrying Place Cove Bog) may be at an
equilibrium (Osvald 1955, Damman 1977) with the losses of organic materials
equal to biomass production, at least in the lawn regions - lateral ex-
pansion of the peatlands.continues.

Pollen and other materials within the peat deposits have not been
studied for peatlands of the Coastal Region; however, Korpijaakko and
Radforth (1972, Figure 6) correlate pollen zones from southern Connecticut
(M. B. Davis 1969), northeastern United States (Deevey and Flint 1957),
St. Lawrence Lowlands (Potzger and Courtemance 1953, 1956; Terasmae 1960),
Nova Scotia (Livingstone 1968), and southern Finland (Donner 1969) with
their own work from New Brunswick. There is considerable agreement, with
principal changes in pollen composition roughly 9900, 9400, 8500, 7700,
6800, 5000, and 2300 years ago. Presumably most of the pollen changes
indicate ecological responses to climatic shifts. Thus, one would expect
peatland character to have changed as well, although this is little doc-
umented in the Coastal Region (c.f. Osvald 1955, Dachnowski-Stokes 1930,
and Korpijaakko and Radforth 1972).

The Potzger and Friesner (1948) palynological studies at six peatlands
from northern Mount Desert Island to west of Rockport just outside of the
Coastal Region yielded similar results.

See Glossary

Ecology

Hydrologic Effects

In eastern North American ombrotrophic peatlands, hydrology determines
the relative abundance of the three major structural and floristic vegetation
units (Figure 33) according to Damman (1980):

a) mud bottom and soft carpet communities in hollows
b) dwarf shrub heath dominated hummocks, and
c) lawn and solid carpet communities that occupy an
intermediate position.

A fourth unit, forest communities on ombrotrophic peatlands, is not dis-
cussed by Damman.

The major.hydrologic factors are (Damman 1977, 1980):

a) the prevailing water level during the growing season,
b) the summer low water level, and
c) the ice buildup and spring high water level of the
frozen peatland.

Damman (1977, 1980) has determined that the upper levels of the mud
bottom communities are about V@ in. above prevailing summer water tables.
Lawn communities have a lower limit below the summer high water levels and
an upper limit at the maximum spring water level.. The dwarf shrub commun-
ities are above the maximum spring water level, or ice level, and in inland
regions where water tables are lower two levels of dwarf shrub communities
can be distinguished. Since at more inland sites the minimum summer water
levels are often two feet below the surface, ericaceous dwarf shrub com-
mun,ities predominate But in humid regions, such as the flat surface of
coastal plateau peatlands, lawn and mud bottom communities predominate.

In addition to these effects of hydrology upon the ombrotrophic vege-
tation units, water plays a major role as the conveyor of nutrients; thus,
major vegetation changes are attributable to the seasonal extent and height
of mineral ground water and to its relative abundance of various nutrients
(Damman 1979a, Moore and Bellamy 1975, DuRietz 1949). The resultant mar-
ginal communities, laggs,. fens, and drainage ways are discussed elsewhere in
this report.

Climatic Effects

Damman (1979b), in speaking of peatlands in general, and ombrotrophic
peatlands in particular, notes that:

DWARF SHRUB
25 cm ABOVE
SUMMER HIGH W.T COMMUNITIES

SPHAGNETALIA FUSCI

HIGH W.T. FR02EN BOG

(ICE LEVEL)

LAWN a CARPET

COMMUNITIES

SUMMER HIGH W.T.

MUD BOTTOMS
AVERAGE SUMMER WT
RHYNCHOSPORION

Figure 33. Relation between major
physiognomic vegetation units of the
ombrotrophic bog plain and water table
positions. A relative water level
scale is used because the actual dif-
ference between water level positions
depends on climate. Illustration and
caption from Damman (1980, Figure 1).

"Peatland development is controlled by climate,
nutrient supply, and topography (von Post and
Granlund 1926). The importance of topography and
nutrient supply decreases as a peatland develops,
and therefore regional differences in peatland
properties reflect to a large extent changes in
climatic conditions."

The principal climatic agents (Thompson 1979, Johnson 1977, Damman
1977, 1979b) responsible for the topography and vegetation of the Coastal
Region peatlands are the low evapotranspiration in conjunction with cool
temperatures during the growing season, high fog frequency, high precipi-
,tation, intermittent winter snow cover, and the higher mineral content in
precipitation near the sea.

Low evapotranspiration with an abundant atmospheric water source
(Damman 1977 notes that there should not be "an average annual water
'deficiency based upon 10 cm storage") permits the formation of raised
bogs. The lack of drought, the frequency of fog, and cool temperatures
in the growing season (which restricts evapotranspiration, shortens the
growing season, and slows growth) contribute to the persistent high water
tables throughout the raised peatlands, and "as limiting factors, all of
these would affect peat growth equally throughout the bog and thus could
account for the flat bog surface" (Damman 1977).

The lack of dwarf shrub heath dominated communities in the central
regions of the larger,.least protected peatlands appears to be a result,
at least in large part, of the intermittent and erratic snow cover. Most
of the evergreen dwarf shrubs are subject to winter injury where there
are cold winters with little or erratic snow cover. Thus, (Damman 1979a)
the procumbent black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) benefits from the reduced
competition of ericaceous dwarf shrubs, and a dense, uniform moss carpet
of -Sphagnum fuscum, sometimes with S. flavicomans and S. imbricatum
develops, or, in wetter or disturbed sites Scirpus cespitosus lawns, often
with S. fuscum or S. rubellum, dominate.

Moreover, the thin, sporadic snow cover allows frost to form deeply,
and to persist in hummocks until late May, or even as late as early.July
in the northeasternmost portions of the Coastal Region. Thus, in spite of
the milder winters than at inland sites (in terms of depth of snow and
extremes of low temperatures) the centers of the large coastal peatlands
have harsh growing conditions, both above and below the ground surface.

Climatic effects upon individual species vary. The coastal distri-
bution of black crowberry and baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus) seems
related to cool summer temperatures; dwarf huckleberry (Gaylussacia dumosa),
appears favored by longer vegetative season, and the distribution of
Scirpus cespitosus and bog goldenrod ( 'Solidago uliginosa) may reflect the
availability of nutrients in the ocean derived precipitation.

Peatland Variation

Within the Coastal Region of Maine, only a very few sites completely
fulfill the description presented by Damman (1977), which is based upon
the Jonesport Heath. Since, as noted previously, within a given regional
climatic zone the fullest expression of a peatland type occurs in the
largest peatlands in the region, it is correct to choose the Jonesport
Heath to typify the Coastal Plateau Peatland type, and then to discuss
variation of the type as it is expressed by smaller peatlands as one
reaches and leaves the borders of the climatic zone.

Variation due to decreasing peatland size within the climatic zone:
The three northernmost plateaus of the Jonesport Heath, especially the
Ornorth unit" (about 128 acres) and the "largest unit" (about 156 acres),
most fully display the characteristics of the Coastal Plateau Peatland
type; the "largest unit" serves as Damman's typifying example. In the
United States only Kelley Point Peatland Complex and Carrying Place Cove
Bog also fulfill the typical Coastal Plateau Bog type in morphology,
structure of the plant communities, and community zonation. The plateau
of the Kelley Point Peatland Complex is about 70 acres, with the prin-
cipal variation from the Jonesport Heath being in the decreased acreage
of the communities. The plateau of Carrying Place Cove Bog (about 22
acres) was formerly considerably larger, 'perhaps many times as large
(Osvald 1955, Dachnowski-Stokes 1930). The accentuated drainage caused
by the marine erosion to the north may have altered the proportion of
community types. The principal variation from the Jonesport Heath is
that the Scirpus lawns occupy a considerably larger proportion of the ex-
isting plateau and are less obviously central (the center of the original
plateau is not possible to determine because of the erosion from the north
and the burying by beach deposits from the south.

The Corea Heath (170+ acres of plateau) and Kelley Heath (100+ acres
of plateau) may have displayed typical Coastal Plateau Bog characteristics,
but human disturbance has changed the vegetation pattern.

Smaller peatlands seem to follow three trends. At the North Cutler
Heaths there is a large Scirpus lawn phenomenon centrally located, but the
plateau morphology and the subsequent control of community location by mor-
phology is not nearly as distinct as at the Jonesport Heath. In fact, it
appears that the Scirpus lawn and.Em2etrum nigrum -.Sphagnum fuscum commun-
ities are rather blended into a single community (or mosaic) occupying the
entire central region of the largest open area of the site (30+ acres).
This feature occurs less prominently at other sites, all equally near or
nearer to the sea, such as Boot Cove Heath (20 acres or less) and part of
the Southwest Heath of Great Wass Island (10-20 acres with this feature).

A second trend can be found at peatlands somewhat nearer to the sea
than the Jonesport Heath, wherein Scirpus-dominated communities occur not
centrally upon a plateau, but are along the upper margins of the peatland.
This is best expressed at the westernmost of the three peatlands forming
the "Central Peatlands" of Great Wass Island, and at Great Cranberry Island
Heath.

The third trend with decreasing size is the progressive absence of the
coastal communities. South Trescott Heath, especially the eastern plateau
(about 50 acres), exhibits typical morphology, plant communities, and plant
community zonation except there are.no Scirpus lawns. West Jonesport Heath
(about 60 acres) and Moose River Heath (30-40 acres) have.no Scirpus lawns,
and limited development of the Empetrum nigrum - Sphagnum fuscum community,
which is restricted to near the upper elevations of these offset plateaus.
Finally, at many of the smaller and smallest peatlands in the region (such
as West Quoddy Head Heath, and the peatlands 0 5 miles east of Little
Machias, on the west side of the road 0.8 miles north of Roque Bluffs, and
between Youngs Point and Corea Harbor), there are no Scirpus lawns, and the
Empetrum nigrum - Sphagnum fuscum development is scattered, sometimes
more-or-less centrally located, but usually as individual hummocks rather
than discrete zones.

Factors contributing to tree (mostly black spruce and tamarack, rarely
jack pine) growth on the raised peatlands of the Coastal Region are essen-
tially unknown, although Damman (1977) discusses nutrient availability,
water rielations, and fire as possible controlling factors. In general, the
larger the coastal peatland, the fewer thetrees, except at the margins.
However, a few smaller sites are devoid of trees (an outstanding example is
the wee peatland 0.. 3 mile north of Black Duck Cove on the east side of the
road, Great Wass Island). With increasing distance from the peatland margin
tree heights decrease rapidly (at some sites the central spruce are less
than 3 feet tall), the proportion.of spruce to tamarack increases rapidly
(tamarack is commonly absent in the central areas), there is much more
layering of spruce, tree densities decrease rapidly, and spruce become pro-
gressively more yellowed. Presumably growth rates decrease as well.

Investigations of sites such as Kelley Point Peatland Complex, which
has a considerable variety of treed and treeless terrain, or at the several
peatlands near Roque Bluffs (open peatland west side of road 0.8 mile north
of Roque Bluffs, lightly treed Great Cove Heath, moderately treed peatland
north of road 0.4 mile east of the mouth of Englishman River, and treed
peatland south of road 0.2 mile north of Mack Cove) should provide signifi-
cant insight.

Variation due to increased maritime effect: A feature of the most mari-
time sites, one quite apparent from the air, is the tendency for the peatland
boundaries often to be indefinite (such as at the three peatlands west of
Starboard Island Bar on the Point of Main, the peatlands north of Little Pond
Head and The Pond on the southern tip of Great Wass Island, and the three
small peatlands 0.5 mile southwest of Stanley Cove on Dyer Point).

At some sites with considerable maritime influence (such as the South-
west Peatland of Great Wass Island, Boot Cove Heath, the small peatland be-
tween Corea Harbor and Youngs Point, and Big Heath on Mount Desert Island),
the Empetrum nigrum - Sphagnum fuscum community in places has an abundant
and Iquite showy lichen component. This phenomenon resembles the Usnea (old
man s beard) and Alectoria lichen draped white spruce (Picea glauca) forests
also found adjacent to the sea, and reflects the considerable -fog and mist
of that habitat. Physiognomically similar.Sphagnum fuscum - lichen commun-

ities also occur in the most maritime peatlands of southeastern Alaska.
Many of these maritime peatlands also have scattered plants of Scirpus
ces2itosus in Sphagnum fuscum communities, a feat,uie not known from less
exposed sites.

Variation due to increasing-inland effect: A considerable variety of
changes occur in peatlands with increased distance from the coast. Changes
in the Coastal Plateau Peatland type first can be recognized by the absence
of Scirpus cespitosus in the central portions of the peatlands, then the
diminished abundance of baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus) and black
crowberry (Empetrum nigrum). Sphagnum fuscum seldom forms the hollowless,
continuous hummock topography sometimes prominent closer to the sea. Ex-
amples of inland raised peatlands nearby the Coastal Region are Runaway.
Pond Heath, the heath 0.5 mile southwest of Keniston Mountain, Whiting, and
the peatland 0.3 mile north of Route 1 at the west edge of the Machias 7;1'
quadrangle (67030' W Long.) in Whitneyville.

Damman (1977) identifies additional differences between Coastal Plateau
Peatlands and nearby inland domed raised peatlands (such as Meddybemps Heath)
There are no similar studies contrasting coastal and inland plateau peatlands,,
but the many smaller peatlands north of Cutler and in Addison would provide
ample variation for study. Comparison of coastal peatlands with peatlands of
central and northern Maine are lacking (Worley 1980a).

Variation due to increasing ground water input: Based upon casual ob-
servations by me, low elevation plateaus and peatlands that continuously or
periodically receive runoff from adjacent uplands, stream flooding, or up-
welling ground water seldom have Sphagnum fuscum, black crowberry, baked-
apple berry, their communities, or elevated regions with Scir2us_cespitosus.
In some instances (such as the peatlands at the junction of Bagley Brook and
East Stream in Cutler, 0.5 mile northeast of Enoch Hill in Whiting, and
along Big Pond Stream on Petit.Manan Point), the peatlands are low shrub
dominated with sheep laurel (Kalmia angustifolia) and leather-leaf (Chamae-
daphne calyculata) the most common shrubs, with rhodora (Rhododendron
canadense) abundant to dominant in the more nutrient-rich sites. In other
instances, for example the two eastern peatlands of the Central Peatlands of
Great Wass Island, a variety of graminoid fen communities prevail (Thompson
1979).

Physiography and Morphology

"Offset" Plateaus and Plateau."Bays"

All of the plateau bogs of the Coastal Region have shapes which are
limited, in part, by either confining upland, or slopes permitting too
rapid drainage for peat deposition. Theoretically, given unlimiting, flat
terrain, a plateau raised peatland will be circular in shape. Those which
lie at watershed divides, or atop other ground water recharge sites, are
the most likely to be circular; hydrologic modification comes about when
the peatland occupies a location through which ground water (including
surface water) is moving, or from which ground water is leaving preferent-
ially in one or more directions. In these cases, the circular shape is
modified, with the height of the peatland closer to the (ground water) up-
stream side of the peatland (Figure 34). By the same token, there is less
peat accumulation and longer peatland slopes to the downstream side of the
peatland. West Jonesport Heath clearly displays this "offset" plateau
feature.

No peatlands in Maine have essentially flat and unconfining topography,
such as occurs in northern Minnesota. Consequently, even those little affect-
ed by ground water flow have topographic constraints. For example, the shape
of Carrying Place Cove Bog is now severely controlled by coastal geomorphic
dynamics. The large plateaus of the Jonesport Heath (including the North
-Unit) are constrained by topography and stream flow.

Within the Coastal Region, only a few, large,more-or-less circular
plateaus exist, including Corea Heath, Kelley Heath, South Trescott Heath
(the eastern plateau), and the disturbed Harrington Heath near Harrington.
Outside the Coastal Region there are occasional circular raised peatlands
as well.

The obviously raised, circular plateaus have broad upper sufraces that
appear very slightly convex (rather than flat or concave) and extend 112 to
3/4 or more of the way to the peatland margin. Near the margin slopes be-
come more pronounced, being especially steep (so much so as to affect one's
walking pace) near the peatland edge.

Along "downstream" margins of some plateaus, the peatland may be
sharply highlighted by a semi-continuous row or zone of trees at the base
of the steepest slope. Not uncommonly, beyond the row of trees there may
be additional peatlands, at the elevation of the base of the plateau slope,
often roughly semi-circular in shape, that form "bays" of open peatiands
appended to the circular plateau (Figure 34). With typical communities
these "bays" form a partially encircling fringe along the plateau. Excell-
ent examples can be seen at Corea Heath, Kelley Heath, and Marst Heath. In
places the plateaus appear to be actively expanding into the bays.

HEIGHT OF PLATEAU
PLATEAU
BAY LAGG
Lu

LEVEL

LAGG OR

DRAINAGE WAY

PREDOMINANT

DRAINAGE

Figure 34. Idealized cross-section through a
coastal raised peatland with "offset" height,
bay, and prominent laggs. Considerable vertical
accentuation is depicted to enhance the features.

Concentric Zonation and Pattern

Concentric zonation of major communities is one of the chief features
of the Coastal Plateau Peatlands (Damman 1977), but concentric (or sub-
concentric) patterning of communities and topography within the zones
occurs at but three sites, Corea Heath, Kelley Heath, and Carrying Place
Cove Bog. The center of concentricity is the highest-elevation of the
plateau; thus, both zonations and patternings are actually eccentric in
most cases, ior most plateaus are "offset" or imperfect circles at best.
North Unit of the Jonesport Heath is an excellent example of strongly
zoned communities, with the zonation parallel to the plateau margins and
centered upon the height of the plateau, but with the actual shape of
zones conforming to the arcuate shape of the plateau.

Concentric patterning of ridges and hollows frequently is striking at
inland peatlands, and variation in the character of the patterning permits
the definition of several peatland type 's (Worley 1980a). The concentric
patterning at the three Coastal Region sites occurs on the upper plateau
slopes or the upper shoulders, and is clearly related to downslope water
movement. Vegetation differences highlight the ridges and hollows, whose
long axes align with the peatland contours. At all three peatlands,
Scirpus cespitosus communities prominently define the pattern, as they
alternate with various dwarf shrub and mud bottom communities.

Because of the truncation of the-Carrying Place Cove Bog plateau, its
patterned area (which includes distinctive pond systems) is prominent only
on the eastern and western upper shoulders. At both Corea Heath and Kelley
Heath patterning appears primarily in the southern half of the plateaus
(South is more-or-less "downstream" for both peatlands). At all three
sites the highest elevation is highlighted by the patterning.

Throughout the Coastal Region plant community zonation and peatland
topography vary significantly between peatland margins that abut upland,
and those drained by streams or the sea. Larrabee Heath, the Jonesport
-Heath North Unit, and the plateau of the Kelley Point Peatland Complex
provide excellent examples. Slopes tend to be longer and steeper to drain-
ed margins with broad community zonation, commonly a sequence of dwarf
shrub heaths to rhodora (Rhododenron canadense) and/or sweet gale (Myrica
gale) thickets to blue-joint grass (Calamagrostis canadensis) and sedge
fens or meadows. Portions of laggs that carry little or no water are
narrow, little lower than the raised peatland, and commonly grade from
dwarf shrub heaths through narrow zones of taller shrubs, then to trees,
then to the upland.

Laggs,,Water-Tracks,_'and Drainage Ways

The lagg, or margin of a peatland where directly affected by upland
ground water or stream flow, characteristically has marked species zona-
tion caused by the influx of less acid, more nutrient-rich water. Some
laggs are no more than a few feet wide, and may be forested (as along
the west margin of West Jonesport Heath), shrubby (for example, the south
laggs of Carrying Place Cove Bog and Moose River Heaths), open with
Sphagnum spp. and dwarf shrub heaths (minor portions of the western mar-
gin of the Kelley Point plateau, and a few locations where peatland abuts
rock outcrops on Great Wass Island), or wet with mixed graminoids, broad-
leaf herbs and ferns (as at numerous sites).

The most distinctive laggs are sedge and grass fens. Scirpus ces-
pitosus, beak-rush (Rhynchospora alba), cotton-grasses (Eriophorum spp.),
and sedges (Carex spp.) dominate marginal laggs up to several tens of
feet wide at many sites (for example, Kelley Point Peatland Complex,
the Southwest Peatland of Great Wass Island ' Head Harbor Island Heath,
and Great Cranberry Island Heath). Commonly these laggs have mud bottom
communities, wet depressions, and even miniature ponds ' These wetter
features may be somewhat patterned, as the "string of beads" pattern at
Southwest Peatland, Great Wass Island.

Some of the largest treeless laggs (such as those at Jonesport Heath)
have persistent, often meandering streams that are bordered by tall sedge
J
and grass (especially blue-joint grass, Calarqagrostis canadensis) communit-
ies.

Most smaller peatlands (for example, Great Cove Heath and Boot Cove
Heath) have forested laggs of varying width, as do parts of larger peat-
lands (including Kelley Point Peatland Complex, Harrington Heath, Larrabee
Heath and Kelley Heath). The richest parts of these laggs generally sup-
port quite vigorous tamarack (Larix laricina) growth, poor laggs have black
spruce (Picea mariana). Understory vegetation varies significantly accord-
ing to r@iTchness and wetness, from complete lichen (as at places on Great
Wass Island and elsewhere) or bryophyte (as at West Jonesport and Boot Cove
Heaths) cover, to fern, sedge, grass or mixed broadleaf. Some forested
laggs have moats seasonally with standing water; duckweed (Lemna sp.) and
several algal species bloom in late spring and summer.

The extent of ground water influence into ombrogenic peats can be
traced by indicator,plants such as-three-leaved false Solomon's seal (Smi-
lacina trifolia), by community composition such as those dominated by
rhodora (Rhododendron canadense) or sweet gale (Myrica Rale), or by plant
vigor (rhodora is much shorter, black spruce are commonly dwarfed and
yellowed, and tamarack often are short-lived on ombrotrophic peats).

Water tracks, the passage of minerotrophic water through an ombrogenic
peatland, are uncommon and minor in the Coastal Region. Most prominent from
the air, water tracks are recognizable by the presence of minerotrophic spe-

cies such as bog rosemary (Andromeda glaucop hylla), rhodora, and various
sedges. A few of the most open, smaller peatlands in Cutler and Addison
have barely perceptible water tracks tailing away from upland outcrops in
the peatland. Similar water tracks are common at many inland peatlands in
Maine. Crossing South Trescott Heath and the middle of the Central Peat-
lands of Great Wass Island are minerotrophic features perhaps water tracks.-
Osvald (1955) describes the former, Thompson (1979) comments upon the
latter.

Drainage ways lead from many ombrotrophic peatlands. When peatland
themselves, they closely resemble the variety of laggs described above.
The Kelley Point Peatland Complex has the greatest variety of lagg and
drainage way types of any peatland in the Coastal Region.

Sloping_Peats

Unlike most of southern Maine and the remainder of New England, where
peatland surfaces are essentially level, sloping peatland is common in the
Coastal Region. Raised peatlands have surfaces that slope away from central,
high regions, usually becoming most steep at the margins. Some peatlands
(such as the Southwest Peatland at Great Wass Island) slope from one margin
to the other, and others follow sloping basins (e.g., West Quoddy Head Heath).
Slopes can be especially pronounced toward truncations such as the sea cuts
of West Jonesport and Carrying Place Cove Heaths. Noticeable slopes occur
where more nutrient rich waters flow, as in water tracks, soaks, marginal
fens and laggs, and drainage ways.

Tidewater Erosion of Peatland

Three peatlands recommended as potential Critical Areas have erosion
of peat by tidewater. The exposures are significant in documenting post-
Pleistocene land/sea relationships, the developmental sequence of raised
peatlands, climatic change, biotic responses to climatic change, habitat
requirements for rare and unusual species, the dynamics of the surface of
peatland, and many similar phenomena.

The-enhanced drainage of peatland adjacent to the erosion provides an
exceptionally significant analogy with certain drainage practices employed
in peat mining. Since the natural drainage has existed for many decades or
more, some long-term effects can be determined at these sites.

Carrying Place Cove Bog has erosion exposing the entire cross section
of a plateau and is by far the most important natural exposure. Thever-
tical cliff of peat and underlying sediments have been reported by several
researchers, notably Dachnowski-Stokes (1930) and Osvald (1955), but its
immensely rich scientific potential is virtually untapped. It will be
visited by a field trip of the Sixth International Peat Congress in August..
1980.

At Kelley Point Peatland Complex a small erosion face is maintained at
a minor lagoon some distance from.the plateau. The iow height of the scarp
and the generally level, adjacent peats limit the extent of efthanced drain-
age and vegetation changes.

West Jonesport Heath has a vertical erosion escarpment (with some
slumping),one to three feet in height along the southern edge of the
plateau. The entire southern end of the plateau slopes and drains to a
tidal creek. The effectiveness of the enhanced drainage in establishing
a sloping peatland topography is obvious. The peats may even extend be-
neath the intertidal or subtidal zones; possibly there exist relict peats
south of the creek, peats once (or still) contiguous with the plateau.

Visible from Route 187 some 2k miles northeast of Jonesport at Chandler
Bay is a small, marine eroded peatland. Dachnowski-Stokes (1930) notes its
natural exposure has a fine display of underlying mineral soil which includes
11glei" and "Ortstein" features.

Exposed in a three feet high erosion scarp on the shore of Little
Machias Bay just south of the North Cutler Heaths is a narrow band of peat
between clay above and peaty clay below. At least 17 layers are readily
discernable in the 15 inch thick peat, which is poorly decomposed and con-
tains (based upon a very brief microscopic inspection) the remains of
freshwater wetland vegetation. . I
Raised peatla@ds occur,at northern latitudes of Atlantic and Pacific
coastal North America, but I know of no West Coast peatlands being eroded
by the sea (neither did Rigg in 1940). -.-Hunter et.,,al...,.
,@.`197.5)-.- provide
photographs of marine erosion of peatlands in northeastern New Brunswick.

Disturbance

Human Use and Disturbance

With the exception of a very few sites (less than six percent), the
Coastal Region peatlands appear to be in excellent health and essentially
natural. Most peatlands with large-scale disturbance retain significant
natural qualities, and in some cases are recommended for evaluation as
potential Critical Areas.

Four sites are mined: the Jonesport Heath (extensive drainage, veg-
etation clearing, trenching, and.vacuum mining; mining currently active
and expanding), the nearby small heath that crosses Route 187 0.5 mile west
of Natt Point (former drainage and trench mining), Harrington Heath (for-
mer drainage and clearing, limited peat removal), and Kelley Heath (surface
vegetation harvested about 1963 for humus, very minor peat removal). At
Jonesport Heath there was active agricultural peat mining as early as at
least 1943 (Trefethen and Bradford 1944) and presumably before. Briquets
were also produced briefly, presumably for burning. The mining of peat
for bedding, locally common in southern Maine, was not done in the Coastal
Region, to my knowledge. During the First World War, Nichols (1919) in-'

spected the raised peatlands of Washington County to determine the quality
of Sphagnum peat for surgical.dressings. He found it acceptable, but none
was ever mined for that purpose.

At least one peatland apparently has been totally destroyed, it being
at the southern end of the peninsula now occupied by the transmission towers
of the Cutler Navy Base. Military facilities have been built on Corea Heath,
and adjacent to it and to Kelley Heath. One peatland (1.9 miles NW of North
Cutler) was partially cleared of trees (by hand saw) some 20 years ago dur-
ing the construction of the Cutler Navy Base. Unlike inland regions, in the
Coastal Region peatlands are not used as landfills, although the Jonesport
landfill borders West Jonesport Heath.

Roads cross or fringe several peatlands. The Carrying Place Cove Bog
plateau is traversed bya road with three small culverts feeding shallow
surface ditches. The peatland 0.5 mile west of Natt Point, northeast of
Jonesport, is crossed by Route 187. A portion of the Kelley Point Peatland
Complex is crossed by a gravel 'road with at least one culvert. Impeded
drainage of peatland because of road or rail fill is minor in t,he Coastal
Region in contrast with the prominent changes at some inland sites.

Vehicle tracks are occasional in the peatlands, seldom showing signs
of repeated use. Snowmobileuse is occasionally moderate, although little
evidence appears to last into the summer, except in laggs where damage can
be long-lasting.

Pedestrian traffic is generally light, though trails can be found in
most of the peatlands. For the most part the human trails do not follow
deer trail patterns, and are clearly distinguishable. The most serious
disturbance of peatlands by human trails appears to be on Great Wass Island
(Central Peatlands and Southwest Peat-land) and at Big Heath on Mt. Desert
Island.

Several peatlands have the remnants of barbed wire fences, unrepaired
for several to many decades. Theeffects of grazing are not recognizable.
Survey line cuts, old and new, cross some peatlands.

A_-few peatlands have limited but distinctive scars. A scar of undeter-
mined origin partially crosses the West Jonesport Heath (perhaps it is the
t1road" reported by a local resident that used to cross the peatland). A
short scar at the North Cutler Heaths was made during the construction of
the Cutler Navy Base. The Navy decided to.use the heath for an aircraft
landing strip, and attempted to drive a large bulldozer onto the peatland
to clear'the site of trees. The bulldozer promptly mired itself up to its
exhaust pipe. An episodic comedy of events, much to the delight of local
residents, ensued as the Navy attempted to retrieve the heavy machine. With
great effort it was finally dragged to firm ground(the airstrip idea was
abandoned!).

Carrying Place Cove Bog and Big Heath on Mount Desert Island receive
the only regular tourist visitations. Scientific and educational field
trips have been held infrequently at many of the peatlands, mostly at those
recommended here as potential Critical Areas. This use is increasing, es-
pecially following the publications of Cameron (1975) and Damman (1977),
and the purchase of southern Great Wass Island by The Nature Conservancy.
The release of this report will surely promote visitation of many sites.
At present the most visited sites are Carrying Place Cove Bog, which must
be crossed by everyone driving to the easternmoet point of the United States,
Big Heath, which is in Acadia National Park-and -well known, and the peat-
lands of Great Wass Island, which have periodically been used by classes
of the University of Maine andarenow well known through The Nature
Conservancy..

In recent years berry picking in peatlands has dropped off considerably,
as has the practice of burning the peatland vegetation to enhance blue-
berry production. Deer hunting is common at or adjacent to many of the peat-
lands. Some sites may still be burned to benefit deer hunting, primarily to
provide,succulent new growth and to remove the tall old growth (which ob-
scures the hunter's vision) in blue-joint grass (Calamagrostis canadensis)
meadows and fens that commonly fringe peatlands. I saw little evidence of
these fires during my visits.

Fire history is mostly undocumented; Bastin and Davis (1909) reported
fire at South Trescott Heath prior to-1906, Osvald (1955) reported fire at
Carrying Place Cove Bog prior to 1927, the North Cutler Heaths were burned
in recent decades (perhaps 20-30 years ago), Damman (1977) noted fire at
Larrabee Heath in the early 1970's, and I have 'seen fire scars at West Jones-
port Heath and several inland peatlands adjacent to the Coastal Region.
Natural fires have also occurred at South Trescott Heath in times past as
Osvald (1955) found charcoal and ash at several depths. Charcoal and ash
were absent in my cores of the Shrub Slope peatlands of southern Great
Wass Island (Worley 1980b).

Fires that move rapidly through treeless dwarf shrub heaths leave few
long-lasting signs, and are difficult to recognize after only a very few
years (e.g., I could find no fire sign at Larrabee Heath when I visited the
site about 5 years after Damman's visit). Local residents differ in their
recollections regarding the frequency of peatland fires; it does seem clear
that in general the coastal peatlands have had fewer fires, whether natural
or manmade, than inland peatlands, although probably the majority have been
burnt at one time or another since colonial times.

Fragility and Recovery from Disturbance

For Coastal Region peatlands neither their susceptibility to, nor their
recovery from, various kinds of disturbance has been studied. There are ample

recent situations of trails and treading, vehicular passage, tree cuttingi,
vegetation removal, mining, draining, and fire to provide some idea of
selected fragility characteristics, and short-term recovery modes and
rates. The effects of activities in adjacent watersheds (such as logging,
agriculture, quarrying, road construction and maintenance, and the building
of dwellings, armed forces facilities, or other structures)., acid rains,
aerial application of pesticides, or natural climatic changes are unknown.

Casual observations at Kelley Heath, Harrington Heath and portions of
mined heaths near Jonesport indicate that the physical removal of the
living vegetation from undrained peats without severe channelization of
the peatland surface is followed by a revegetation of the exposed peat within
a few years. Peat loss by water erosion appears not great, but oxidative
losses might be significant. The recovery vegetation, although composed of
species generally present on coastal raised peatlands, is organized in new or
modified communities for at least several decades following the scarification.

Near the coast, at undrained sites where the surface topography is
little changed (Kelley Heath and Corea Heath), Scirpus cespitosus becomes
the most abundant species, and lawn or mud bottom communities may occupy
much of the terrain. At the more severely disturbed Jonesport Heath and the
nearby peatland 0.5 mile west of Natt Point (crosses Route 187), black
crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) and baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus) are
active colonizers. Further inland, such as the Harrington Heath, or where
the peats have been and are drained, dwarf shrub and Sphagnum spp. commun-
ities prevail. On severely drained peats, as at parts of the Jonesport
Heath and Harrington Heath, black spruce (Picea mariana), tamarack (Larix
laricina'), birch (Betula spp.), and occasionally speckled alder (Alnus
rugosa) seed, germinate, and grow quickly.

Where deep drainage ditches have been placed, then abandoned for even
decades, as at the Jonesport Heath and Denbo Heath (inland, near Deblois),
active regrowth seems restricted to the top edges of the cut, and drainage
persists. In these cases oxidative peat loss appears to be greater than
peat accumulation (Worley 1980a).

Active peat erosion (other than that caused by tidewater) was only
noted locally at the Jonesport Heath, and where there is heavy trail use,
such as on Great Wass Island and at Big Heath in Acadia National Park. Trails
formerly heavily used at Corea Heath, Harrington Heath and on Great Wass
Island, and abandoned deer trails, such as at Larrabee Heath and Moose River
Heath, appear to be fairly rapidly recolonized, especially by mud bottom and
lawn species.

In allthe aforementioned recovery situations, the accumulation of new
peat appears to take much longer than the few years or decades since the
disturbance.

Even less is known about the susceptibility to disturbance, than for
recovery in the Coastal Region. Current mining technology is capable, of
course, of removing an entire peatland, but lesser devastation is possible

(witness many sites in the British Isles and Fennoscandia). All-terrain
vehicles with low pressure tires apparently do little damage, although
their traces can be seen for at least a few years. The passage of people
can noticeably accentuate hummock and hollow topography, and a few tens
of persons using a trail per year is-adequate to maintain a trail scar
(for example, the trails on Great Wass Island, and the many short trails
that enter peatlands along obvious access routes). Individual footprints
in Sphagnum hummocks may last as long as two years (personal observation
in northern Vermont and Alaska). Laggs, other wet areas, and the steeper
marginal slopes of prominently raised peatlands are particularly vulnerable
to channelization. Where the vegetation cover floats or is sometimes buoy-
ant, once the root-rhizome mat is fractured, severe local damage can be
caused by continued use (such as occurs amid the pond system at Acadia
National Park's Big Heath).

The fires that have occurred this century in the peatlands may be
important agents in determining the character of peatland vegetation, but
the underlying peat seems.seldom affected.

Thus, the coastal raised peatlands can be visibly altered by as small
a disturbance factor as the passage of a single.person. Disturbance from
some phenomena, such as acid rain, has not been investigated. Exposed peats
generally are quickly revegetated, but peat re-accumulation appears to re-
quire decades or centuries. Drained peatlands may not re-accumlate peat
even if revegetated, and loss of some remaining peats is possible through
oxidation and decomposition.

At sites to be protected as natural areas (c.f. Worley and Klein 1980),
but at which visitation may be regular, heavy, or channeled, for protective
measures elevated trail ways such as boardwalks (Killian 1979), observation
towers, and similar devices, especially at laggs and other wetter places,
should be considered. That most peatlands are relatively shallow and the
peats are fairly firm would facilitate such constructions. Care must be
taken to not obstruct natural water flow.

Recent Vegetation Changes

A meager amount of comparative vegetation description through recent
decades is available for Carrying Place Cove Bog and the South Trescott
Heath.

. Davis (Bastin and Davis 1909) visited Carrying Place Cove Bog in 1906,
noting it to be a "typical open moss heath." In 1909 Fernald and Wiegand
(1910) noted that

lithe most conspicuous plant at the time of
our visit was Gaylussacia dumosa . . . forming
dense depressed shrubs only 1 or 2 decimeters
high,'closely embedded in.the Sphagnum, and loaded

with beautiful white or pink-tinged bells."

Other noteworthy plants were Scirpus cespitosus, Carex pauciflora, Comandra
livida, Rubus chamaemorus, Empetrum nigrum, Vaccinium pennsylvanicum var.
angustifolium, and Aster radula var. strictus (their nomenclature).

Osvald visited 18 years later in 1927, took photographs (Osvald 1955),
.peat cores, and described the vegetationthusly:

"At the time of my visit fires had ravaged
parts of the bog, and on the dry parts there was
but little natural vegetation left. It was evi-
dent, however, that the driest part of the bog
had been occupied partly by the Kalmia angust-
ifolid - Cladonia silvatica soci@T_ion with hum-
i@o`cks of -fm-petrum nigrum - Sphagnum fuscum
sociation . . . and partly by a Chamaedaphne
calyculata sociation without a bottom layer."

Near the ponds were Chamaedaphne calyculata and other shrub communities, with
a "fairly greatamount of Wy-rica gale and Juniperus communis v. depressa."

"In other comparatively wet parts of the bog
the Chamaedaphne sociations formed broad strips
across the bog, alternating with wetter strips
containing mainly Empetrum - Sphagnum fuscum
sociation and some Trichophorum caespitosum
subsp. austriacum*- Sphagnum. rubellum sociation.
. . . The Chamaedaphne strips could be dis-
tinguished from a long distance by the scatter-
ed low shrubs of Alnus rugosa.11

Two years later in 1929 Dachnowski-Stokes (1930) recorded that
the bulk of ground vegetation was Sphagnum. cymbifolium, S. medium, S. fuscum,
S. acutifolium, S. tenellum, and S. imbricatum in rounded hummo@Tk_s._
i@en_tion was made of fire. He continued:

"Decidedly less abundant are sedges and
the heaths which usually characterize the drier
portions of a high-moor. Rhynchospora alba,
Eriophorum vaginatum, Scirpus caespitosus, and
a goldenrod (Solidago sp.) have only a limited,
scattered foothold. Heaths such as Andromeda
polifolia, Rhododendron canadense, Cassandra
(Chamaedaphne) calyculata, Ledum latifolium,

Scirpus cespitosus

groenlandicum, species of Kalmia and
Vaccinium are scanty and greatly dwarfed.
Drosera rotundifolia, Sarracenia purpur
and several lichens (Cladonia rangiferina,
C.. uncialis) are common in hollows and
moist places but not abundant."

Thus, from 1906 to 1929 there was a shift in prominence from Gaylussacia
dumosa (dwarf huckleberry) to the patterned surface with Kalmia.angustifolia
(sheep laurel) and Cladonia silvatica,(lichen) in drier places, and strips
of-Chamaedaphne calyculata (leather-leaf) alternating with Empetrum nigrum
(black crowberry) - Sphagnum fuscum and Scirpus cespitosus - Sphagnum rubellum,
to a Sphagnum dominated Vegetation with.scattered sedges and scanty, greatly
dwarfed shrubs.

The contemporary vegetation is patterned and has prominent Scirpus
lawns and Kalmia angustifolia heaths. Pattern is clearly a persistent feam--
ture. The vegetati;n obviously has the capacity to change rather rapidly,
apparently from a disturbance shrub-dominated vegetation to a re-establish-
ment of Sphagnum dominance, to the contemporary expression of the regional
Coastal Plateau Peatland type.

Davis also visited South Trescott Heath in 1906 (Bastin and Davis 1909),
which had been burned over locally to stimulate the growth of blueberries.
Where burned, hair-cap moss (Polytrichum sp.) dominated over Sphagnum.
Twenty-one years later Osvald (1955) found the peatland very similar to its
present condition covered by dwarf shrub communities, notably the s@eep
laurel - lichen community (in some places,rich with leather-leaf, Labrador
tea, and rhodora) and black crowberry communities.

Regional Relationships

Eastern North American Peatland Variation

Peatland types, based upon morphology.and vegetation, in North America
east of longitude 185 0 W distinguish regional zones that conform with north-
south and continental-maritime gradients as locally modified by topography.
In the southern part of the continent peatlands are primary, with extensive
coastal plain peatlands but only scarce and tiny, forested, filled-basin
peatlands inland. The Everglades are the best known southern peatlands. In
the northern reaches of the continent and the Arctic archipelago, permafrost
peatland types prevail. Between these extremes of sub-tropical glade peat-
lands and regions of continuous permafrost, roughly at 44-46 0 N latitude,
lies a most significant division, north of which there are ombrotrophic
(raised) peatland types, south of which there are not.

Because Maine lies astride the southern limit of raised peatlands,
because Maine has a long coastline, because Maine is large with long
north-south dimensions, and because Maine has both low levels and uplands,
Maine has a considerable diversity of peatland types and displays signifi-
cant zonation. Moreover, as the most northern and eastern state in this
part of the nation it contains the only examples in the United States of
several peatland phenomena that occur in neighboring Canada.

Since Maine does contain the southern (and sometimes western or north-
ern) limit of certain morphological and vegetational peatland phenomena,
Maine peatlands provide important documentation of significant ecological
climatic conditions. In particular, as climate changes, whether naturally
(as happened during the recent Little-Ice Age) or by human activity (as
with acid rain), the southern limits of ombrotrophic peatlands become very
sensitive indicators of the changes, with alterations of vegetation compo-
sition, growth and decomposition rates, hydrologic budgets and numerous
other ecologicalfeatures clearly documenting climatic variation.

In Maine, the continental-maritime (Figure 35) and south-north (Figure
36) gradients of peatland variation.depicted by Damman (1979b) are evident;
Worley (1980a) discusses additional variation along these gradients. In
.western and southern Maine peatlands are primary, unraised with flat open
or forested surfaces that developed at the elevation of the basin's @ater
table. To the north and northeast peatlands (for example, Sweat Dog arid.
Bangor Bog) become slightly raised, convex, and commonly with some trees
in central regions. Then with increasing maritime influence (for example,
the Great Heath, Denbo Heath, and Meddybemps Heath) the surface becomes
more elevated, with clearly raised domes (often as multiple, coalesced
domes) with central ponds and scarce central trees, whose convexity is
apparently limited (Damman 1979b, 1977) by the summer low water table which
is generally 16-24 in. below the ericaceous heath vegetation.

With the increased water surplus in the Coastal Region, especially
during the summer growing season, the convex raised peatlands are replaced
by the plateau bogs with flattened centers and well-developed marginal slopes.
Unlike the large inland and southern sites, the larger plateaus of the Coastal
Region lack dwarf shrub communities and trees centrally, there being Scirpus
cespitosus lawns instead.

Additional increases in moisture surplus lead to sloping and undulatinig
peatlands that generally follow the topography of the underlying substrate.
In southern Newfoundland occur well-developed Blanket Bogs (Damman 1979b).
On the southern tip of Great Wass Island modified Plateau, gentle Slope and
Shrub Slope peatlands provide a peat-dominated landscape.

Damman (1980, Figure 4) displays the floristic changes in the dwarf
shrub, lawn, and mud bottom communities in ombrotrophic bogs along a West-
east (continental-maritime) gradient through the southern part of the raised
bog zone (southern Quebec and interior Maine/Maine/Bay of Fundy-Maine and
New Brunswick/Nova Scotia/Newfoundland) as affected by the ecological and
geographical conditions. This figure clearly demonstrates that the Coastal

Fig. 2. Changes in peatland
development along a gradient
from a continental to a 0
0
maritime climate in the Z
southern part of the eastern. _j
Z
Worth American raised bog M
zone. Z

changes along a west-east transect in
Table 1. Climatic and associated
eastern North America. Thickness of the arrows indicates relative importance
of the change.

CONTINENTAL MARITIME

lower
Precipitation -0- higher (+ fog)

Summer Temperatures higher lower

Potential Evapotranspiration higher m4 lower
Effective Vegetative Seasoni shorter longer

Winter Snow Cover permanent erratic

higher moisture surplus
more active Sphagnum growth

Period of active.growth of ombrotrophic hummock Sphagna, i.e. actual
vegetative season minus periods that bog surface dries out.

Figure 35. Variation in peatlands in eastern North America along
a continental-maritime gradient. Reproduced from Damman (1979b, as
Table 1, Figure 2).

.Fig. 3. Changes in peatland
development along a latitud-
inal gradient outside the r
immediate coastal zone of
eastein North America
(A
0

Table 2. Climatic and associated changes along a latitud inal gradient in
eastern North America. Thickness of arrows indicates relative importance.

SOUTH NORTH

Summer Temperature high 44 low

Potential Evapotranspiration high -.4 low

Effective Vegetative Season (short) long -4- short 0

Snow Accumulation negligible important

higher moisture surplus
less active Sphagnum growth
spring runoff increases
summer precipitation less important

Figure 36. Variation in peatlands in eastern North America along
a south-north gradient. Reproduced from Damman (1979b, Table 2,
Figure 3).

Region peatlands have their most evident relationship with neighboring
New Brunswick (the Bay of Fundy.coast), coastal Nova Scotia, and coastal
Newfoundland.

The climatic and associated changes important to peatland character
along the latitudinal gradient are also given by Damman (1979b, Table 2,
reproduced as Figure 36 of this report). Chief among these changes as
they affect Maine's Coastal Region are the lower temperatures and lower
potential evapotranspiration that help to provide a higher moisture sur-
plus and shorter growing season. The increased snow accumulation with
northerliness along this gradient is mitigated in the Coastal Region by
milder winter temperatures.

Damman (1980, Figure 5) displays the floristic changes in the dwarf
shrub, lawn, and mud bottom communities in ombrotrophic and oligotrophic
basin peatlands along a north-south gradient outside the immediate coastal
region in eastern North America (southern New England/inland Maine and ' -
southern Quebec/New' Brunswick/central Newfoundland/James Bay, Quebec) as
affected by the ecological and geographical conditions. South of the
raised peatland limit even the most nutrient-poor peatlands are influ-
enced by oligotrophic rather than ombrotrophic water sometime during the
year, thus the predominance of some slightly more nutrient demanding species
such as Vaccinium corymbosum, Woodwardia virginica, Chamaecyparis thyoides,
and Myrica ga e, alonj with the considerable vigor, abundance, and promi-
nence of leather-leaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata).

The major floristic changes in the wind-exposed dwarf shrub vegetation
of the ombrotrophic parts of coastal bogs along the east coast of North
America are (Damman 1980, Table 2): in the Coastal Region of Maine and
southwestern New Brunswick Sphagnum fuscum is the dominant'peat former;
in northern New Brunswick Cornicularia. aculeata becomes prominent; in
Newfoundland lichens become important dominants; and in northern Newfoundland
Rhacomitrium lanuginosum (a moss) becomes the dominant'peat former.

Vegetation is more diverse in the Coastal Region (Damman 1980) than in-
land, with differences most pronounced, as would be expected, in the wetter
habitats. The prominent hummock species an the coast but not inland include
common juniper (Juniperus communis), Sphagnum imbricatum, baked-apple berry
(Rubus chamaemorus) and black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum).

A small portion of extreme coastal North America, including eastern
Maine (the Coastal Region), most of Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland (Damman
1977, 1979a, Figure 1), contains ombrotrophic peatlands which have species
that.are restricted to minerotrophic habitats in other parts of eastern
North America. This phenomenon is the direct result of the increased ionic
content in precepitation and fallout near the sea'enriching the ombrotrophic
peat surface (Johnson 1977, Damman 1979a).

Amphi-Atlantic Vegetation Comparisons

The floristic composition and physiognomy of peatland vegetation is
foremarkably similar throughout the Northern Hemisphere".(Damman 1979a).
TUxen et al. (1972) proposed that the vegetation class Oxycocco - Sphagnetea
include the plant communities of not only European peatlands, but also those
of Asia and North America.; the Oxycocco - Sphagnetea to consist of plant
communities with ombrotrophic and oligotrophic, primarily organic soils
(with the exception of the mud bottom and Sphagnum. covered hollow vege-
tation which is included in the Scheuchzerietea)..

Damman (1979a) compared the ecological position of the orders Sphagne
talia fusci and Eriophoro - Sphagnetalia papillosi of the Oxycocco -
Sphagnetea as recognized in Europe with eastern North American phenomena to.
evaluate their applicability here. He concluded that "the variation in the
peat bog vegetation is controlled by the same environmental factors on both
sides of the Atlantic but there are important differences":

a) there are some floristic differences (c.f. Table 1 of
Damman 1979a, which tabulates the differential species
groups for,the primary subdivision of the Oxycocco -
Sphagnetea: dwarf shrub communities, lawn communities,
and oligotrophic fens);

b) Sphagnum fuscum is an important hummock former in
eastern North American coastal areas, even in the
southern part of the raised bog zone (i.e., coastal
Maine, Damman 1977);

c) there is less atmospherically derived nutrient en-
richment in coastal peatlands in eastern North America
than in.Europe (due to the more frequent continental
weather in eastern North America) as evidenced by the
absence of Sphagnum papillosum and S. subnitens in
coastal regions, suA as eastern Maine; and

d) in eastern North America lawn communities are distinct
from both the hummock communities and the mud bottom
communities (Damman 1977) in all areas (except southern
inland peatlands).

The mild, oceanic climate of western Europe contrasts markedly with the
hot summers and cold winters of eastern North America that are produced by
the temporal interfingering of continental and sub-tropical weather systems.
In Europe thecoastal regions with raised.peatlands have a persistent and
pronounced atmospheric nutrient enrichment along with a mild.winter climate,
whereas in ea'stern North America a lesser enrichment is coupled with severe
and snow-rich winters (Damman 1979a). In coastal Maine these differences
are compounded by the sporadic snowfall and periods of well below freezing
temperatures with little or no snow cover (Damman 1977).

Consequently, Damman (1979a) concludes that the floristic criteria
used to distinguish in Europe the northern and continental peatlands from
the oceanic ones "cannot be applied to North America without seriously
distorting the ecological context" of the Sphagnetalia fusci and the
Eriophoro -.Sphagnetalia 2,1 @llos@i. For possible classifications of the
North American communities see Damman 1977 and 1979a.

Coastal North American Comparisons

The raised peatlands of eastern and western coastal North America are
little compared, either in terms of vegetation or morphology. Gross sim-
ilarities exist (Osvald 1928, Dachnowski-Stokes 1933, Rigg 1940) but there
are apparently significant differences (Worley 1980c). For example, only
28 of 210 peatland species.recorded for peatlands of the Maine and south-
eastern Alaskan coasts grow in both locations (Worley 1980c).

Worley (1980c) concludes that because the Maine Coastal Region receives
the severity of continental weather and lacks a persistent atmospheric
nutrient enrichment from the sea it contrasts in morphology and vegetation
compostion with the peatlands of southeastern Alaska (whose hyperoceanic
flora of liverworts and mosses is shared in northwestern Europe, Japan,
and the Himalayas, but.not eastern North America).

Greater similarity between the two North American coasts may exist if
one compares the Maine coastal raised peatlands with those of southern
'British Columbia and, adjacent Washington. Rigg (1940) describes plateau-form
peatlands near the mouth of the Fraser.River and in western Washington.

Some prominent species of ombrogenic peatlands shared between the two
coasts (Rigg 1940, Worley 1980c) are Scirpus cespitosus, Eriophorum angust-
ifolium. (a cotton-grass), beak-rush (Rhynchospora alba), round-leaved ;undew
(Drosera rotundifolia), baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus), black crow-
berry (Empetrum nigrum)i Labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum), bog laurel
(Kalmia polifolia), small cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos), Sphagnum fuscum,
Sphagnum papillosum, Sphagnum rubellum, Sphagnum tenellum, bog hair-cap moss
(Polytrichum strictum), Pleurozium schreberi (a moss), and Cladopodiella
fluitans (a liverwort).

SELECTION OF COASTAL PEATLANDS RECOMMENDED
FOR EVALUATION BY THE CRITICAL AREAS PROGRAM

METHODS FOR THE RANKING AND SELECTION OF SITES FOR RECOMMENDATION

In the Introduction is given the general methodology for the collection
of data from the field and.the literature. This section details the ana-
lytical methodology used to classify the peatlands of the study area and to
select those sites to be recommended as possible Critical Areas.'

SigRificancy of Natural Features and Ranking of Sites

From.the distinguishing characteristics of the coastal raised peatlands
described earlier in this report were selected 20 features (Figure 37) felt
to represent best the natural significance of these peatlands. In addition
to these "Coastal Features," 20 "Additional Features" (Figure 37) of signifi-
cance for peatlands in general were chosen.

Evaluation Criteria Score Sheets (Figure 37) were then filled out for
each site that contained some of the Coastal Features, according to a 3-point
scale for the distinctiveness of the feature (i.e., how clear and exemplar
the feature is) and for the extent of potentially available terrain occupied
by the feature (e.g., is Rubus chamaemorous found over an entire plateau, or
just in one small location).

For unvisited but overflown sites the score sheet proved adequate, but
I feel that it is inappropriate to recommend a site as a possible Critical
Area without a visit on the ground, and thus no unvisited site is here
recommended for evaluation, though several are recommended for visits.

After the completion of scoring two values were computed on a Summary
Table (Figure 38) for each site allowing a ranking of the sites based upon
significant natural features. The Significancy Indexes are the highest for
sites with many well-developed significant natural features.

The sites were then ranked by decreasing Coastal Features Significancy
Index, and by decreasing All.Features Significancy Index. The former ranking
is used in this report to determine which sites should be recommended for
evaluation as possible Critical Areas, and compares the sites based upon
those peatland features diagnostic of Coastal Peatlands. The latter ranking
permits a partial, weighted comparison with Inland peatlands. Index values
have only comparative meaning and are not included in this report.

The sites also were given a number from I to 4 based on the estimated
interest of the general public based upon the natural qualities of the site,
and similarly, upon the visibility of the peatland. These values were not
used in the ranking of the sites.

COASTAL FEATURES
0 ID

Cn V 0 En txj td En 10 m 0 0 H m
rt 0
0 m Ir-O n " 9 R 0
Sb H 'W' H, "o, w "d, H,. VD H. m 0 Pi
r1t t-I m 0 m rt " m PI m H. rt ca m 0
91. 0 0 10 V (n rt V m 10 o. t.-h W 0 1 (D M m
w rt M ri 9: w r: OQ 0 rt 0j
UQ 't 0 m 0 0
0 0 0 :3 10 0
10 0 W 1-- 0 F- 10 t-h
m 0 m
10
NEI GQ
0 0 10 m
H. 19 w 1@ rt
rt 0 r. n 0 0 0 F. 0
m m 0 PI CO) 0 m 0 rt 0 PI
0 CA Ib 9: n 0 m 10
w m rt m In 0 0 0 0 m 4
ra 0 x 119 10 w
rt rt m m
m x n 0 rt
>4 0 m f1t 0 rt 1-4 (D
rt 0 M rt PI %4
co m 9 0
m 0 m m 19 NO :j n 0
g m :j P- 0 F- 0
Ct g H- rt .4 14 Vq,
sz rV 1.4 m m
0 0 k4 0
rt 03 10
cu :j 10
0 w Ca. t-t m
0 m m
0 m 0
CL rt ZI NJ
rt m
rt rt
rt rt

Distinctiveness
of Feature*

Occupation of
potentially available
terrain*

Cownents

Figure 37 (continued) 83

Sea cut peat face

Sea enhanced marginal slope

Mineral soil water limit clearly
visible in vegetation and topog-
raphy (emphasis on topograby)

E-J Ponds rare

U Mud bottom communities rare,
anywhere on plateau

Distinctive ponds on marginal slopes

Sharply defined open peatland/
upland boundary

Stream enhanced marginal slope

Pronounced stream diversion

Pronounced lagg.with moat

Water track present

44 Soak present

z
Strongly patterned peatland surface
E-4

Complex of peatland types

Orchids abundant

Rare species present (give name,
citation)

Species disjunction and/or range
limit (give name, citation)

84
Figure 37. (continued)

Association with geomorphic, geologic,
hydrologic, biologic, or archeologic
sites or items of importance

Peatland with known historical
significance

Size of peatland system**

Size of raised peatland**

Size of principal or notable peatland
type**
E-4

Rare type of peatland system in Maine

Rare type of peatland system in USA

Rare type of peatland system in
North America

Rare type of peatland system in World

*Scoring:

Distinctiveness of feature

Exceptionally evident and clearly distinctive . . . . . . . . . . 3
Evident and easily discernible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Barely discernible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Absent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
Not sampled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Occupation of Potentially Available Terrain

Feature occupies 67-100% of potentially available terrain . . . . 3
Feature occupies 34-66% of potentially available terrain . . . . 2
Feature present but occupies less than 34% of potentially
available terrain . . . . 1
Feature absent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
Feature not sampled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**For Distinctiveness of feature: 500 or more acres . . . . . . . . . 3
100 to 499 acres . . . . . . . . . . 2
less than 100 acres . . . . . . . . 1

Leave "Occupation of-potentially available terrain" column%blank.

Figure 38

SUMMARY TABLE
of Significancy Criteria Scoring for Coastal Raised Peatlands

(ii)

Numbers of Distinctiveness Terrain Occupation Significancy Index
features present points scored points scored
VS. VS. VS. (2i + ii + iii) X 100
Total features Totaf-points Total points 4
possible* possible* possible*

(a) Coastal
Features

(b) Additional
Features

All Features
(a&b)

This value varies from site to'site,- as it only includes features for which data were collected.
This value is used to rank the sites according to "Coastal Plateau Features."
This value is used to rank the sites according to "All Features."

Go
Ln

Notes on the Significance of Features at Disturbed Sites

Peatland significance may be considered for (a) unaltered peatland (as
discussed in the preceding section and elsewhere in this report), (b) the
remnants of altered peatland, and (c) the present and potential successional
stages of altered peatland. Clearly, the few disturbed peatlands in the
study area have many features of significance, features scored in the deter-
mination.

The Remnants of Altered Peatland. In the Coastal Region major peatland
alteration occurs at only a few sites and includes peat mining, the removal
of surface vegetation, and the construction of roads, buildings, and other
structures. Even at the most severely altered site, the Jonesport Heath,
the mining practices have not obliterated the entire peatland. The propor-
tion of peat volume removed by mining or ditching for drains is far less
than the proportion of surface'area disrupted. In most areas of former
trench mining not all trenches reach the underlying mineral substrate, and
between the trenches are intact peats used for transportation and drying.
In the areas vacuum mined, the materials are removed relatively evenly.
Since the vacuum mining has been in operation foronly a few years, the bulk
of the peat is still present. Furthermore, most mining does not extend to
the very margins of the peatlands, but leaves areas of relatively undisturbed
peatland along the periphery of the sites. Thus, even at the mined sites
not only is a large proportion of the peat still present, it is intact strati-
graphically. At Kelley Heath there was only surficial disruption; thus the
peat deposit remains essentially undisturbed and natural.

The reclamation of trenched areas, by the mechanical smoothing of the
surface to permit future vacuum mining, is underway at the J6nesport Heath.
This reclamation destroys most of the residual stratigraphy.

Since the most heavily disturbed sites are the largest in the Coastal
Region, and since the largest peatlands in a region are the most responsive
to the regional climate and its changes, their peats contain an important
record of climatic and biotic activity. This is especially so at the Jones-
port Heath, whose multiple, contiguous plateaus are the only coastal circum-
stance approaching the very large coalesced peatlands (such as The Great
Heath and Meddybemps Heath) that lie inland on the periphery of the Coastal
Region. Consequently, the Jonesport Heath may provide information helping
to determine what permits the existence of the largest of Maine peatlands.

The hydrologic function (whose importance to adjacent ecosystems and
ground water regimes is unknown at this point) of the disturbed peatlands
in the Coastal Region seem not fundamentally changed. Even at the Jonesport
Heath the restoration of lost function may be possible by the careful block-
ing and filling of drains.

Successional Stages of Altered Peatland. It has not been determined
if the coastal raised peatlands, individually or as a group, are at an
ecological steady state, or whether some form of natural succession is in
progress. Observing succession following certain forms of disturbance may
help answer that question. Furthermore, since clearly the character of
succession will vary greatly among the different physio-climatic regions

of Maine, and according to the kind of disturbance, disturbed peatlands in
the Coastal Region provide an excellent basis for the determination of the
types of succession that may occur. Such information is necessary for any
management, from consumptive use to complete preservation.

For the purposes of the Critical Areas ProgramP it would be preferable
that some disturbed sites were unaltered by the activities of man. However,
although mining or other disturbances have subdued the natural significance
of several peatlands, they have not denied that significance. In fact,
with respect to succession, disturbance has even added a component of sig-
nificance.

Site Classification

Each peatland cbnsidered in the study area was classified (c..f. Table 4,
at end of Results Section) according to its coastal or@inland character, and
its suitability for evaluation as a potential Critical.Area. Since not every
site was visited on the ground, some qualified classifications were necessi-
tated.

Coastal raised bogs are classified as R if recommended for evaluation as
a potential Critical Area, Rv if likely suitable for recommendation but more
data needed, X if clearly not suitable as a Critical Area., C if acceptably
natural but with insufficient characteristics now known to recommend for
evaluation, and Cv if likely a Coastal raised bog but more data needed to con-
firm coastal character and insufficient characteristics now known to recommend
for evaluation.

Peatlands are classified as I if clearly outside of the coastal region,
Iv if likely an inland type, acceptably natural, but with insufficient charac-
teristics now known to recommend for evaluation, and Ic if not a coastal raised
bog but in the coastal region and related to inland types.

Possible 'Shrub Slope peatlands are classified as S.

The exact inland boundary of the Coastal Region is imperfectly deter-
mined because of the inaccessibility of many of the peatlands. The over-
flight demonstrated that even if species such as black crowberry (Empetrum
nigrum) and baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorous) occur farther from the
coast than is indicated by this classification of the sites, prominent
Sphagnum fuscum.communities with them, and central Scirpus cespitosus lawns
do not.

RESULTS

Summary of the Classification of the Peatlands in the Study Area

In this study in excess of 229 peatlands (Table 4, this table appears
at the end of the Results section) were considered, with study intensity
ranging from well-referenced sites which received several visitations, over-
flight and aerial photo interpretation and mapping, to sites only noted on
topographic quadrangles, overflown, or identified on aerial photos. More
than 159 (69%) peatlands were overflown. On-the-ground visits were made to
59 (26%) individual@peatlands.

Of the sites, 21 (10%) are recommended for evaluation as possible Criti-
cal Areas (which, after mergers actually total 18 recommendations). For an
additional 18 (8%) unvisited sites, it is recommended that on-the-ground
visits be made, as the sites are likely to have sufficient qualities as pos-
sible Critical Areas. Thirteen (6%) sites (including more than 22 locations)
are recommended for study as possible Shrub Slope peatlands, although the
actual number of sites actually having Shrub Slope peatlands may be consider-
ably less.

Only'14 (6%) sites were found totally unsuitable for evaluation as poten-
tial Critical Areas. That 94% of the peatlands have natural features and/or
integrity sufficient that Critical Area status could be possible is noteworthy.
This percentage of naturalness far exceeds that for any European country, a
continent where peatland use has had a long history. At least 113 (49%) sites
have acceptable natural conditions, but lack, or likely lack, sufficient fea-
tures to recommend for evaluation as potential Critical Areas; 55 are classi-
fied as Cv, 13 as C, and 45 as Iv. More than 62 (27%) sites were found to be
principally Inland in character, 10 occurring well within the Coastal Region.

The coastline of the study area consists of a series of peninsulas and
islands projecting into the sea, alternating with sounds, bays, and elongated
river mouths with long estuaries. The boundary between Inland and Coastal
peatlands lies somewhat slightly seaward of the generalized landward extent
of tidal effect (Figure 1). This boundary appears to be nearer the sea to
the southwest end of the study area, and farther inland near the New Bruns-
wick border, although additional documentation in these areas is necessary
to produce a definitive boundary line.

It is inappropriate for this report to suggest that any of the Inland
peatlands might qualify as a Critical Area, for the full complement of peat-
lands of that type would need to be considered as a group.

Most,of the Inland peatlands seen in the landward portion of the study
area are slightly to noticeably raised plateaus, uniformly vegetated with

*All percentages are based upon 229 peatlands. The percentages total
slightly more than 100% for the categories since some sites received more
than a single classification.

vigorous dwarf shrub communities, with trees restricted to or near the
margins, with no or mottled surface pattern (as viewed at a scale of about
1:12,000), and without pools or pool systems. A much smaller number are
similar except that they have varying amounts of open canopy (savannah)
tree cover. These peatlands may be adjacent to rivers, large streams, or
lakes, or in basins in upland related to ponds or water courses. At the
inland edge of the study area are a few, domed, large raised peatlands with
pond systems in their upper elevations.

Sites Recommended for Evaluation as Possible Critical Areas

Eig4teen sites (Tables 2, 3) are recommended for evaluation as possible
Critical Areas. One site has an "undecided" status. An additional eighteen
sites are likely suitable for evaluation; these are discussed following this
section. The sites spaL- the length of the study area (Figure 39), though only
three lie west of Addison. The greatest concentrations are in Jonesport and Beals
(6 sites), and over half (10) are fairly evenly distributed from Roque Bluffs to
Lubec.
Of these peatlands.(the eighteen recommended plus the one undecided peatland):
a) As measured to their centers all but four are within 0.5
mile of tidewater. Only three centers exceed one mile from
tidewater: Kelley Point Peatland Complex, 1.1 mile; Jones-
port Heath North Unit, 1.3 miles; and Jonesport Heath (the
largest plateau) 1.8 miles.

b) More than half of the peatlands are less than one mile from
the generalized coastline of Eastern Maine as drawn from
peninsula tip to peninsula tip; only three are beyond 3.3
miles from that line, Great Cove and Larrabee Heaths are
4.4 miles, and Kelley Heath is 5.1 miles distant.

c> Only West Quoddy Head Heath at 110 feet elevation exceeds
70 feet above sea level. '

d) Site acreages (approximate) range from 720 (Jonesport Heath)
to 13 (West Quoddy Head Heath) with a median of 110.

e) Acreages (approximate) of the non-forested peatland portions
of the sites range from 640 (Jonesport Heath) to 7 (West
Quoddy Head Heath) with a median of 75.

f) Acreages (approximate) of individual peatland units with
distinctive plateau morphology (at sites 2, 3, 4, 7, 8. 9,
11, 12, 16, and 18) range from 170 (Corea Heath) to 22 (Car-
rying Place Cove Bog) with a median of 116.

g) The peatlands farthest from tidewater or the generalized
coastline are among the largest peatlands, indicating that
with increasing distance from the sea a larger open peat-
land expanse is required for the display of coastal phe-.
nomena.

Table 2. Location and size of Coastal Raised Peatlands recommended for
evaluation as possible Critical Areas and including a significant peatland in
an undecided category listed from west to east. Following the site name and
township are a brief location, the U.S.G.S. quadrangle upon which the site
appears, and the approximate site acreage. For some sites acreages of open or
plateau portions of the site are less than acreages given in this table; see
site descriptions in the text for those figures.

I., BIG HEATH, MT. DESERT ISLAND, Southwest Harbor
0.8 mile NW of Bennet Cove, Mt. Desert Island. Swans Island
15' Quad. 423 ac.

2. GREAT CRANBERRY ISLE HEATH, Cranberry Isles
SW*quarter of Great Cranberry Isle. Swans Island 15' Quad.
217 ac.

3. COREA HEATH, Gouldsboro
0.5 mile NW of Corea. Petit Manan 71-2' Quad. 253 ac.

4. WEST JONESPORT HEATH, Jonesport
Between heads of Hay Creek and Snare Creek. Addison 7Y and
Jonesport 7Y Quad. 78 ac.

5. CENTRAL PEATLANDS, GREAT WASS ISLAND, Beals
0.5 mile E of Norton Point, 0.6 mile NE of Three Falls Har-
bor, and 0.3 mile NW of Cape Cove. Great Wass Island 7Y
Quad. 11b ac.

6. SOUTHWEST PEATLAND, GREAT WASS ISLAND, Beals
0.3 mile N of The Pond. Great Wass Island 7-2' Quad. 67 ac.

7. JONESPORT HEATH, Jonesport (Undecided)
The whole interconnected and lobed complex of peatlands south
of E-W stream 2.0 miles directly W of Bar Island; the complex
extends to 0.3 mile N of the head of Sawyer Cove. Jonesport
7k' Quad. 720 ac.

8. NORTH UNIT, JONESPORT HEATH, Jonesport
1.5 miles E of Indian River community (c.f. Addison 7k' Quad.).
Jonesport 71-2' Quad. 239 ac.

9. KELLEY POINT PEATLAND COMPLEX, Jonesport
Complex of peatlands between Rhine Point, Kelley Point, and
Sawyer Cove; includes large unit, small unit between road
and Kelley Point, and unit W of road, 0.4 mile W of Loon
Point. Jonesport 71@' Quad. 254 ac.

10. GREAT COVE HEATH, Roque Bluffs
0.8 mile NE of Great Cove, N of road. Machias 711' Quad.
98 ac.

11. LARRABEE HEATH, Machiasport
0.7 mile SW of Larrabee. Machias 7Y Quad. 235 ac.

91
Table 2 (cont.)

12. KELLEY REATH, Cutler
0.4 mile S of Huntley Creek, by small U.S. Navy transmission
station. Machias Bay 7;1' Quad. 170 ac.

13. HEATH, 1.9 MILES WEST OF NORTH CUTLER, Cutlet
1.9 miles W of North Cutler. Machias Bay 731' Quad. 30 ac.

14. NORTH CUTLER HEATHS, Cutler
0.4, 0.7, and 1.1 miles W of North Cutler. Machias Bay 7@2,'
Quad. 113 ac.

15. MOOSE RIVER HEATH, Trescott
0.3 mile S of Moose River, 0.3 mile W of shore. Cutler 15'
Quad.. 61 ac.

16. SOUTH TRESCOTT HEATH, Trescott
0.8 mile W of Baileys Mistake. West Lubec 711' Quad. 106 ac.

17. BOOT COVE HEATH, Lubec
0.4 mile W of Boot Covei West Lubec 711' Quad. 49 ac.

18. CARRYING PLACE COVE BOG, Lubec
West Quoddy Head neck, N of Carrying Place Cove. Lubec 7@'
Quad. 43 ac.

19. WEST QUODDY HEAD HEATH, Lubec
0.6 mile SW of West Quoddy Head lighthouse. Lubec 7Y Quad.
13 ac.

Table 3. Significancy Ranking of Recoumendedand Undecided Sites

General
Coastal All Public Visi-
Features Site Features Interest bility

1* Carrying Place Cove Bog** 3 1 1

2* Kelley Point Peatland Complex** 1 2 2

3* Jonesport Heath 2 1 3

4* North Unit, Jonesport Heath 5 2 3

5* Corea Heath 6 2 2

6* North Cutler Heaths 12 4 2

7* Kelley Heath, Cutler 10 3 2

8* Great Cranberry Isle Heath 9 3 3

9* Central Peatlands,
Great Wass Island 7 2 3

10* Southwest Heath,
Great Wass Island 8 2 3

11* Big Heath, Mt. Desert Island 4 1 3

12 West Jonesport Heath** 15 2 1

13* Heath, 1.9 miles W of
North Cutler 18 4 4

14* Boot Cove Heath 14 4 3

15 Larrabee Heath 11 3. 2

16 South Trescott Heath 13 3 3

17 Moose River Heath 16 3 2

18 Great Cove Heath, Roque Bluffs 17 3 2

19 West Quoddy Head Heath 19 4 4

Scirpus cespitosus present on plateau, often as Scirpus lawn communities.

Sites with peat erosion by tidewater.

Undecided Status Regarding Critical Area Designation.

93
Table 3 (cont.)

General Public Interest:

Includes interest by resident and non-resident lay public in scenic
qualities (vista, reminiscent of Arctic, mysterious or eerie, colorful,
lies near shore or in enclosed valley, etc.), berry production, size,
history (natural or human), and similar features; does not include economic
interests such as mining, horticulture, silviculture, water retention, land-
fill, or development.

Public interest currently exhibited; much interest expected
when public becomes informed . .1 . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . 1

Occasional.public interest currently exhibited; greater
interest expected when public becomes informed . . . . . . . . 2

Public interest currently minor or rare, moderate interest,
or more, expected when public becomes informed . . . . . . . . 3

Essentially no public interest; would take considerable
education or interpretation to maintain public interest 4

Nisibility:

Seen from above, easy access . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Seen from above, mo@erate to difficult access; or
seen from marginal vista, easy access . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Seen from marginal vista, moderate to difficult access . . . . . 3

Seen from within site, vistas limited, moderate to
difficult access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

INDEX OF USGS OUADRANGLES

126 Gardner Lake
A
127A Pembroke
127B Eastport
127C Whiting
127D West Lubec
127E Lubec
1 40 Tunk Lake 777777777@@ 'A :t"4 144-
-1A
'0,
4
141 Cherryfield
.!43i.
141A Cherryfield
141B Harrington
142A Columbia Falls
142B Whitneyville :C:@
ot C
142C Addison
142D Jonesport 12
159
158
43A Machias 14
A/
143B Machias Bay
143C Roque Bluffs 13

9
143D Cross Island
.7 6
144A Cutler 3
4 -5
144B Moose River
155 Blue Hill
156 Mount Desert
157 Bar Harbor
2
158A Petit Manan
1 58B Bois Bubert
159A Drisko Island
159B GreatWass Island
170 Deer Isle
171 Swans Island

Figure 39. Location of rec
and undecided coastal raise

When ranked in order of the Coastal Features Significancy Index (Table
3) the first 14 peatlands have Scirpus cespitosus on the raised peats and/or
have peat erosion by tidewater, the top two have both features. The differ-
ences in the ranking based upon "All.Features" is mostly attributable to
the presence or absence of biogeographically significant species and commu-
nities. Note that sites with high General Public Interest or Visibility
occur variously within the ranking.

The reasons for recommendation, location, and general description of
the nineteen sites follow, in order from west to east. Names have been
.assigned each site, using existing names when known. The acreages (approxi-
mate at best) were calculated by dot-grid method from U.S.G.S. maps, the
boundaries drawn from map data, air photo interpretation, field checks, and
the overflight. Additional comments regarding condition and use, as well as
more detailed descriptions of site boundaries, are available from the Critical
Areas Program.

I BIG REATH, MOUNT DESERT ISLAND, Southwest Harbor

Reasonsfor Recommendation:

Big Heath is recommended because it is the southwesternmost coastal
raised peatland in Atlantic North America, with an excellent display of
coastal vegetation. In completely natural condition it lies at an ecologi-
cally important transition between climatic zones, and is at the limit of
distribution of certain species and communities. Its pond system is unique
in Atlantic coastal United States. The significance of Big Heath, among
115 coastal raised peatlands in Maine, ranks 11th for Coastal Peatland
Features and 4th for All Peatland Features.

Significant Features:

- southwestern limit of the known coastal and lowland distribution of
baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus, which does not flower here),
black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum), the Empetrum nigrum - Sphagnum
fuscum community, the Scirpus cespitosus - Sphagnum fuscum commu-
nity, and the 'Scirpus cespitosus lawn physiognomy
- southwestern limit of 6bviously raised peatlands
- southernmost peatland in eastern United States with a well-developed
surface pond system
- variety of pond, pond margin and wet depression communities
- one of only two ombrotrophic peatlands in Maine known to me to have
skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)
- only circumstance of water lilies in ponds of raised peatlands of
the Coastal Region
- area of lichen -.Sphagnum fuscum -.Empetrum nigrum maritime community
- common juniper (Juniperus communis) present on ombrotrophic peats
(possibly southern limit in peatlands)
- breeding site for the uncommon Lincoln Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii),
also frequented by the Palm Warbler (,Dendroica palmarum)

Location and Size:

Located at the southern end of Mount Desert Island in Acadia National
Park, Big Heath lies north of Route 102A less than a mile southwest of the
Seawall Pond campground and picnic area. Open peatland accounts for about
150 of the more than 420 acres of the site.

Ecology:

A most significant biogeographical site along the Atlantic Coast of
North America, and diagnostic of biologically important climatic limits,
Big Heath can be expected to have additional species and communities other
than those listed above that are at distribution limits.

Big Heath is a relatively small raised peatland whose basic plateau con-
figuration partially is masked by low and tall tree cover, by limited lateral
dimensions which reduce the height of raised peats, and sometimes by bisect-
ing or marginal drainages or small streams which further reduce the raised
area. The peatlarid,is much forested along its margins and.in most of its
northern area, and has a number of tree islands in the largest open area,
the southern portion.

Most of the significant features are located in the open area, through
which passes the very important drainage. Emanating from the northern por-
tion of the peatland, a broad wet area arcs southwestward, becoming wider
and wetter nearer the southern edge of the peatland.. A variety of communi-
ties-favoring wet depressions and soaks occur, including several Sphagnum
dominated communities, mud bottom communities, and Scirpus cespitosus
communities that have or approach lawn physiognomy. With increasing fre-
quency and size to the south are a series of depressions and ponds, slightly
patterned (a quite crude ladder formation). Wetter than any others I have
experienced in Maine, the fringes of these surficial ponds are, in places,
quaking (buoyant or floating). In some of the ponds grow water lilies.
Skunk cabbage grows here and there in wet peat depressions (also in the
nearby lagg, the peatland margin).

To the sides of the wet area are raised peats with dwarf shrub communi-
ties, the Empetrum nigrum - Sphagnum. fuscum community, and clusters of black
spruce of various sizes. Black crowberry occurs throughout most of the open
peatland, but baked-apple berry grows rather locally, and is not known to
flower or fruit here. In places the Sphagnum fuscum approaches the "hollow-
less plain" character; elsewhere there are typical hummocks and hollows. In
some areas lichens form a prominent, rich understory for dwarf shrubs, often
in conjunction with Sphagnum fuscum and/or black crowberry. The lichen -
black crowberry hummocks are especially showy, and reveal the extreme mari-
time location of this peatland. As with other extreme maritime sites, there
is common juniper (Juniperus communis) in the open peatland.

Consequently, this site contains many of the elements of the Coastal
Plateau Bog peatland type, but not simply zoned as at Jonesport Heath, the
type example.

Condition and Use:

The National Park,Service has not "improved" this site; there are no
signs, parking pull-outs, or trails. Disruption is no greater, in general,
than that at most other unmined sites covered by this report, except that
there has been moderate to heavy trampling in the vicinity of the ponds.

There is potential for considerable disruption of the most significant
features of this site. This site has far more tourists, and possibly more
permanent residents, nearby than any other site recommended by this report.

Of especial fragility are: the narrow drainage ways; the drainage pat-
terns between and among the wet depressions; the plant communities in those
areas, other wet areas, and in the ponds; the peat margins of the ponds,
especially when soggy or floating; the very edges of the ponds, which may
be overhanging, vertical, or sloping in shape, as well as receding through
decay, advancing through growth or stationary; the pond and depression bot-
toms, which are peats unprotected by vegetation and root mats, and which,
if undisturbed, may undergo accelerated decay; and the Sphagnum fuscum -
Empetrum nigrum terrain and areas with extensive lichen development, with
hummock-hollow and/or "hollowless plain" form.

2 GREAT CRANBERRY ISLE HEATH, Cranberry Isles

Reasons for Recommendation:

Great Cranberry Isle Heath is recommended because it is the south-
westernmost peatland in Atlantic North America that clearly displays the
coastal plateau morphology and characteristic coastal plant community zona-
tion. In completely natural condition the peatland provides habitat for
species and communities at or near the limit of their distribution. The
significance of Great Cranberry Isle Heath, among 115 coastal raised peat-
lands in Maine, ranks 8th for Coastal Peatland Features and 9th for All Peat-
land Features.

Significant Features:

- "offset" plateau, with height on upstream side of peatland
- Empetrum nigrum - Sphagnum fuscum community well developed, with
abundant baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus)
- Scirpus cespitosus lawns on upstream flank of peatland
- Sphagnum fuscum - lichen community locally prominent
- easternmost location in United States with skunk cabbage (@@107
carpus foetidus) on'ombrotrophic peats, one of only two Maine
raised peatlands with the species
- frequent, locally abundant common juniper (Juniperus communis) on
plateau
- two kinds of scattered spruce islands; no other Coastal Plateau
peatland visited has a similar region of islands of so uniformly
stunted spruce
- cranberries at this peatland and at a smaller peatland on a nearby
island presumably have provided the names for two islands, a
harbor, a post office, and a township

Location and Size:

This moderately large coastal raised peatland occupies about half of
the southwestern corner of Great Cranberry Isle. The site contains about
215 acres, at least 150 of which are open peatland.

Ecology:

Although the nearby "Big Heath" on Mt. Desert Island is slightly more
southerly and westerly, its raised peatlands lack the clear plateau form and
the characteristic Coastal Plateau Bog community zonation.of Great Cranberry
Isle Heath. This peatland slopes to the west from its upper, eastern reaches,
which have areas with considerable Scirpus cespitosus. Baked-apple berry
(Rubus chamaemorus) is abundant in @_he Empetrrm nigrum - Sphagnum fuscum
community, widespread in the center of the peatland. It is not known to me
if the Rubus fruits (as it does eastward of this site) or if it is sterile
(as it is at nearby Big Heath to.the west). Common juniper (Junipprus
communis) is frequent and'locally abundant in the central Sphagnum fuscum.
communities.

Black spruce (Picea mariana) forms two kinds of islands rather evenly
scattered, and possibly patterned, in the continuous, but exceptionally
variable plateau communities (including Sphagnum fuscum - lichen, f. fuscum
plains, and hummocky S. fuscum communities). Most commonly the spruce,
everywhere yellowed due to the extreme nutrient deficiency, form sub-circular
to elongate, low islands less than 3 feet in height, a few to several feet
in horizontal extent. A very few islands have trees to 6-8 feet tall, with
a typical encircling ring of layered progeny. In the Coastal Region spruce
are absent on larger plateaus, and when present on smaller plateaus grade
in height rather evenly from tall, marginal trees to shorter,more stunted'
individuals in central parts of the peatlands. Peatlands with areas of
uniformly stunted spruce seem generally restricted,to inland locations. Con-
sequently, the presence of spruce islands amid the well-developed coastal
communities may reflect that this peatland, like the neighboring Big Heath,
is at the transition between major biogeographical (both floristic and eco-
logical) zones of the New England coast.

An unvisited narrow arm of the peatland descends westwardly toward the
sea.. It may be a fen. drainage for the peatland, and possibly contains
features of significance.

Vaccinium oxycoccus (small cranberry) is widespread in the Sphagnum.
fuscum communities, especially where shrub growth is subdued. In favorable
seasons abundant cranberries would have attracted pickers in colonial times.
Presumably, the abundance of cranberries in this peatland, and a smaller
one on an adjacent island, gave rise to the names of the islands Great
Cranberry and Little Cranberry, the intervening harbor Cranberry Harbor,
the Cranberry Isles post office, and the Cranberry Isles township.

.Condition and Use:.'

This peatland appears little visited and in excellent natural condition.

3 COREA HEATH, Gouldsboro

Reasons for Recommendation:

Corea Heath is recommended because it is a clearly raised, essentially
treeless, coastal peatland with its distinctively coastal vegetation promi-
nently patterned in concentric arcs--a rare phenomenon in the coastal region.
Furthermore, much of the peatland, whose circular shape and adjacent "bays"
of peatland at lower elevations are noteworthy, contains abundant Scirpus
cespitosus, often as lawns; only one other peatland has such prominent Scirpus.
The significance of Corea Heath, among 115 coastal raised peatlands in Maine,
ranks 5th for Coastal Peatland Features and 6th for All Peatland Features.

Significant Features:

- clearly raised, essentially treeless peatland with steeper marginal
slopes
- one of only three coastal raised peatlands with concentric patterning,
most clearly defined, and second most extensive patterning of any
peatland in the Coastal Region
- one of only three coastal raised peatlands with abundant Scirpus
cespitosus on most of raised portion of peatland
- one of only three coastal raised peatlands of essentially circular
form
- one of the larger peatlands in the Coastal Region
- adjacent peatland "bays" on downslope (southern) margins of the plateau
-multiple drainages with locally prominent marginal fens with various
vegetation types
-a few jack pines (Pinus banksiana) at the pearland margins; the only
Maine peatland other than those on Great Wass Island known to have
the species
-common juniper (Juniperus communis) a common constituent
-portions of the plateau have abundant lichens in the Sphagnum. fuscum
communities
-readily visible and highly accessible

Location and Size:

This site is the largest peatland near Corea; it abuts the village and
lies. south and west of the main road to that community. Access is easy from
all sides. The site is about 250 acres, of which over 210 are open with about
170 plateau.

Ecology:

In spite of former disruptions, which appear to be only surficial, and
fortunately do not include drainages, this peatland has numerous prominent
natural features of significance.

A large proportion of this peatland, especially throughout the southern
half, is characterized by ridge and depression relief, being more clearly
defined than at any other peatland in the Coastal Region. The hollows con-
tain a variety of mud bottom, Scirpus cespitosus,dwarf shrub, and lichen

100

dominated communities; some retain surface water for long periods and
approach pond structure. The ridges similarly are variously composed,
and include Sphagnum fuscum, black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum), dwarf
shrub, lichen, and highly stunted (less than 2-3 feet tall) spruce (Picea
mariana) dominated communities.

Only three other raised peatlands in Maine have such high proportions
of their surfaces with Scirpus cespitosus or Scirpus lawn communities.
Kelley Heath and Carrying Place Cove Bog are the most similar, presumably due
to the disturbance history of the sites; the portions of North Cutler Heath
with extensive Scirpus is quite different, no doubt due to the lack of dis-
turbance. At Corea Heath Scirpus cespitosus is most prominent in broad
hollows on the lower slopes and margins of the plateau, but it Also grows as
scattered individuals throughout the peatland.

The graminoid dominated vegetation of the two prominent drainage ways,
one to the north and one to the southwest, is frequently rich in broadleaf
herbs. The marginal laggs are mostly open, but have forested fen in places.

Condition and Use:

A U.S. Navy electronics facility with a large, circular, concrete antenna
pad abuts the west side.of the peatland. A very minor area of peatland was
destroyed by the construction, and the lateral effect of the facility into
the peatland seems nil. From the east, an abandoned access road 'built upon
fill atop the plateau peats leads about k of the way across the heath to an
apparently abandoned small frame building. Associated boardwalks and fence
posts are in considerable disrepair and are being overgrown by Sphagnum and
other plants. These disturbances have only minor local effect upon the peat-
land. If the peatland surface was laid bare some time ago (as at Kelley Heath),
the only evidence apparent is the extensive Scirpus cespitosus. The exact
character and dates of the disturbances were not det-e-rmined. Since drainage
patterns appear unaltered, and since the peat deposit seems intact, the site
offers significant opportunity to investigate regenerative rates and patterns
in the Coastal Region. Of particular interest are growthrates in the vicin-
ity of vehicle tracks, fence posts and boardwalks.

Although access is easy from several locations along roads and from the
contiguous Navy base, present use appears minimal.

4 WEST JONESPORT HEATH, Jonesport

Reasons for Recommendation:

West Jonesport Heath is recommended because it is a highly visible,
prominently raised, essentially natural coastal plateau peatland with charac-
teristic coastal vegetation zonation. The only coastal raised peatland in
the United Statesvith open peatland communities contiguous with tidal marsh,
it is only one of two coastal peatland plateaus in the United States with tide-
water erosion. The significance of West Jonesport Heath, among 115 coastal
raised peatlands in Maine, ranks 12th for Coastal Peatland Features and 15th
for All Peatland Features.

101

Significant Features:

- oblong plateau with a clearly offset upper region
- vegetation zonation characteristic on surface and slopes of plateau,
the only Coastal Plateau peatland in the United States*with open
peatland communities abutting tidal marsh
- exceptionally simple in.morphology and vegetation
- Sphagnum fuscum plains with baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus)
and black crowberry (Empetrum. nigrum.) prominent at plateau height
- minor depressions and semi-permanent ponds mark the steeper marginal
slopes
- peatland may extend beneath or beyond the tidal creek
- persistent gull activity on peatland height with moderate midden

Location and Size:

Totally visible from Route 187 about I mile north of West Jonesport, this
peatland lies west of the roadway between the heads of Hay Creek and Snare
Creek. The site contains about 78 acres, some 60 of which are open plateau.

Ecology:

Highest in the northern third of the plateau, and higher in the west
than in the east, the site clearly displays the "offset dome" phenomenon,
wherein the maximum elevation of the peatland is not central, but lies clos-
est to the upstream end of the site (i.e., the northern and western upland
boundaries are higher than the southern and eastern boundaries).

The long slope of the peatland to the south and southeast end in salt-
water marshes, with areas of direct tidal erosion of the peat forming vertical
and slump erosion escarpments up to three feet or more in height. One of the
most significant features of this tidewater erosion is the potential for
accurate determination of land/sea relationships on a coast where relative
sea level has been rising. The site becomes especially significant if, as.
is certainly possible, the peats extend beneath the intertidal, or if there
are relict peats south of the Hay Creek once (or perhaps still) contiguous
with the plateau. The effectiveness of the enhanced drainage of the peat-
land caused by the Hay Creek in establishing a sloping topography is seen
graphically from the road or air. One small surface pond lies at the norther-
most end, and a few ponds or depressions mark the steeper slopes or the break
in the slope along the southeastern quarter where tidewater drainage is evi-
dent.

Few in number, the vegetation types have characteristic Coastal Plateau
Bog zonation. The height of the plateau has well-developed Sphagnum fuscum
plains and hummocks, with locally abundant black crowberry (Empetrum. nigrum),
baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus), and bog goldenrod.(Solidago uliginosa);
Scirpus cespitosus appears absent. At slightly lower elevations, and covering
the bulk of the peatland, are dwarf shrub communities, with sheep laurel
(Kalmia angustifolia) and leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata) prominent.
The southern and most of the eastern margins are bordered with more vigorous
dwarf shrub communities, commonly with sweet-gale (Myrica gale) and rhodora
(Rhododendron canadense). Along the western margin grow coniferous trees in
a very narrow zone.

102

A colony of large gulls rests and feeds on the upper elevations of the
peatland. Their rather abundant midden consists primarily of crab shells
and bread wrappers. Some gull occupied hummocks are totally dead due to
guano, others have an adventive grass, and a few contain small mammal dens.
Deer trails parallel the peatland margins, and raccoon scats with baked-
apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus) remains are locally and seasonally abundant.

The significancy ranking of this site would be considerably higher were
Scirpus cespitosus present, especially in a lawn community. Also, since the
site is exceptionally simple in morphology and vegetation, it did not score
as high as more diverse sites. It should be recognized that its simplicity
imparts noteworthy significance as well.

Condition and Use:

Except for the items listed below, this peatland is in excellent natural
condition. Fire scars are evident in the southwestern quarter. However, in
the upper plateau there appears to be a former growth surface 8-16 inches
down, upon which present hummocks have formed.

The site seems to receive almost no direct human use, an especially note-
worthy fact due to its visibility and accessibility. An old drainage(?) ditch
scar partly crosses part of the plateau beginning at the east margin about 1/3
of the way from the south end.

The Jonesport landfill lies immediately adjacent to the northwestern
edge of the plateau, on slightly higher ground than the peatland and only a
few yards from it. Transgressions of runoff containing the numerous solutes
from refuse, air blown materials, fumes, noise, and fire can and do invade the
peatland.

5 CENTRAL PEATLANDS, GREAT WASS ISLAND, Beals

Reasons for Recommendation:

The Central Peatlands of Great Wass Island are recommended because they
are an outstanding example of the variation in peatland types along an ombro-
trophic (nutrients scarce, from precipitation) to minerotrophic (nutrients
abundant, from surface and ground water) gradient. In completely natural
condition the peatlands have exemplar coastal vegetation features including
the only peatland in the northeastern United States to have jack pine (Pinus
banksiana) as a prominent feature. The significance of these peatlands,
among 115 coastal raised peatlands in Maine, ranks 9th for Coasal Peatland
Features and 7th for All Peatland Features.

Significant Features:

- three peatlands, hydrologically connected; the western has a Coastal
Plateau Bog, the eastern is a graminoid fen, the middle is tran-
sitional
- complex hydrology, including marginal fens by raised peatland, and
noteworthy water track drainage in middle peatland

103

- diversity of fen communities
- characteristic Empetrum nigrum Sphagnum fuscum communities with
some "hollowless" plain development
- large areas with Scirpus cespitosus communities adjacent to plateau
- peatland merges with upland organic soils in places
- jack pine (Pinus banksiana) habit and habitat very similar with
shore pine (P:Cn-us contorta) habit and habitat on maritime peat-
lands along the Gulf of Alaska

Location and Size:

This site, owned by The Nature Conservancy, includes three open peatlands
in central Great Wass Island (Table 4): "0.5 mile E of Norton Point," 110.6
mile NE of Three Falls Harbor," and "0.3 mile NW of Cape Cove." It includes
roughly 110 acres, of which about 75 are open peatland.

Ecology:

The three open peatLands and their connecting isthmuses demonstrate
a complex hydrology that extends beyond the peatland margins, at some places
into ecosystems with shallow peat or organic soils. The two western of the
three peatlands warrant recommendation in their own right, the third may as
well, but it has not been compared with other, similar sites. In addition to
the importance of the individual peatlands, the site gains considerable sig-
nificance because of the hydrological continuity of the peatlands.

The three peatlands lie in a line roughly from northwest to southeast,
with water flow, at lea 'st during rainy periods, between the peatlands in
that direction. The middle and eastern peatlands receive runoff from upland
sources as well. The communities are most ombrotrophic in the western unit,.
and most minerotrophic in the eastern unit.

The western peatland, obviously raised, in its open regions is generally
similar to several of the smaller Coastal Region peatlands visited in this
study. In the upper portion of the raised bog the Empetrum nigrum - Sphagnum
fuscum community is characteristically developed, with some areas of-"hollow-
less" plain. Baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus) is abundant, and fruits
freely. Bog goldenrod (Solidago uliginosa) occurs throughout, locally with
abundance. At least one large area of a Scirpus cespitosus community, lawn-
like, occurs in a slightly lower region on the nortMs side of.the central
raised area.

Of'outstanding significance is the presence of low jack pine (Pinus bank-
siana) individuals scattered through the peatland. I consider them7-beto-
superimposed upon peatland types found elsewhere in the study area, but this
view may be modified or rejected as the site becomes better known. The jack
pine habitat, frequency, and locations within the peatlands is amazingly
reminiscent 'of its sibling species, shore pine (Pinus contorta), in the mari-
time, tertiary peatlands of Alaska and British Columbia along the Gulf of
Alaska. No other peatland in this study is known to have jack pine through-
out its open region, although some other peatlands of Great Wass Island, and
the Corea Heath, have isolated individuals. The marginal communities, eco-
.tones, and hydrologies of this peatland appear to be somewhat complex, with
the peatland boundaries not always sharply defined.

104

The outstanding feature of the middle peatland is a broad water track
of minerotrophic communities that arcs from the northwestern margin south-
ward across the ombrotrophic, dwarf shrub peatland. The eastern peatland
is a very wet, minerotrophic, graminoid fen with prominent Carex exilis and
that often has standing water.

Condition and Use:

The peatlands receive a fair amount of foot traffic, from both indi-
viduals and organized groups, for a site that is rather remote. This traffic
has created a major trail scar through each of the peatlands in places enhanc-
ing water flow. [email protected] site is in excellent natural condition.

6 SOUTHWEST PEATLAND, GREAT WASS ISLAND, Beals

Reasons for Recommendation:

The Southwest Peatland of Great Wass Island is recommended because it
has the most extreme maritime climate of any of the coastal peatlands, it
displays a large variety of coastal peatland morphologies, communities and-
hydrologic settings, all with modifications by the extreme climate, it is
contiguous with the best development of Shrub Slope peatlands in the eastern
United States, it has an exceptionally abrupt fen-raised bog ecotone, and
.it merges with various organic soils on adjacent uplands. The significance
,of this site, among 115 coastal raised peatlands in Maine, ranks 10th for
Coastal Peatland Features and 8th for All Peatland Features.

.Significant.Features:

- contiguous Shrub Slope peatlands, the best development of such a
phenomenon at low elevations in eastern United States
- modified (by extreme maritime climate) Coastal Plateau topography
with notable variety of communities
- well-developed Sphagnum fuscum communities, with "hollowless" plains
lichen dominated areas, and dwarf black spruce "forests"
- abundant black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) and baked-apple berry
(Rubus chamaemorus) that fruit copiously
- common juniper (Juniperus communis) locally abundant in Sphagnum
fuscum communities
- scattered Sbcirpus cespitosus and jack pine on plateau
- variety of typical and modified (by extreme maritime climate)
Coastal Zone peatland communities
- variety of fen communities bordering plateau
- an exceptionally abrupt ecotone between fen and plateau (along the
eastern boundary)
- "string of beads" patterned depressions and miniature ponds in
marginal fen
- northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) stand at margin
- organic soils dominate adjacent uplands
- complex topography and drainage patterns
- diversity of peat types

105

Location and Size:

This peatland lies north of The Pond and southeast of Three Falls Point
in the southwestern part of Great Wass Island. It contains about 67 acres.

Ecology:

Because of those adjacent, well-developed Shrub Sl 'ope peatlands and the
other extreme maritime features this site may be one of the most noteworthy
individual peatlands in the eastern United States.

The principal peat mass in this site has a surface topography that approxi-
mates a plateau, but one quite modified. In general, the peatland appears to
slope from the south and southwest to the north and east. Along the western
and southern margins the Shrub Slope peats merge, in places, with this site's
peats. The line of merger is discernible from a distance, but by no means
discrete. The central portion of t 'he peatland is a clearly raised plateau
bog, whose plateau may indeed slope throughout. There is an excellent example
of rolling, unpatterned, coalesced hummocks and "hollowless" terrain of Sphag-
num fuscum with miniature black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum), abundant baked-
apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus), and very stunted and scarce dwarf shrubs.
Scirpus cespitosus occurs here and there, but never forms large lawns on the
plateau. In the higher, southern portion is a relatively large area with con-
siderable lichens amid hummocky Sphagnum fuscum. Characteristically stunted
jack pine (Pinus banksiana) grow very sparsely on the plateau.

One of the most striking features of this site is the diversely speci-
ated, graminoid fen bordering the northern and eastern margins of the plateau.
In the narrowest parts the fen contains patterned depressions with mud bot-
tom communities and some minor ponds. Brief channel segments are sometimes
present forming "bead" pattern with the ponds and depressions. At one point
along the eastern margin, where the fen is narrowly squeezed between the
plateau and bedrock exposure, there has formed an exceptionally striking
plateau-fen interface. The plateau rises abruptly 1-3.5 feet above the fen
peats with absolutely no intergradation of the communities. With no ecotone
apparent, there can be no.finer example of ecosystem differentiation in
nature.

In the adjacent lowland, drainage areas with peat or sub-peat substrates,
there are patches of treed fens. Noteworthy because of the diversity it adds
to the site, and because it is an uncommon community of coastal peatlands, is
the northern white.cedar (Thuja occidentalis) fen or swamp in the southeastern
corner of the site.

Condition and Use:

The site appears to be in excellent natural condition except for the
remnants of a long abandoned telephone line and a couple of pathways used
relatively frequently by naturalists, scientists, hunters, and others visiting
the southwestern portion of the island.

106

7 JONESPORT HEATH, Jonesport

Reasons for Undbc-ided' Status:

The Jonesport Heath is significant because it contains the finest
example of, and is the defining (Damman 1977) site for, the Coastal Plateau
Bog peatland type. It is the only set of separate but contiguous coastal
plateaus, has the most extensive Scirpus cespitosus central lawns, and
totals the greatest acreage of any coastal raised peatland in the United
States. The magnitude of the site provides excellent opportunity for the
documentation of past and present climates. With the variety of kinds and
degrees of mining disturbance on the multiple plateaus, the Jonesport Heath
provides the premier situation for succession and recovery studies in the
coastal raised bog region. The significance of the Jonesport Heath, among
115 coastal raised peatlands in Maine, ranks 3rd for.Coastal Peatland,Fea-
tures and 2nd for All Peatland Features.

Significant Features:

- exceptionally well-developed plateau morphology
- contiguous but not coalesced plateaus
- excellent development and zonation of'Coastal Plateau Bog communities
- largest Scirpus cespitosus central lawns in the United States
- one of only three sites clearly displaying shallow, radial channels
- small area of ponds and wet depressions between plateaus
- excellent example of streams, one moderate in size, offset by
plateau development; the community zonation is characteristic
and readily evident
- variety of non-plateau peatland types along margins of plateaus,
possibly some adjacent upland with organic soils
- magnitude of site provides significant documentation of climate,
now and in the past

Location and Size:

North and east of Jonesport, this site includes the whole interconnected
and lobed complex of peatlands south of an east-west stream that is directly
west of Bar Island at 44033159" N latitude, and extends southward to 0.3
mile north of the head of Sawyer Cove. The site consists of some 720 acres,
about 640 being open and/or cleared.

A contiguous peatland of significance (North Unit, Jonesport Heath) lies
just north of the stream.

Ecology, Condition and Use:

This highly lobate, multiple plateau, northwest-southeast trending peat-'
land complex lies in gently undulating terrain of low relief. It is the most
extensive complex of peatlands within the Coastal Region, consisting of several
contiguous plateaus with little of the extensive coalescence that exists at
some more inland sites. Nowhere in the Maine Coastal Region are there mul-
tiple, adjacent plateaus as at this site.

107

The northern third of the complex is composed of one large, elongated
plateau, to its immediate east a smaller, lobed plateau, and to the north-
west a much smaller plateau. As of September 1978 the northern 60% of the
largest plateau, and all of the other two plateaus, the intervening streams,
and streams and peatlands to the north of this site were unaltered by man.

Mining began in the southern plateaus of the site during or before the
Second World War. That mining included drainage, with trench mining and
briquet production. The peat may have been harvested in forms other than
the briquets, as well. During the past decade, vacuum mining has been re-
activated, spreading far northward and including 40% of the largest plateau.
The peat is bagged for-horticultural purposes.

The largest plateau forms the basis for most of the characterization of
the Coastal Plateau Bog type given by Damman (1977). Considering the area
untouched as of September 1978, no other site in this study more clearly
displays the characteristic morphological and biological features of the
Coastal Plateau Bog peatland type. An oblong plateau, the peatland rises
rather sharply some nine feet above its margins to an extensive plateau
(see cross-sectional diagrams in Damman 1977, Figures 2 and 4). Trees are
exceptionally sparse, and occur exclusively on the marginal slopes. Absent
from the central plateau, dwarf shrub communities occupy the edges of the
upper surface and the marginal slopes. Fringing the Scirpus cespitosus -
Sphagnum fuscum. lawns are expanses (perhaps the largest anywhere in the
United States) of the Empetrum. nigrum - Spha&ijum fuscum community, with much
baked-apple berry @Rubus chamaemorus). As the marginal slope steepens, the
Kalmia M.Sustifolia - Sphagnum fuscum community (and closely related varia-
tions) predominates until minerotrophic conditions are encountered at the
margins. Where there is no free flowing water there commonly is the Smila-
cina trifolia - Sphagnum pulchrum community, and where streams abut the
plateau there are rhodora (Rhododendron canadense) and/or sweet gale (Myrica
gale) shrub communities.

A small group of distinctive ponds occurs midway along the eastern mar-
gin where a small stream from the southeast meets the peatland and acceler-
ates drainage, thus oversteepening the slope and allowing pond formation.
Minor ponds and mud bottom hollows can be expected sporadically on the mar-
gins of the plateau. This plateau has clearly directed the flow of small
streams along its eastern and western boundaries and.the larger stream form-
ing the northern boundary.

Within the dwarf shrub communities variations in plant composition demark
widely spaced, broad (perhaps 20-60 feet wide) radial "channels" (probably so
shallow as to be easily overlooked by an on-the-ground visitor) leading from
the Scirpus lawns to the middle lower slopes of the peatland. Several regu-
larly spaced "channels" radiate from the northern half of the plateau height.
Only two other sites in this study have so clearly developed channels.

Also unaltered are the two peatlands flanking this large plateau. Both
share some of the significant features of the large plateau. The western
unit appears typical of the many small coastal plateau bogs lacking Scirpus
lawns that occur commonly in this part of the Coastal Region. The eastern
of the three plateaus approximates the principal-plateau, but is somewhat

108

smaller, there being an upland lobe that gives it the shape of a lopsided
letter C, and the Scirpus lawns are smaller, diffuse, and not distinctive.
This peatland shares a common margin with the principal plateau for about
mile.

It is reasonable to presume that this peatland complex has been a peat-
land for 7000 or more years, increasing in thickness and perhaps breadth at
variable rates, according to climate and the hydrological limits of the
,morphological development, since that time. The proportion of peat volume
removed by mining or ditching to date is far less than the proportion of
surface area disrupted. Furthermore, most mining does not extend to the
very margins of the peatlands, but leaves pockets of relatively undisturbed
peatland along most of the periphery of the complex.

In most areas of former trench mining, few of the trenches reach the
underlying mineral substrate, and between the trenches were left in place,
intact peats, for transportation and briquet drying. Thus, not only is a
large proportion of the peat still present, it is intact stratigraphically.
In areas currently being vacuum mined, the materials are removed relatively
evenly from the peatland surface. Since the vacuum mining has been in
operation for only a few years, for most of the mined area the bulk of the
deposit is still present. The reclamation of trenched areas, smoothing the
surface to permit future vacuum mining, is underway. This reclamation de-
stroys much or all of the residual stratigraphy.

Consequently, since this peatland is a three-dimensional portion of the
landscape, with a past that is recorded in the deposition of materials over
thousands of years, the presence of the bulk of those materials, essentially
unchanged, means that perhaps as much as 80% or more of the peatland remains
intact and essentially undisturbed.

The removal of water by drainage has its major effects in the drainways
and in the uppermost portion of the peatland--the living vegetation and the
top few inches of the sediments. The most important impact.is the increase
in the region of aerobic activity, principally decay, and the subsequent
alteration in community composition. The drainage at this site appears to
be designed to effect a local draw-down of several inches or more, with the
necessity of additional ditching once all peats are mined that the first
draw-down permitted. Consequently, one may conclude that the hydrologic
functions of this peatland complex, although somewhat altered, are not funda-
mentally changed, and that restoration to near natural condition is possible
by-the careful blocking and filling of drains. These hydrologic functions
include the role of Jonesport Heath in the ground water regime in the Jones-
port area.

Since this site contains the largest, most clearly developed, and only
multiple plateau system in the Coastal Plateau Bog zone, its peats contain
important records of climatic and biotic activity. Thus, this site contains
many clues of importance to the post-Pleistocene biologist, anthropologist,
climatologist, hydrologist, as well as ecologist, clues perhaps unavailable
or less clear at other coastal peatland sites.

Coalesced raised peatlands wherein original basins and simple morphology
are masked by the coalescence appear to be confined in the eastern United

109

States to Maine. In order to understand peatlands such as Meddybemps Heath
or The Great Heath one need also investigate features nearby that approach
the phenomenon but do not achieve it. All of the coalesced peatlands in
Maine are inland, some of the largest are on the periphery of the coastal
zone. It is therefore of considerable importance that coalesced peatlands
are absent from the Coastal Zone, and the only circumstance approaching
coalescence are the multiple, contiguous plateaus of the Jonesport Heath.

Succession patterns of natural ecosystems on altered, especially mined,
peatlands in North America, especially those of the United States, are essen-
tially unknown. No successional features on disturbed peatlands in Maine have
been detailed. It is clear that succession on such peatlands will vary greatly
according to the region of the state in which the site occurs, as well as
local hydro-geomorphological conditions. Thus, succession must be studied
within each peatland region. Since this site has the most distinctive ex-
pression of the Coastal Plateau Bog, has multiple plateaus, and has a variety
of types and degrees of disturbance, it provides the premier situation for
succession studies in the region.

The Jonespor t Heath is placed in an undecided category because additional
field work is required to identify those portions of this system that remain
in a natural state, and also because some of this area is currently a commercial
peat operation.

8 NORTH UNIT, JONESPORT HEATH, Jonesport

Reasons for Recommendation:

The North Unit of the Jonesport Heath is recommended because it is the
most outstanding undisturbed Coastal Plateau Bog in the United States. It
exhibits fully the plateau morphology and community zonation with extensive
development of all plateau communities; the undisturbed central Scirpus
cespitosus lawns are the largest such in the United States. The plateau con-
fined marginal streams, and the treeless marginal wetlands are exceptional.
The significance of the North Unit of the Jonesport Heath, among 115 coastal
raised peatlands in Maine, ranks 4th for Coastal Peatland Features and 5th
for All Peatland Features.

Significant Features:

- largest intact Coastal Plateau Bog in the United States
- largest undisturbed central Scirpus lawns in the United States
- large zone of Sphagnum fuscum - Empetrum nigrum community
- one of only three sites with well-developed shallow radiating
channels on upper plateau sites
- distinctive marginal slopes and obvious rise to plateau
- broad zonation of lower slope communities; sweet gale (Myrica Lale)
dominance below dwarf shrub heaths, then rhodora (Rhododendron
canadense) community at base of slope
- variety of especially well-developed, treeless marginal wetlands

110

Location and Size:

North of Jonesport, this plateau peatland unit lies north of an east-
west stream that is directly west of Bar Island at 44'33'59" N latitude.
It is 1.5 miles east of Indian River community. The site contains about
240 acres, of which the plateau is about 130.

Ecologically, it appears unwise to separate this site from the Jones-
port Heath site, but such distinction is mandated'because of the present
mining activities. There is no question that the two sites are part of a
single hydrologic system of considerable complexity. If the waterflow in
the stream that passes between the sites remains essentially unaltered,
the integrity of this site.should not be violated.

Ecology:

The raised plateau bog portion of this site more closely resembles the
highly significant principal plateau of the Jonesport Heath site than does
any other peatland in the United States. It differs in being slightly
smaller, having a somewhat arcuate long axis, having a somewhat smaller
proportion of the peatland occupied by Scirpus lawns, having slightly less
steep marginal,slopes, and in having more extensive marginal fens.

No other undisturbed Coastal Plateau Bog in the United States so clearly
exhibits the characteristic morphological and biological features of this
peatland type. Because of.the large size of the site, which permits a full
and exemplary development of the communities, and their zonation in accordance
to the plateau morphology, and because-the plateau is complete, without
alteration or truncation, it is the most significant of all the Coastal
Plateau Raised Bogs in the United States as the fullest and most complete
expression of the type. It is the paradigm against which other peatlands
can be interpreted, since the preferred type site is being mined.

In addition to the plateau features, this site contains a notable diver-
sity of marginal phenomena. To the south and west is a stream of moderate
size that is the principal drainage stream of the central part of the Jones-
port peninsula. Having come from large wetlands to the east, this stream
drains the northern slopes of the Jonesport Heath and the southeastern slopes
of this site's plateau. These raised peatlands form a confined passage for
the meandering stream, which possibly flows atop peat at that point. The
stream continues westward, with flanking wetlands, then turns northward
where it flows adjacent to the base of the North Unit plateau until joined
by the smaller, northern marginal stream. This northern stream is not large
and lies entrapped between the raised peatland and treeless wetland.

Where streams are entrapped against raised peatland, there are typical
streamside zonation of communities, including graminoid fen.margins, with
Myrica gale and Rhododendron canadense communities at the base of the plateau
slopes. Broad areas of treeless wetland of undetermined composition lie north
of the plateau and in the southwestern corner of the site, in the bend of the
large stream as it turns from westward to northward. To the east, part of
the plateau abuts upland with discrete but narrow lagg; no well-developed
moat appears to be present.

Condition and Use:

Surrounded for the most part by wetlands that likely are difficult of
passage for most of the year, and centrally located in the Jonesport penin-
sula a mile or more from roads, the site must be rarely visited. As of
September 1978, this peatland was in excellent, undisturbed natural condition.

9 KELLEY POINT PEATLAND COMPLEX, Jonesport

Reasons for Recommendation:

The Kelley Point Peatland Complex is recommended because it is an excel-
lent, complete, undisturbed Coastal Plateau Bog, one of only two such in the
United States. The exceptional diversity of peatland types make it the most
significant undisturbed site in the coastal region. It is one of only three
recommended sites with tidewater erosion of peats. The significance of the
'Kelley Point Peatland Complex, among 115 coastal raised peatlands in Maine,
ranks 2nd for Coastal Peatland Features and 1st for All Peatland Features.

Significant Features:

- distinctive Scirpus cespitosus lawn communities at plateau height
- large areas of Sphagnum fuscum - Empetrum nigrum "hollowless" plains
- abundant baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus)
- obvious bog slopes
- peat erosion by tidewater
- exceptionally diverse marginal peatland types
- possible Shrub Slope peatlands
- some adjacent upland soils are organic
- large areas of non-plateau peatland types, including all degrees
of cover, dominance by nearly every life form, and a wide range
of ombrotrophic to minerotrophic conditions
- diverted marginal stream
- irregularly patterned pond and wet depression system in drainage fen
- possible beaver activity
- smaller areas of raised peats apart.from principal plateau

Location and Size:

This complex peatland occupies over 250 acres between Rhine Point,
Kelley Point and Sawyer Cove east of Jonesport. It is easily reached from
Kelley Point Road.

Ecology:

The medium sized raised plateau is an excellent example of the type and
is one of only four sites in the United States known to so completely exhibit
the type characteristics, and one of only two complete and undisturbed, fully
characteristic Coastal Plateau bogs in the United States (the other being the
North Unit of Jonesport Heath). The peatland clearly rises from lower margins
to a central height that is somewhat elongated from north to south. The
highest elevation of the raised bog is a distinctive, though relatively small,

112

plateau of Scirpus lawns. In the northern third of the plateau, the lawns
lie encircled by extensive areas of well-developed, dwarf shrub communities
rich in Sphagnum. fuscum, black crowberry (Empetrum. nigrum), baked-apple berry
(Rubus chamaemorus),.and bog goldenrod (Solidago uliginosa). A prominent
region of sweet gale (Myrica gale) fringes the east edge of the Scirpus
lawns. The obvious bog slope varies in steepness depending upon direction
from the plateau. Surface ponds are absent, and mud bottom communities
nearly so, throughout the plateau and its shoulders.

Worthy of more careful inspection are what appear to be areas of Shrub
Slope Peatlands, especially southeast of the plateau, as well as minor
patches along the northwestern margin of the plateau.

Extending eastward from the height of theplateau are wooded, semi-
wooded, thicket, and open peatlands which intermingle in a mosaic of peatland
types. Occasional large boulders emerge amid or above the vegetation. In
some more wet open patches orchids are abundant. This peatland area extends
to tidewater where it is periodically eroded by storm waves as they crest
the barrier beach and enter-the lagoon. Sea-cut peatlands are known to
exist at only three other locations in the study area (one is miniscule
and.occupied by a threatened home), and less than 5-7 locations in all of
Maine. Only one other site, Carrying Place Cove Bog, has beach deposition
upon terrestrially formed peats.

As waters descend from the plateau (which forms a multiple watershed
divide), and sometimes are joined by upland waters, they pass through one
of several drainage ways, including areas of Sphagnum. - graminoid fens,
thicket fens, tamarack fens, other wooded fens, and (beaver?) impounded
waters. this diversity of drainage types is unparalleled at any site dis-
cussed in this report. If the,impoundment is by beaver, thils__sii@ is-on-ly
one of three coastal peatlands with beaver damming, all of which appear
to be the result of recent (last decade or two) activity. Of particular
note are the surface ponds and wet depressions that are irregularly patterned
("ladder like" to "string of beads" formation) in the Sphagnum. graminoid
dwarf shrub fen drainage that leads southward from the plateau.

Condition and Use:

Visually attractive and accessible, this site is seldom visited. Berry
picking was likely quite common in the past, but is now apparently only
occasional. Throughout, this site appears to be in excellent natural condi-
tion.

10 GREAT COVE HEATH, Roque Bluffs

Reasons for Recommendation:

Great Cove Heath is recommended because it is an undisturbed, well-
developed peatland that excellently displays features intermediate in charac-
ter between those of extreme Coastal and Inland peatlands. It has unusually
good visibility from an adjacent road. The significance of Great Cove Heath,
among 115 coastal raised peatlands in Maine, ranks 18th for Coastal Peatland
Features and 17th for All Peatland Features.

113

Significant Features:

- plateau height offset to upstream margin of peatland
- Empetrum nigrum - Sphagnum fuscum community with scattered baked-
apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus) here and there at upper eleva@
tions of peatland
- Scirpus cespitosus absent except in marginal open fens
- diversity of peatland types, including open plateau, slightly
wooded plateau, herbaceous fen drainageway, forested peat-
land, plus two separate, small, open peatlands

Location and Size:

Lying on the north side of the Jonesboro to Roque Bluffs road some
0.8 mile northeast of Great Cove, this peatland has easy access and excel-
lent visibility. The site, most of which is treeless, is slightly less
than 100 acres.

Ecology:

This medium sized plateau is typical and representative of many peat-
lands in the study area of similar size, that albeit are near tidewater,
are not in the extreme maritime setting of heads of points or islands.

Raised, but not dramatically so, the southern half of the peatland
is viewed easily from one's car when driving past. Typical with most raised
peatlands, its highest elevation is' is upstream," in this case appearing to
be to the south and east of center. The principal open peatland has a fairly
narrow spruce lagg bordering the upland along much of its periphery. Trees
extend some distance into the peatland, rapidly becoming less dense and
shorter, leaving a large, central, mostly treeless area dominated by dwarf
shrub communities. Here and there, and more commonly at the higher eleva-
tions6 is the Empetrum nigrum - Sphagnum fuscum community, with scattered
baked-apple rry (Rubus chamaemorus) only occasionally abundant. No Scirpus
cespitosus was seen on the plateau. No ponds or wet depressions appear
to be present.

Some diversity of peatland types occurs in the northern and northeastern
part of the site where there are at least two separate, small, open peatlands,
one wetter drainage way with numerous herbaceous fen species, and wooded
peatland and/or wetland.

South of the road the topography drops away, suggesting that the road
lies astride a low ridge (of undetermined composition) that may have been a
kind of "dam" creating a shallow basin in which the peatland initiated.
The geomorphology of this feature should be compared with the "dam" at Moose
River Heath.

This site clearly and typically represents the transition of peatland.
types for small and moderate size of peatlands, from: a) those in extreme
maritime locations where Sphagnum fuscum forms undulating, essentially hollow-
less plains and/or dense hummock and hollow terrain (with Sphagnum fuscum
even in the hollows) in which Empetrum nigrum is the exclusive or dominant
shrub (most commonly very subdued in size), Rubus chamaemorus is copiously

114

abundant, and Scirpus cespitosus may grow as scattered plants; to b) those
at Inland settings where Sphagnum fuscum. very rarely or never approaches
plain formation (being usually most common on the tops of, or on one side
of, hummocks), where Empetrum nigrum. is not present (or if present, as in
a few larger, highly raised sites, it is of lesser prominence than other
dwarf shrubs), and where Rubus chamaemorus is absent.

Therefore, the principal significance of this site resides in its being
a typical example of the Coastal/Inland transition type, and in its public
visibility (from the adjacent road).

Condition and Use:

Aside from occasional visitors, especially berry pickers and hunters,
the site seems undisturbed. It appears in excellent natural condition.

11 LARRABEE HEATH, Machiasport

Larrabee Heath is recommended because it is an undisturbed, obviously
raised plateau with steep marginal slopes that fills an elongated valley,
confining stream flow to its margins; community zonation is simple and clearly
developed. This is the only coastal plateau with prominent beaver activity
adjacent. From above Larrabee Heath is especially appealing. Its charac-
ters are simply arrayed and easily perceived. The treeless plateau, enhanced
by community zonation and the marginal streams, enclosed within a small
valley, contrasts strikingly with the neighboring, forested upland. The
significance of Larrabee Heath, among 115 coastal raised peatlands in Maine,
ranks 15th for Coastal Peatland Features and 11th for All Peatldnd Features.

Significant Features:

- prominently raised peatland with steep marginal slope
- marginal slope communities distinctive and well developed
-.Empetrum nigrum -.Sphagnum fuscum community at height of plateau,
but limited in extent
- baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus) scattered, Scirpus cespitosus
absent
- superb examples of meandering marginal streams with graminoid and
wooded communities
- prominent beaver activity
- one of larger plateaus in Coastal Region

Location and Size:

This relatively large peatland (the site is about 235 acres, of which
over 150 are open plateau) is partially visible to the southwest from the
main road at Larrabee. Access is attained via woods roads.

Ecology:

One of the larger plateaus in this study, Larrabee Heath has distinctive
lagg stream margins, evident community zonation, some coastal communities,

115

and significant beaver activity. If Scirpus lawns were present, this site
would rank in the top eight sites.

Larrabee Heath fills an elongated valley with a wetland system dominated
by a prominently raised plateau. Lateral expansion of the raised peatland
has confined streams along the north and south margins adjacent to the up-
lands of the valley sides. These streams, which can be considered laggs,
meander narrowly within graminoid fen vegetation. Except for the Jonesport
Heath, no other'site recommended in this report has such distinctive, "text-
book quality" marginal stream displacement. With increasing water levels
caused by the recent beaver dam below the confluence of the two streams,
some areas of former marginal tamarack (Larix laricina) fen have been con-
verted to graminoid fen due to the deat f the trees. Confined marginal
streams and/or beaver ponding are commonly associated with raised bogs in
the Inland regions, but are rare in the Coastal Region.

The plateau topography, and the associated community zonation, is simply
and clearly developed. As the streams become narrower with closer proximity
to the plateau peats, leather-leaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata) abundance in-
creases. The base of the plateau usually is clearly e ident, marked by
a distinctive peat rise and slope. Rhodora (Rhododendron canadense) and/or
sweet gale (Myrica gale) shrubs become abundant, joined by Sphagnum spp.
and ericaceous shrubs. At varying distances from the marginal streams (wider
downstream, much closer upstream) this gentle slope abruptly rises 3-6 feet
vertically as the principal slope of the plateau. Very minor seeps exude
from this "escarpment" but a well-developed sequence of ponds and/or wet
depressions does not ring the peatland (as occurs at the morphologically
similar, Inland Plateau, "Runaway Pond Heath," a few miles to the north).
Occasional ponds and wet depressions do occur along this juncture, notably
along the northeastern end of the plateau.

On and above this slope are vigorous dwarf shrub heath communities,
with increasing components of Sphagnum fuscum and black crowberry (Empetrum
nigrum) with elevation. The plateau surface rather surprisingly has few
areas dominated by the Empetrum nigrum - Sphagn fuscum community, and
Scirpus cespitosus appears absent. Baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus),
locally scattered in the Sphagnum fuscum communities, is nowhere abundant.
Bog goldenrod (Solidago uliginosa) grows scattered over the plateau. The
plateau is devoid of trees except for a tongue of coniferous forest upon
undetermined substrate that extends from the south margin, and a region
of low spruce trees near the northwestern periphery and scattered in the
western end.

The beaver dam is optimally placed to produce the largest possible
impoundment for the least dam size. It lies downstream of the junction
of the marginal streams and creates a large pond in the crotch of the Y.
The elevated water level extends at least along 25-35 percent of the northern
margin. There is no reason to suspect the plateau to be affected by those
higher water levels, except perhaps at its lowest margins, for the hydrology
of the raised peat mass is essentially independent. No effects were noted
on any of the raised portions of the site. If the beaver dams were removed,
there should be no detrimental effect upon the plateau..

116

Beaver in association with Coastal Plateau Bogs is very rare, for seldom
do the peatlands have sufficient flowing water or food sources for the beaver.
No other site recommended in this report has beaver activity adjacent to a
plateau, nor did I observe the remains of former dams, lodges, canals, or
trails at any other peatland recommended here.

Condition and Use:

Seldom visited except by hunters, this peatland is in excellent natural
condition. According to Damman (pers. comm. 1977), a fire crossed the surface
in the early 1970's. No traces or scars of that fire were apparent in the
contemporary vegetation.

12 KELLEY HEATH, Cutler

Reasons for Recommendation:

Kelley Heath is recommended because no other coastal raised peatland
in Maine has so continuous a vista of Scirpus cespitosus, which is almost
universal on the sub-circular plateau uniquel@ in tl@e well-developed,
lower elevation, peatiand "bays." It is one of only three coastal peatlands
with concentric patterning of vegetation And topography, and the abiuptly
raised margins are among the most distinctive in the eastern United States.
The significance of Kelley Heath, among 115 coastal raised peatlands in Maine,
ranks 7th for Coastal Peatland Features and 10th for All Peatland Features.

Significant Features:

- distinctive plateau morphology with obvious marginal slopes
- Scirpus cespitosus abundant, with associated vegetation on an often
patterned mosaic of "mud bottom," lichen dominated, Sphagnum
fuscum, S. rubellum, and generally subdued, dwarf shrub communi-
ties likely accentuated by the former removal of the vegetation
cover
- one of only three sites with so large a proportion of Scirpus.S@1-
tosus, one of only eight plateaus in the state with well-developed
lawns
- one of only three Coastal Plateau Bogs in Maine with concentric pattern-
ing, the patterning is the most extensive and readily apparent from
the air and on the ground
- excellent development of marginal, open peatiand "bays"
- visible and accessible from U.S. Navy road

Location and Size:

This peatland is reached conveniently via the UHF transmission station
access road opposite the main gate of the Cutler Navy Base on Route 191 just
south of Huntley Creek. The mostly open site contains about 170 acres, of
which about 103 are plateau.

117

Ecology:

According to the owner of the site, the surface of the open plateau ex-
panse was "turned over with a bulldozer" and "blown into a trailer" for "humus
about "15 years ago" (i.e., about 1963). The surface of the peatland "grew
back in a couple of years."

Very little volume of the peatland was removed, and the plateau retains
a prominent plateau configuration, rising sharply 3-9 feet above marginal
uplands and peatlands. Trees characteristically are restricted to the margins
(as was apparently the case prior to the bulldozing), and there is no indica-
tion that the plateau is being colonized by trees. Presumably enhanced by
the stripping of the vegetation Scirpus cespitosus is almost universal on
the plateau, with a mosaic of associated vegetation, including Sphagnum fuscum
communities, baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus), black crowberry (Empetrum
nigrum), and bog goldenrod (Solidago uliginosa). The boundary of disturbance
is not evident, but the Scirpus exte into areas with scattered trees
clearly older than 15 years, as well as occupying central regions of the mar-
ginal, tree encircled, peatland "bays" that lie well below the plateau eleva-
tion at the base of the southern plateau slope. Thus, the Scirpus lawns are
natural constitutuents of this peatland, as well as aggress@iveinhabitants
of disturbed terrain 15 years after the removal of surface vegetation.

No other site in the Coastal Region is so prominently concentrically
patterned. The patterning is formed by interfingerings, roughly crescentic
to linear or rather oblong in shape, of Scirpus lawns and dwarf shrub commu-
nities. The latter tend to occupy low ridges, the former broad, shallow de-
pressions (not always particularly deep or wet). Relief may vary from a few
inches to three feet or so.

The patterning at this site is remarkable because it is recognizable
over almost the entire plateau, it is so clearly concentric, it so clearly
defines the central height of the plateau (which, typically, is offset to
the hydrologically upper side of the peatland--in this case it is in the north-
ern third of the plateau), and because.it so completely masks any trace of
the former disturbance.

The concentric patterning is superimposed upon the Coastal Plateau Bog
concentric zonation of communities, central Scirpus lawns, with surrounding
dwarf shrub communities extending to and 'down the plateau slope, with increas-
ing tree frequency on the lower slopes and at their base. Bordering most
of the sub-circular open plateau are forested peatland and wetlands, sometimes
with open areas. To the west this region is quite narrow, to the south and
east it is rather broad. Typical for sub-circular plateau heaths, but scarce
in the Coastal Region, at the "downstream" side of the plateau there is a
system of smaller "bay" peatiands extending from the southern base of the
plateau, separated by an intervening row or grove of trees. It appears that
the principal plateau is continuing to expand southward into the bays.

Condition and Use:

Currently, in spite of its proximity to the Navy facility, and being
adjacent to a base road, this peatland appears lightly to rarely visited.

118

13 HEATH, 1.9 MILES WEST OF NORTH CUTLER, Cutler

Reasons for Recommendation:

The heath that lies 1.9 miles west of North Cutler is recommended be-
cause it is one of the smallest clearly raised plateaus with steep marginal
slopes. There is an excellent development of Sphagnum fuscum communities,
including "hollowless" plains. Sparsely scattered Scirpus cespitosus amid
Sphagnum fuscum is known at only three other coastal peatlands. The signifi-
cance of this peatland, among 115 coastal raised peatlands in Maine, ranks
13th for Coastal Peatland Features and 18th for All Peatland Features.

Significant Features:

-clearly raised plateau with steep marginal slopes
- "hollowless" plain of Sphagnum fuscum on part of plateau
-variety of peatland vegetation types characteristic of smaller
peatlands in the Coastal Region
-area with dwarf forest of low black spruce (P:Lcea,mariana)

Location and Size:

About 1.9 miles west of North Cutler this site is clearly figured on
the U.S.G.S. Machias Bay 71@' quadrangle, and can be reached by roads of
the Cutler Navy Base. The site is less than 50 acres in extent, with about
25 open peatland areas.

Ecology:

The southern portion of this small peatland is prominently raised with
exceptionally steep marginal slopes, thus almost the entire peatland (in
the southern half at least) is plateau surface. This surface supports a
vigorous Empetrum nigrum - Sphagnum fuscum community with copious baked-
apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus). In places this community forms an undu-
lating plain, sometimes "lumpy," but generally without distinctive,hollows
or depressions, a feature best expressed at peatlands very near the sea.

A wetter area partially separates the northern portion of the peatland,
which is fairly densely treed with stunted and short black spruce, (Picea
mariana), from the open, southern plateau. In it are a few wet depressions
and minor ponds.

Condition and Use:

During construction of the Cutler Navy Base approximately 20 years
ago, an ineffectual drainage ditch was dug in the extreme southwestern corner
of the peatland, extending quite a distance from the bog. A boundary of
the Navy Base crosses the southern portion of the peatland. South of the
boundary most tree individuals were cut and removed during construction
of the base. It is unclear what effect the removal of the generally sparse
and small (or stunted) trees, along with the attempt to drain the peatland,
has had on the Sphagnum fuscum communities, which are growing with obvious
vigor. At present this peatland may be the least visited of any site recom-
mended by this study.

119

14 NORTH CUTLER HEATHS, Cutler

The North Cutler Heaths are recommended because they have the highest
'proportion of open peatland with 'Scirpus cespitosus communities of any un-
disturbed raised peatland in the coastal region of the United States. The
three, relatively small, contiguous peatlands display a gradient of typical
coastal raised peatland vegetation- from open to wooded by low trees. The
significance of the North Cutler Heaths, among 115 coastal raised peatlands
in Maine, ranks 6th for Coastal Peatland Features and 12th for All Peatland
Features.

Significant Features:

- exceptionally large proportion of the surface of the most-6pen
peatland occupied by Scirpus cespitosus communities
- widespread and abundant Coastal Region communities and species--
including Scirpus cespitosus communities, Empetrum nigrum -
,Sphagnum fuscum communities, baked-apple berry (Rubus chamae-
morus)., and bog goldenrod (Solidago uliginosa)
- variety of typical, regional, peatland vegetation types
- visible and accessible from nearby road

Location and Size:

Readily accessible and visible from a,town road, the site lies at the
north base of the narrow ridge extending directly west from the road junc-
tion called North Cutler. Because of the shared geomorphic setting, the
close proximity to each other, and the probable interrelatedness of their
hydrologies, three peatlands ("0.4 mile W of North Cutler," "0.7 mile W
of North Cutler," and "1.1 mile W of North Cutler," Table 4), which might
even have contiguous peats, comprise this single site recommended for evalu-
ation as a potential Critical Area. The site includes approximately 113
acres, about 63 of. which are open.

Ecology:

The principal feature of significance of this site are the extensive
Scirpus lawns, especially in the easternmost of the three open peatlands
which most clearly conforms to the coastal plateau form. This unit has
an exceptionally large proportion of its surface occupied by Scirpus commu-
nities, equalled in proportion by only three other sites in the Coastal
regi:on. This is the only undisturbed (whether by natural or human causes)
peatland of the four sites.

In contrast with the characteristic community zonation for the Coastal
Plateau Bog type, Sphagnum fuscum, Scirpus cespitosus, and black crowberry
(Empetrum nigrum) are widespread and abundant over nearly the entire broad
plateau surface. Baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus) is not so common
as at most sites visited in the Coastal region, and is most abundant away
from the center of the plateau. Bog goldenrod (Solidago uliginosa) is locally
abundant. Plants apparently ascribable to Lycopodium. annotinum var. pungens
were located in the open peatland of both the middle and eastern units.
This variety has been reported otherwise on ombrotrophic peats only at Boot
Cove Heath and on Great Wass Island.

120

Condition and Use:

Human intrusion appears negligible, although logging transgresses upon
some boundaries. There is local berry picking, but otherwise the peatlands
appear in excellent natural condition.

15 MOOSE RIVER HEATH, Trescott

Reasons for Recommendation:

Moose River Heath is recommended because of its openness and visibility,
the well-developed, undisturbed, prominently zoned vegetation (especially the
"hollowless" plains of Sphagnum fuscum and the abundant dwarf huckleberry,
Gaylussacia dumosa), the proximity to the sea, and the confining dam-like
margin which is likely a former beach. In one of themost scenic settings
of any coastal peatlands, it has an excellent overlook from an adjacent
rocky ridge. The significance of Moose River Heath, among 115 coastal
raised peatlands in Maine, ranks 17th for Coastal Peatland Features and 16th
for All Peatland Features.

Significant Features:

- clearly raised plateau
- well-developed "hollowless" plains of Sphagnum fuscum
- well-developed dwarf shrub communities
- locally abundant black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum), baked-apple
berry (Rubus chamaemorus), bog goldenrod (Solidago uliginosa),
and dwarf huckleberry (Gaylussacia dumosa)
- broad lagg with prominent rhodora (Rhododendron canadense) and
dwarf huckleberry (Gaylussacis dumosa) along western margin
- very near the sea
- excellent visibility from atop neighboring rocky ridge

Location and Size:

This site is.conveniently reached from the Cutler-Trescott road via the
access road to a hunting club lodge just south of the mouth of Moose River.
An excellent view of the entire peatland, some 60 acres in extent, can be
had from the ridge separating it from the mouth of Moose River to the east.

Ecology:

This relatively small, completely open peatland lies very near the sea,
removed sufficiently from the rocky shore to be well beyond splash or storm
thrown debris. An exceptionally open peatland for its size, this plateau
has no Scirpus lawns, and Scirpus was not noticed during the visit. Sphagnum
fuscum communities are widespread, as is black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum).
Baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus) is locally abundant, and bog goldenrod
(Solidago uliginosa) typically frequent but well dispersed. The Emeptrum
nigrum - Sphagnum fuscum community forms sub-hollowless plains in places.

121

In autumn,'brilliantly scarlet circular clones and exceptionally broad
marginal zones of dwarf huckleberry (Gaylussacia dumosa) provide exuberant
color, which contrasts with the purple-red of rhodora (Rhododendron canadense),
also marginal, and the intense greens and browns of the black crowberry
(Empetrum nigrum) hummocks. The northeastern lagg has a tree.canopy, whereas
moderately tall and thicket shrubs predominate in parts of the southwestern
lagg. The extreme seaward edge of the peatland has a distinctive, narrow
band of shrubs. Deer trails radiate from the northwestern tip into the
peatland.

At present one can look directly at the sea when standing on the plateau,
for the vegetation between the peatland and the shore contains mostly shrubs,
grasses and herbs. At one time this area certainly was forested, presumably
by a coniferous forest. Salt spray reaches the peatland during strong storms
and winds, as well as abundant sea fog, providing a very maritime environment.

Along the seaward margin of the peatland is a low dam-like ridge of
unconsolidated deposits parallel with the shore. Almost certainly a former
beach deposit, this geomorphic feature may have provided the necessary shallow
basin for the initiation of the peatland. This significant feature warrants
investigation. Radiocarbon dating of the basal peats (and other inquiries)
should provide important information about former land-sea relationships.

Condition and Use:

Apparently seldom visited the peatland appears in excellent natural con-
dition. Use of the adjacent uplands appears common, possibly primarily be-
cause of the high scenic qualities of the coast. The smallness and accessi-
bility of the peatland make it particularly vulnerable to human disturbance.

16 SOUTH TRESCOTT HEATH, Trescott

Reasons for Recommendation:

South Trescott Heath is recommended because it uniquely consists of a
prominently raised circular plateau, an adjacent, incompletely circular pla-
teau, and an intervening minor stream. Well-developed coastal communities
form obvious vegetation zones, and the site has the best examples of radial,
shallow drainage channels of any peatland in the eastern United States--a
rare feature known only at two other Maine coastal raised bogs. The signifi-
cance of South Trescott Heath, among 115 coastal raised peatlands in Maine,
ranks 16th for Coastal Peatland Features'and 13th for All Peatland Features.

Significant Features:

- most obviously raised of any of the smaller Coastal Plateau Bogs
- extensive Empetrum nigrum - Sphagnum fuscum community on treeless
upper plateau, often as "hollowless" plains
- copious baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus), and black crowberry
(Empetrum nigrum)
- prominent community zonation throughout, especially with elevation,
and along radial channels, the water track, and the plateau margins

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- excellent development of radial channels on raised plateau
- distinctive, small water track crosses between the two raised units

Location and Size:

About 0.8 mile west of Baileys-Mistake this peatland is easily reached
from Route 191 south of South Trescott via the small road just northeast of
The Pool. About 80 acres of the 106-acre site are open peatland.

Ecology:

This is a very distinctive site, and perhaps should be ranked even
higher. As with Carrying Place Cove Bog, this peatland has added signifi-
cance because of the documentation done by Osvald (1955, 1970) in 1927.

Of interest and significance is the shape of this peatland, being one
complete, circular plateau, with a water track along its southwestern margin,
and a second, incompletely circular plateau lying southwest of the water
track. The two plateaus form a single, oblong peatland with origins in a,
shallow lake (Osvald, 1955).

The vegetation is typical of the peatlands of moderate size in the
Coastal Region, and the descriptions of Osvald (1955) seem applicable still.
The bulk of the plateaus are dominated by dwarf shrub heaths that give way
to the Empetrum nigrum -.Sphagnum fuscum community with copious baked-apple
berry (Rubus chamaemorus) at higher elevations. No-Scirpus cespitosus was
noted by Osvald (1955) or observed during my visit.

The water track is distinctive on the ground and even more so.from
the air, and forms a prominent feature of significance, being a surficial
drainage across a peatland of simple stucture (cf. the cross-section illus-
trated by Osvald, 1955, Figure 1). In autumn the pathway is colorfully
marked by the purple-red rhodora (Rhododendron canadense). The water track
drains surficial and possibly subsurface waters. From the center of the
northeast plateau (really a shallow dome), radiate several linear depressions
that channel surface water during heavy precipitation. Perceptibly, but
not strikingly, marked by vegetation differences, a few of these channels,
which are best seen from the air, lead to the water track. From the other
dome a small region of rhodora dominated community lead from a few trees
to the water track. It is likely a small soak.

Trees are nearly absent on the larger dome, which has the largest expan-
ses of'Empetrum nigrum -.Sphagnum fuscum community, but are scattered on
the smaller dome, which may be lower in elevation. A narrow, forested lagg
surrounds most of the raised peatland.

Condition and Use:

Previously burned for enhancement of berry production, this peatland
now seems little visited and essentially in completely natural condition.

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17 BOOT COVE HEATH, Lubec

Reasons for Recommendation:

Boot Cove Heath is recommended because it displays notably both "hollow-
less" plain and accentuated hummock topographies with abundant coastal species
in communities modified by an extreme maritime climate. It is one of the
smallest sites with obviously raised peats. The significance of Boot Cove
Heath, among 115 coastal raised peatlands in Maine, ranks 14th for Coastal
Peatland Features and 14th for All Peatland Features.

Significant Features:

excellent development of Sphagnum fuscum dominated communities,
including "hollowless plains" and prominent hummocks
locally abundant lichens in Sphagnum. fuscum. communities
abundant baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus) and black crowberry
(Empetrum. nigrum)
scattered Scirpus cespitosus, but no lawns
one of smallest sites with obviously raised peats

Location and Size:

A short woods road leads south from the South Trescott-Lubec road to
this peatland that is about 0.4 mile west of Boot Cove. Less than 20.acres
of this nearly 50-acre site are open.

Ecology:

This oblong peatland reveals its extreme maritime position by the very
well-developed Empetrum nigrum. - Sphagnum fuscum. community, which occupies
much of the plateau. In places there is very "lumpy" hummock-hollow terrain,
elsewhere essentially hollowless Sphagnum, fuscum. plains prevail. Baked-
apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus) is prolific throughout. Lichens commonly
are prominent . Stunted spruce are here and there. Scirpus cespitosus grows
throughout the site amid the Sphagnum. fuscum, but does not form lawns.

The forested peatland margins merge with organic upland soils in places.

Condition and Use:

Apparently seldom visited this peatland is in essentially natural condi-
tion. Some logging activity abuts the peatland.

18 CARRYING PLACE COVE BOG, Lub ec

Reasons for Recommendation:

Carrying Place Cove Bog is recommended as one of the most significant
peatlands in the eastern United States because of its pronounced coastal
plateau morphology and vegetation, the erosion by tidewater, the overriding

124

by an active beach, the documented persistence of the peatland features,
and the visibility and accessibility of the site. The complete, natural
cross-sectional exposure of raised peatland is unique in the eastern United
States and of tremendous scientific importance; the isthmus geomorphic set-
ting is unparalleled in the United S 'tates for a raised bog. The significance
of Carrying Place Cove Bog, among 115 coastal raised peatlands in Maine,
ranks Ist for Coastal Peatland Features and 3rd for All Peatland Features.

Significant Features:

displays with exceptional clarity the morphological and biological
characteristics of the Coastal Plateau Bog type; one of only
four sites in the United States known to so completely exhibit
the type characteristics
outstanding examples of marginal slope morphology, with exceptionally
well-developed surface ponds
- one of only three Coastal Plateau Bogs in Maine with concentric
I patterning
- coastal species and communities well represented
- Scirpus cespitosus lawns exceptional in the large proportion of the
peatland covered
- described and photographed in 1927 (Osvald, 1955); appears in several
publications; and frequently visited by scientists
- complete, natural cross-sectional exposure of raised peatland unique
in eastern United States, and of tremendous scientific importance

Location and Size:

Carrying Place Cove Bog is located on the narrow isthmus between West
Quoddy Head and the mainland. The site contains about@43 acres, some 22
of which are open plateau.

Ecology:

The pearland is clearly defined to the north by a sea cut, vertical
erosion face that rises 10 or more feet above mud flats, and to the east
and west by the prominent marginal slopes of the bog. To the south deposits
of a scenic crescentic beach overlay the peat.

Carrying Place Cove Bog is in a geomorphological setting unparalleled
in the United States. Having formed in a shallow depression (probably the
central region of a tombollo) on the isthmus at an elevation beyond the-
reach of tide water, this peatland has been lowered as part of a "sinking"
coastine phenomenon so that the sea directly affects the south and north
faces of the peat deposit and its vegetation. The south margin is being
overridden by a typical crescentic gravel beach. Most outstanding is the
north face of the peatland which is a vertical erosion escarpment exposing
a full cross-section of the peatland.

In this section one can see the entire peatland history, beginning
with clays then shallow pond or marsh sediments, topped by the exposed roots
of a swamp forest or thicket that was thence replaced by generations of
hummocks and hollows that suffered occasional surface fires. I know of no

125

other natural exposure of peat, so graphic in its display of the history of
the bog, so complete in its c.ross-section anywhere in the United States.
The exposure is of tremendous importance for the scientific study of raised
peatlands.

Carrying Place Cove Bog displays with exceptional clarity the morpho-
logical and biological characteristics of the Coastal Plateau Bog peatland
types, and is one of only four sites in the United States known to so com-
pletely exhibit the type characteristics. An obvious raised bog, the peat-
land is noticeably a plateau with a flattened upper surface, sharply defined
marginal slopes, and evident, narrow laggs. Outstanding examples of surface
ponds occur on both the east and west shoulders of the peatland. Trees
are absent from the peatland except at the laggs.

Dwarf shrub communities predominate on the slopes, and Scirpus lawn
communities occupy much of the plateau surface. The Scirpus communities
and the pond sytems, as they merge with the dwarf shrub comminities, display
concentric patterning that defines the surface elevational contours of the
peatland.

Well represented are the coastal communities Scirpus cespitosus - Sphagnum
fuscum and Empetrum nigrum - Sphagnum fuscum, as well as several important
coastal species: baked-apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus), black crowberry
(Empetrum nigrum), bog goldenrod (Solidago uliginosa), and common juniper
(Juniperus communis). The Scirpus cespitosus lawns are exceptional in their
extent. At least two additional, scarce species are reported from this
peatland, Geocaulon lividum, a herbaceous root parasite, and Lycopodium.
annotinum var. pungens, a type of "club moss."

The narrow thicket of alder (Alnus crispa) where beach sands are being
deposited upon peat is more than just a community simply formed as a blend
of shore and peatland species (a feature noted by Osvald during his 1927
visit). The dwarf shrub communities (see Osvald 1955 for descriptions)
are less vigorous in height than on most other coastal raised bogs due to
the enhanced drainage caused by the exposure of the sea-cut face. More
or less, the closer to the truncation the lower shrubs, the lesser the hum-
mock and hollow relief, and the less prominent the Sphagna.

This peatland is not large compared with other sites recommended in
this report; however, its original size was certainly larger as it extended
-at least @4 mile further north, according to the recollections of local resi-
dents in the early part of this century (Bastin and Davis 1909), or more
than a mile northward (Dachnowski-Stokes 1930).

Condition and Use:

The site is relatively undisturbed with the exception of West Quoddy
Head Road across the isthmus to Quoddy Head State Park and the easternmost
point of the United States. Occasional tourists stop along the road and
walk over the bog. Increased treading of this sort could cause damage to
the peatland. Hummock and hollow patterns and the pond system of the bog
are likely the features most susceptible to visitor disturbance. In recent
times the peatland seems to have remained in its natural state: the photos

126

taken by Osvald in 1927 could have been taken in 1979, there is such little
difference. Of particular importance is his photo of some of the ponds.
The ponds appear essentially the same now as in 1927. Osvald's vegetation
description is applicable now, over 50 years after his visit.

The area has been used for scientific studies in the past, most notably
by Osvald. Dachnowski-Stokes (1930) used the exposed north face for studies
of vegetational history. Its accessibility makes it exceptionally desirable
for research and education.

19 WEST QUODDY HEAD HEATH, Lubec

Reasons for Recommendation:

West Quoddy Head Heath is recommended because it has coastal raised
peatland 'vegetation alongside "bead" patterned pondlets and wet depressions
in a wet central drainage, and because it is the easternmost open peatland
in the United States. The.significance of West Quoddy Head Heath, among
115 coastal raised peatlands in Maine, ranks 19th for Coastal Plateau Fea-
tures and 19th for All Peatland Features.

Significant Features:

dwarf shrub communities and stunted spruce clumps the prominent
vegetation in more open areas
"bead" patterned.pondlets and wet depressions in wet, central drainage
considerable community and species diversity in.small area
not a plateau,,,*but having infrequent Sphagnum fuscum hummocks with
both black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) and b.aked-apple berry (Rubus
chamaemorus)

Location and Size:

About 0.6 mile southwest of West Quoddy Head lighthouse, this peatland
can be reached by poorly marked ways through forest and scrub from north
or south. The entire site is little more than 13 acres, of which about
7 are open.

Ecology:

Although the hydrology of the site was incompletely assessed during
the visit, the site appears to be an oblong peatland that occupies a broad
spot in the drainage of the scrub and forest of the upper elevations of
West Quoddy Head. Most open near a wet, central waterway, the peatland
has thicket, low tree and taller tree margins, with spruce the dominant
woody plant.

In the more open areas there are infrequent Sphagnum fuscum hummocks
with black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) and baked-apple berry (Rubus chamae-
morus). Dwarf shrub communities and stunted black spruce (Picea mariana)
clumps are the prominent vegetation, which quickly gains height toward the

127

margins of the peatland. The central wet area approaches stream flow at
places, and has a fine example of "bead" patterned pondlets and wet depres-
sions. Graminoid species are common, and include Scirpus cespitosus,
Rhynchospora alba, and cotton grasses (Eriophorum. spp.).

Condition and Use:.

Because of its small size, the wetness of the open area, and the near-
ness of the well-used public trail, the site, if access were made easier,
could be severely altered through trampling. Occasional foot traffic al-
ready has accentuated some hummocks and channelized some wetter locations.
Currently the peatland is little visited and in fine natural condition.f

Sites Likely Suitable for Evaluation as Potential Critical Areas

Eighteen peatlands'are "likely suitable for evaluation as a potential
Critical Area as a Coastal Raised Bog or related phenomenon, but visit or
other data needed to confirm status" (Table 4). None appear to have suffi-
cient significancy to place them among the,top five or so of the )sites recom-
mended, but probably are di@persed among the ranking of the other recommended
sites.

Potentially the most important are three sites at the southwestern
end of the study area. Peatlands at "SW corner of Little Cranberry Island"*
and "0.8 mile E of Summer Harbor" may further define the southwestern limits
of the Coastal Plateau Bog phenomenon, while the peatland "0.6 mile SW of
Corea" appears to have beaver damming as well as an extreme maritime expo-
sure. The morphology and vegetation of the Corea site are undetermined.

Also near Corea are three peatlands C'0.2 mile W of Corea Cemetery;
0.7 mile W of Long Mill Cove; and 1.0 mile WNW of Newman Cove"), which like
three sites on nearby Petit Manan Point ("0.7 mile NW of Chair Pond; 0.5
mile SW of Chair Pond; and along Big Pond stream, W of Wood Pond Cove and
Wood Pond Point") are smaller peatlands, often complexes with associated
streams, whose topography and vegetation were assessed only from the air.
Although not large, clearly zoned Coastal Plateau bogs, these sites likely
contain coastal peatland phenomena of significance.

Five sites ("southeastern end of Crowley Island; 0.3 mile N of Head
Harbor; 0.8 mile NE of West Jonesport; 1.1 miles W and WNW of Sandy River
Beach; and 0.1 mile N of shore, Little Pond Head") in the greater Jones-
port area clearly require on-the-ground visitations as they lie between
or adjacent to peatlands already recommended. Several of these sites may
have well-developed coastal peatland features.

Four sites ("0.5 mile SE of Compass Rock; 1.5 miles E of 'Harmon Heath';
0. 2 mile E of 'Harmon Heath'; and 'Harmon Heath"') north and northeast of
Culter likely are near the inland boundary of the Coastal Region. Relatively

*Locations in quotations refer to Table 4.

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small, these peatlands may have some coastal communities and species, but
clearly lack central Scirpus lawns and prominent plateau morphology. Several
similarly sized, and probably similarly vegetated, peatlands in Addison
(including "1.1 miles W of Bryant Corners, E and N of hill; 0.9 and 1.8
miles W of Hall Hill; and 0.2, 1.0, and 1.5 miles E of road, E of Reef Point")
may likewise be at or near the inland limit of Coastal Region characteristics.

Of all these sites only the peatland east of Summer Harbor (and possibly
the Little Cranberry Island. site) is suspected of having central a small
area of central Scirpus lawn. The Little Cranberry Island site along with
the peatlands "0.6 mile SW of Corea" and "0.1 mile N of shore, Little Pond
Head, Great Wass Island" are noteworthy because they lie adjacent to the sea.

The Smaller Peatlands

Within the Coastal Region there are some 68 "smaller," open or sparsely
treed, peatlands, with 15 to 75, or so, acres of raised peatland. The largest
concentrations are in Cutler (19) and Addison (13), with about 6 in Roque
Bluffs and 9 in Trescott/Lubec, but only 7 noted southwest of Addison.

Eighteen of these peatlands were visited; most were overflown. With
one or two possible exceptions, all appear to be in an essentially unaltered
natural state. Seven are recommended for evaluation as proposed Critical
Areas. Fifty sites were not visited, most were overfloWn and many were
photographed. Of these, eight may have @ufficient features to recommend
evaluation (see previous section). Visitation of these sites is encouraged.

The features of the remaining 53 peatlands appear to-be,represented
in one or more of the sites recommended for evaluation by this study. Al-
though each site has its own unique characteristics, and although the sites
appear virtually undisturbed, they are sufficiently similar that, at this
time, to recommend one would mean the recommendation of virtually all the
53. Considering their excellent natural condition, should additional features
be discovered at some future time, some of the sites may be considered then
for evaluation as potential Critical Areas.

Shrub Slope Peatlands

Sites known or suspected of having Shrub Slope peatlands commonly are
contiguous with or very nearby raised peatlands, often with intergrading
peats and hydrologies. None exceed a few acres in extent; many may prove
to have mineral soils. The sites, of which only e, h, i, and j were visited
in this study, include:

a) "Group of four peatlands N of Hamilton Cove," Lubec. With
these small peatlands there may be a limited amount of Shrub
Slope Peatland.

b) "Two peatlands, 0.4 and 1.0 miles W of Eastern Head," by Moose
River, Trescott. These peatlands may include a limited amount
of Shrub Slope Peatland.

129

c) "0.3 mile NE of Fairy Head," Cutler. This site, which has
some open peatland, may include a limited amount of Shrub-
Slope Peatland.

d) "Three peatlands W of Starboard Island Bar, on Point of Main,"
Machiasport. The overflight revealed a limited amount of pos-
sible Shrub Slope Peatland with the three small peatlands.

e) "Kelley Point Peatland Complex," Jonesport. What seems to be
Shrub Slope Peatland occurs southeast of the plateau, descending
westwardly into bog and patterned fen drainage. Minor patches
occur along the northern part of the western margin of the
plateau. These areas-are included within the site being recom-
mended for evaluation as a possible Critical Area.

f) "Jonesport Heath," Jonesport. Inspection of photographs taken
at low elevations during the overflight reveal small portions
of terrain along the periphery of the northern half of this
site (and perhaps "Jonesport Heath, North Unit" as well) that
might contain small amounts of Shrub Slope Peatland.

g) "0.1 mile N of shore, Little Pond Head," Great Wass Island.
At the southeastern extremity of Great Wass Island this open
peatland appears to merge with Shrub Slope Peatlands, both
peatland types worthy of visitation and consideration as
Critical Areas. Gaylussacia spp. are prominent shrubs. This
site is especially noteworthy because of the extensive, bar-
ren, sea-washed rocks along its south margin.. Flotsam is
occasionally thrown on the margin of the peatland during very
intensive storms. The site likely merits Critical Area status.

h) "0.3 mile NW of the Pond, " Great Wass Island. This is the
"type" location of the Shrub Slope Peatlands, and includes
much of the terrain between Three Falls Point., The Pond, and
the heath north of The Pond. The Shrub Slope Peatlands are
contiguous, in part, with the heath. The natural features
of this site are exemplar and numerous; it will most certainly
quality for Critical Area status.

i) "0.3 mile N of Black Duck Cove, W side of road," Great Wass
Island. This*site may be at or near the northern limit of
Shrub Slope peatlands on Great Wass Island. Disruption by
local road building provides some cross-sectional views of
the peat.

j) Other Great Wass Island sites. Brief forays into other sec-
tions of central and southern Great Wass Island revealed other,
usually small, instances of Shrub Slope Peatland.

k) "Tip of Petit Manan Point S and W of Big Pond," Steuben. The
entire end of the Petit Manan peninsula is devoid of forest
cover, with occasional bedrock outcrops exposed above a gently
undulating cover of shrubs. A visit is crucial to confirm the
presence of peat and Shrub Slope Peatland.

130

1) "0.5 mile SW of Stanley Cove, three small peatlands" and "0.3
mile S of Stanley Cove, on shore," Steuben. These two loca-
tions, near the tip of Dyer Point, might contain a limited
amount of Shrub Slope Peatland.

Summary of the Natural Significance of the Coastal Raised Bogs

This summary of the natural significancy of th e coastal raised bogs
contains two sections. The first notes some of the natural phenomena of
significance that these peatlands have by virtue of their being peatlands,
in contrast with other kinds of landscape. This rather general listing
is followed by the more specific natural significance of the coastal raised
bogs, especially with respect to other North American peatlands.

Peatlands are significant natural features for at least these reasons:

a) in their development *they very highly modify their local environ-
ment, more so than any other ecosystems

b) they store organic material and water

C) -they act as nutrient sinks and reservoirs

d) they are monitors of climatic conditions

e) they contain a record for past millenia of climate, vegetation,
fauna, etc.

f) they are habitats for species and communities

i) that are uncommon or rare
ii) that often occur in more northerly latitudes
iii) that are pleasing to man (such as orchids, blue-
berries and other berries, carnivorous plants,
dwarfed trees, species with showy autumn colors,
etc.)

g) they are very distinct ecosystems that are important con-
tributors to the diversity of the landscape

h) they offer natural open vistas in terrain otherwise naturally
forested

i they provide open landscape for various wildlife, notably
deer, raptors, mice and voles

.The coastal raised peatlands of Maine are significant peatlands because:

a) they include the,only Coastal Plateau Bogs in the eas7tern United
States

131

b) the Coastal Plateau Bogs-are rare in North Americ a, other-
wise known only from limited coastal areas of New Brunswick,
Nova Scotia and Newfoundland (and possibly along the North
Pacific Coast)

.c) the Coastal Plateau Bogs have a morphological counterpart
in northern Europe with related vegetation that has differ-
ences in speciation, species composition, and ecological roles

d) they include outstanding examples of the Coastal Plateau Bog
morphology (including allied features such as offset heights,
bays, drainage ways, entrapped streams, radial channels, con-
centric patterning, etc.) and the coastal peatland communities

e) they are raised bogs; the only clearly raised bogs in the United
States east of the northern Lake States are in Maine

f) they are at the southern limit of raised bogs in eastern North
America, and include some of the southernmost raised peatlands
in North America

g) they include the easternmost open peatland in the United States

as part of the continental to maritime variation of raised bogs
in eastern North America, these are the most maritime in the
United States, especially as they merge with the Shrub Slope
Peatlands

i) they include an outstanding example of variation in peatland
types along an ombrotrophic to minerotrophic gradient

j) they are the only raised peatlands in the eastern United States
where minerotrophic species such as skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus
foetidus) and common juniper (Juniperus communis) grow on ombro-
trophic peats, a phenomenon otherwise restricted in North America
to parts of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, British
Columbia, Alaska, and possibly Washington.

k) they include the only peatlands in the eastern United States
(perhaps anywhere in the United States) with jack pine (Pinus
banksiana), whose subdued habit is similar to the habit of lodge-
pole pine (Pinus contorta) in coastal peatlands in Alaska

1) they have the southern limit of lowland habitat for baked-apple
berry (Rubus chamaemorus) and black crowberry (ERpetrum nigrum),
important species of the Northern Hemisphere in higher latitude
ecosystems

M) they have the southern limit of the Empetrum nigrum - Sphagnum
fuscum and Scirpus cespitosus - Sphagnum fuscum communities

n) in lacking Gaylussacia baccata dwarf shrub heath community on
hummock crests, they show their affinity with raised peatlands
of adjacent extreme southwest New Brunswick and coastal New-
foundland

132

0) the prominence of Sphagnum fuscum in hummock, hollow (some), and
lawn communities demonstrates their affinities with coastal peat-
lands of adjacent extreme southwest New Brunswick and the north-
eastern coast of that province

p) the Scirpus cespitosus lawns reveal their af finities with coastal
and near-coastal peatlands of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, New-
foundland and the.Gulf of St. Lawrence region of Quebec

q) they apparently have the greatest diversity of species of raised
peatlands in the eastern United States

r) they include a notable diversity of fen communities, especially
in extreme maritime settings

s) they have the southernmost raised bog pond system in the eastern
United States, probably in all of the United States

t) they include the southernmost variety of sloping peatland types
at low elevations in the United States

u) because they are a special type of raised bog (hence depend upon
the atmosphere for their moisture and nutrients) they clearly de-
fine a climatic zone of biologic importance, unique in the United
States, though related to south coastal Alaska climates

v) they include the only ombrogenic peatlands in the United States
being eroded by tidewater, a phenomenon rare in North America,
otherwise only known from limited locations in extreme maritime
Atlantic Canada

w) they havethe only example in the United States known to me with
a complete, natural cross-sectional exposure of a raised peat-
land

x) they have the only example in the eastern United States where
open ombrotrophic peatland communities are contiguous with open
tidal marsh communities

y) they have the only example in the eastern United States with a
marine beach being deposited upon a raised peatland

Z) they have the only example in the United States known to me
where a raised bog forms an isthmus between mainland and an
island

aa) they have sites with ground frost that persists locally well
into the summer, probably the southernmost persistence of ice
in lowland peatlands in the United States

bb) an exceptionally high proportion of the sites are in essen-
tially natural condition

133

cc) there is some documentation, at least within this century, of
the persistence of pond systems, vegetation pattern, and commu-
nity composition, and of gross successional trends following
fire and other disturbances

dd) they provide abundant opportunity for the study of succession
in the Coastal Raised Bog Region, both natural succession and
succession following disturbance

ee) they include a very small percentage of Maine's peatlands (less
than two percent), and a far lesser percentage of the nation's
peatlands; moreover, of the 135 or more coastal peatlands only
7 display the majority of Coastal Plateau Bog features, and only
2 sites, the Jonesport Heath (including the North Unit) and
Kelley Point Heath, are fully characteristic of that bog type

ff) they include some of the more visible and accessible raised
peatlands in the United States

gg) they, because of their cranberries, have provided local place
names, including the name of a township

134

Table 4. Annotated inventory and classification of possible peatlands in the
study area. The following notes refer to the last four columns
(listed at beginning of table):

1. Identification number,for recommended (R) sites.

2. Distances are generally to the center of the peatland; directions are
approximate; names and locations from U.S.G.S. topographic maps

3. F- Low level overflight and photos
A- Aerial photograph inspection (1:12,000-1:20,000, also 1:80,000)
V- On the ground visit
T- Topographic map (U.S.G.S. 7-2' and/or 15')
C- Included in Cameron 1975
D- Included in Damman 1977 or Pers. Comm.
J- Included in Johnson 1977
0- Included in Osvald 1970 or 1955
B- Included in Bastin and Davis 1909
R- Recommended for evaluation as a potential Critical Area

Ru- Botanically and Ecologically Significant but undecided Status
regarding Critical Area Designation
Rv-Likely suitable for evalu ation as a potential Critical Area as a
Coastal Raised Bog or related phenomenon, but visit or other data
needed to confirm status

X Not suitable for evaluation as a potential Critical Area (principal
reason given in notes)

S To be considered in the peatland category Shrub Slope Peatlands

C Coastal Raised Bog or related phenomenon, acceptable natural con-
ditions, but without sufficient characteristics now known to recom-
mend for evaluation as a potential Critical Area

Cv Likely Coastal Raised Bog or related phenomenon, possibly an Inland
peatland type, appears to be of acceptable natural condition, visit
or other data needed to confirm peatland type, but apparently with-
out'sufficient characteristics to recommend for evaluation as a
potential Critical Area

I Inland.peatland type

Iv Likely an Inland peatland type, possibly a Coastal Raised Bog or re-
lated phenomenon, appears to be of acceptable natural condition, visit
or other data needed to confirm peatland type; if Coastal Raised Bog
or related phenomenon apparently without sufficient characteristics
to recommend for evaluation as a potential Critical Area

IC Not a Coastal Raised Bog or related phenomenon, but in the Coastal
Raised tog region; to be considered with peatland types also known
from the Inland region (includes some marshes, fens, thickets, and
swamps); includes sites with wide range of natural quality

135

Table 4 (continued)

2 3 4
Quadrangle Township No. Location or Name Data Source Status

Eastport 7Y Perry 0.5 mile N of Pattangal Cove A,T IV

Pembroke 7Y Pembroke 0.5 mile W of Long Cove A,T,C IV
N.B. Although unlikely, this site
migi@t contain coastal properties. The
boundary between coastal and inland
peatland types has not been precisely
determined in this vicinity as yet.

1.0 mile N of Youngs Cove AS-T, IV
N.B. Should the nearby peatland at
0.5 mile W of Long Cove prove to have
coastal properties, then this site
should likewise be visited.

0.5 mile E of Ayers Junction, A,T,C I
north of and adjacent to'
railway

I mile S of Pennamaquan Lake, A,T,C I
0.3mile W of Pennamaquan River

Along Ohio Brook A,,T I

Edmunds 0.5 mile N of Dennysville APT, I
Station

Lubec 7Y Lubec 19 0.6 mile SW of West Quoddy F A,V,T R
Head Lighthouse

to 18 West Quoddy Head Neck, N of F,A,V,C, R
Carrying Place Cove D,O,J,B

West Lubec 7,11' Lubec By road at Ridge Crossroads F,A,V,T x
N.B.- No features of significance noted.

Just S of Ellis Hill F,A,T IV

0.5 mile E of Thayer Ledges F,A,T IV

1.2 miles E of Thayer Ledges F,A,T IV

Group of 4 peatlands N of F,A,T CV,S
Hamilton Cove
N.B._ These peatlands, especially the
larger two, maybe quite similar to the
peatland 0.4 mile W of Boot Cove, 2k
miles to the southwest along the coast.
Like that site, these peatlands may have,
or be associated with, Shrub Slope peat-
lands. Scirpus was not noted on the
overflight.

136

Table 4 (continued)

West Lubec 7 1/2' Lubec 17 0.4 mile W of Boot Cove F,A,V,T R
C

0.2 mile E of Rte. 191, F,A,T Cv
1.3 miles N of South Trescott

1 mile N of Baileys Mistake F,A,T Cv

1.7 miles N of Baileys Mistake F,A,T Cv

1.8 miles NNE of Baileys F,A,T Cv
Mistake

Trescott 16 0.8 mile W of Baileys Mistake F,A,V,T, R
C,O,J,B

Group of three peatlands F,A,T IV
I mile SE of No. 9 Hill
N.B. The location of the boundary be-
tween coastal and inland peatland types
has not been precisely determined in
this vicinity

Along Finnegan Brook F,A,T IV

0.9 mile S of Lily Lake A,T IV

Cutler 15' Trescott Two peatlands, 0.4 and 1.0 F,A,T Cv,S
miles W of Eastern Head
N.B. This terrain was viewed only
briefly on the-overflight. There might
be small patches of Shrub Slope peat-
land present.

15 0.3 mile S of Moose River, F,A,V,T R
0.3 mile W of shore J

Cutler 7 1/2' Cutler 0.5 mile E of Little Machias F,A,V,T C

0.2 mile NW of Great Head F,A C

0.5 mile NE of head of Little F,A,T Cv
River inlet
N.B. Possibly not a peatland

0.3 mile NW of Cutler Village F,A,T Cv

0.3 mile NE of Fairy Head F,A,T Cv,S
N.B. This peatland possibly contains,
or is associated with, Shrub Slope peat-
lands.

137

Table 4 (continued)

Cutler 7;1' Cutler Three heaths at headwaters F,A,T Cv
of Black Point Brook

Peatlands along upper reaches F,A,V,T Ic
of Schooner Brook, south of
road
N.B. Wetlands in this area, and those
1.5 miles eastward in the Holmes Cove
Brook drainage, appear to be mostly wet
meadows, fens, and (non-bog) thickets.

By Bog Brook, east of road F,A,T Cv

Ackley Pond wetlands F,A,T Ic
N.B. These pond and stream margin wet-
lan;Ts likely include peatlands, and
should be considered with other similar
peatlands in Coastal and Inland regions.
Pond margin peatlands are very scarce in
the Coastal region,:the most similar be-
ing the much larger Forbes Pond system
in Gouldsboro (which may be in the Inland,
not the Coastal region).

At head of brook leading to F,A,T Cv
Ackley Pond, N of Pond Ridge

"Harmon Heath "to and peatland FIA,T,D Rv
0.2 mile E of "Harmon Heath"
N.B. Harmon Heath is one of the largest
of the "smaller" Coastal Raised Bogs, and
is in the portion of the study area most
dense with peatlands. This site is in-
cluded in Damman's (1977) list of Coastal
Plateau Bogs. It is virtually treeless,
except for the lagg. There is but one
pond, and it is at the margin of the peat-
land. Scirpus lawns were not visible from
the air, but Scirpus might be present in
a very minor graminoid wet area at one
margin. From the air dwarf shrub communi-
ties and Sphagnum fuscum communities could
not be differentiated easily, although the
SRhagnum fuscum-Empetrum nigrum community
seemed present, at least in small quantity,
on much of the plateau. There are small
patches of abundant lichens. The peatland
boundary is distinct and sharply defined,
and there is a single, not prominent,
water track. This site apparently differs
little from other of the "smaller" Coastal
Raised Bogs, except perhaps in its-combi-
nation of openness, size, extent of coast-
al communities, presence of,a pond, and

138-
Table 4 (continued)

the presence of the water track. Low on
the list when compared with peatlands be-
ing recommended, this peatland may have
sufficient-features to set it apart from
the bulk of the "smaller" Coastal Raised
Bogs. A visit is strongly encouraged.

Cutler 7Y Cutler 1.5 miles E of "Harmon Heath" F,A,T Rv
N.B. This peatland is in the region of
the study area most dense with peatlands.
A few tens of acres, this lobed peatland
contains 3 or 4 regions of differing
vegetation types. A small stream divides
the peatland, and some minor ponds are
aligned on the peat adjacent to the
stream. This site likely has features
not found,at the nearby Harmon Heath.
The several features mentioned, and asso-
ciated features yet to be cpnfirmed,
appear to be sufficient for this site to
be evaluated as a potential Critical Area.
An on-the-ground visitation is recommended.

0.5 mile SE of Compass Rock F,A,T Rv

Head of Bog Brook F,A,T IC
N.B. This site is forested, is presum-
ably not raised, and is certainly more
minerotrophic than the open peatland
immediately to its west (which sites on
a divide above the site at the head of
Bog Brook).

"Warren Meadows" F,A,T IC
N.B. Peatlands, if any, in this region
appear to be minerotrophic.

0.5 mile SE of Cocoa Mountain F,A,T IV
N.B. The boundary between coastal and
inland peatland types has not been pre-
cisely determined in this vicinity

NE corner of town of Cutler IV

if if Junction of Bagley Brook and F,A,T Ic
East Stream
N.B. These shrub rich peatlands do not
appear to have coastal communities.
They have caused stream displacement and
should be considered with other similar
peatlands in Coastal and Inland regions.

"Little Harmon Heath," 0.8 F,A,T CV
mile N of "Harmon Heath"

139
Table 4 (continued)

Cutler 7h' Cutler 0.4 mile SW of "Little Harmon F,A,T CV
Heath," W of road

W of junction of Eastern F,A,T Cv
Marsh Brook and Spring Brook

It to W of Spring Brook F,A,T CV

It "Crotched Meadow" F,A,T CV
N.B. Peatlands, if any, in this region
appear to be minerotrophic.

Whiting Head of Lively Brook A,T IV
N.B. The boundary between coastal and
inland peatland types has not been pre-
cisely determined in thisvicinity.

Four small peatlands NE of A,T, IV
peatland at head of Lively
Brook

Whiting 7Y Edmunds 0.3 mile E of Hobart Meadow A,T I
Mountain

0.5 mile NW of jct. of Crane A,T I
Meadow Brook with Hobart Stream

Head of Crane Meadow Brook A,T I

0
Edmunds and 9 small peatlands, all within A,T I
Whiting about 1.5 miles of Western Lake

it 1.2 miles SE of Whiting A,T IV

it Head of Reynolds Brook A,T IV

0.5 mile SW of Keniston Mtn. F,A,T,V, I
C
N.B.- No coastal species or communities
were encountered during a walk through
the central open area, which is rel 'a-
tively rich with woody plant growth.
The central area is clearly raised above
the water level of the Orange River.
This peatland should be considered with
other similar lake-bay peatlands in
Coastal and Inland regions.

Head of Lively Brook A,T IV

Group of three peatlands 0.7 A,T,V x
mile SW of Reynolds Brook,
just S of Route 1
N.B._ This peatland appeared, upon

Table 4 (continued) 140

brief visit, to be minerotrophic and
somewhat disturbed, in part due to
adjacent land use.

Cross Island 7Y NONE T

Machias
Bay 7Y Whiting "Hall(?) Heath," I mile SE of A,T IV
Indian Lake
N.B. A knowledgeable, local resident
called this peatland "Hall Heath." It
could possibly have some coastal features
but is likely within the Inland region.

0.8 mile NE of Enoch Hill F,A,T,C Ic
N.B. This is a fine group of stream
margin peatlands, with several raised
portions. They do not appear to have
any coastal species or communities,
being shrub rich throughout the raised
portions. They appear to be the finest
example of their type within or adjacent
to the Coastal region,and should be con-
sidered with other similar stream margin
peatlands in Coastal and Inland regions.

0.4 mile E of lower Holmes F,A,T,V C
Stream

Cutler 0.2 mile N of Huntley Creek' F,A,T C

12 0.4 mile S of Huntley Creek, F,A,T,V, R
by small U.S. Navy transmis- C
sion station

Four peatlands N of Western F,A,T Cv
Marsh Brook, 0.2, 0.6, 0.9
miles

14 0.4 mile W of North Cutler F,A,T,V, R
D

14 0.7 mile W of North Cutler F,A,T,V, R
D

14 1.1 miles W of North Cutler F,A,T,V R
N.B. This site may be hydrologically
separate from the peatland to the east,
but lies in the same geomorphic setting
and should be included with those sites
(see further discussion in the text)

13 1.9 miles W of North Cutler F,A,T,V R

141
Table 4 (continued)

Machias
Bay 711' Cutler 1.5 miles NW of North Cutler F,A,T C
N.B. This peatland is fairly treed.

0.5 mile NW of Holly Point Aj X
N.B. This peatland was drained and
otherwise disturbed during the con-
struction of the Cutler Navy Base.
A local resident claims it was totally
destroyed.

Roque
Bluffs 71@' Jonesport HalifaxIsland Aj X
N.B._ Based upon my experience on Nash
Island, and upon reports from a Cutler
resident, the wetland on this island
is likely not a peatland, and is cer-
tainly highly altered.

Roque Bluffs Flanking unnamed pond at F,A,T Cv
Shoppee Point
N.B. These wetlands were not visited,
and their character is unknown to me.

IT 0.8 mile N of Roque Bluffs, F,A,T,V, C
W side of road C,B

0.4 mile E of mouth of F,A,T,V @C
Englishman River, N of road J,B

0.2 mile N of Mack Cove, F,A,T,V, C
S of road C

Machiasport Two peatlands W of mouth of F,A,T Cv
Starboard Creek
N.B. It is possible that these peat-
lanifs are part of the peatland system
to their south, nearer the tip of the
Point of Main.

Three peatlands W of Starboard F$A,T CvS
Island Bar, on Point of Main
N.B.* From the air these peatlands seemed
to be characteristic, small coastal bogs.
However, they appeared to be associated
with a limited amount of what might possi-
bly be Shrub Slope peatland, and, thus,
they should be considered under that cate-
gory-

Machias 7;1' Machias- 11 0.7 mile SW of Larrabee F,AV,T, R
port C,D
N.B. This peatland is commonly called
"Larrabee Heath" in this report.

142
Table 4 (continued)

Machias 7V Roque Bluffs 0.7 mile E of Great Cove, P,A,V,T C
W of road

10 0.8 mile NE of Great Cove, F,A,V,T, R
N of road C,J,B

1.5 miles N of Great Cove F,A,T Cv

Whitneyville 0.3 mile N of Route I at W F,A,V,T I
edge of quadrangle (67'30') C,J

East Machias "Runaway Pond Heath," head F,A,V,T I
of Meadow Brook C,D,J

Great Wass
Island 7Y Beals 0.3 mile N of Black Duck F,A,V C
Cove, E side of road
N.B. This peatland contains several
coastal species, is treeless, and by
virtue of its proximity to the road
and clear occupation of a tiny basin,
has notable local significance. I feel
that it is too disturbed by the adjacent
road, the utility poles, and nearby bull-
dozing to be considered of state signifi-
cance. I know of no other site just like
this one for smallness and accessibility
to the coastal plants, but the species,
communities and species compositions
appear on other sites being recommended
elsewhere in this report--usually as one
of many features in a larger peatland
system.

0.3 mile N of Black Duck F,A,V S
Cove, W side of road

5 0.5 mile E of Norton Point F,A,T,V R
C,J

tv 0.6 mile SW of Mud Hole F,A,T C
Point
N.B. This site was not visited, and
overflight phatography consists of a
single, distant photograph. It may be
a large fen, similar to others on Great
Wass Island, but of that I am uncertain.
The forthcoming study planned by The
Nature Conservancy (owner) should deter-
mine the general character of the site,
permit its classification., and help to
determine if the site should receive
further evaluation by the Critical Areas
Program. If this site is connected

'Table 4 (continued) 143

hydrologically with one or more of the
peatlands to its south and west, then it
would certainly prove to have signifi-
cance, vis-a-vis that relationship with
the other sites, whose importance is
recognized elsewhere in this report.

Great Wass
Island 7h' Beals 5 0.6 mile NE of Three Falls F,A,T,V R
Harbor

5 0.3 mile NW of Cape Cove F,A,V R

0.5 mile N of Three Falls F,A,T C
Harbor
N.B. This site appears to contain
features present at several Great Wass
island peatlands being recommended as
Critical Areas, but with less distinc-
tiveness. The study being undertaken
by The Nature Conservancy (owner) may
.discover phenomena of significance. If
this site is connected hydrologically
with one or more of the peatlands to its
north or south, then it would certainly
prove to have significance, vis-a-vis
that relationship with the other sites,
whose importance is recognized elsewhere
in this report.

6 0.3 mile N of The Pond F.,A,T,V R

0.3 mile NW of The Pond F,A,T,V S

0.3 mile W of Popplestone F,A,T Cv
Cove

0.1 mile N of shore, Little F,A,T Rv,S
Pond Head

Jonesport3l@f Jonesport 1.1 miles W and WNW of F,T Rv
Sandy River Beach
N.B. Aerial photos of this peatland
were missing from the.Maine Geological
Survey files each of my visits. Our
overflight only skirted its edge. It
appears to be generally similar to the
Jonesport Heath, but may not contain
Scirpus lawns. The central streams
appear to be fairly broad, perhaps indi-
cating higher water levels than exist in-
the northern part of the Jonesport Heath
complex. The peatland is divided into
four or more units, each substantially

Table 4 (continued) 144

smaller than any of the Jonesport Heath
and Kelley Point Heath plateaus that con-
tain Scirpus lawns. Thus, Scirpus lawns
may be present, but are not expected; if
present they are probably very limited in
extent. Whether the chief natural values
lie in the presence of Scirpus.lawns, the
bisecting stream character, and/or in as
yet undiscovered features, this peatland
very likely has sufficient features to
warrant evaluation for potential Critical
Area status. A low level overflight, and/
or on-the-ground visit are strongly recom-
mended.

Jonesport 7111 Jonesport E of Indian River, northerly F I
of Jonesport Heath, large
wetland complex
N.B. This large wetland complex,-appar-
ently a variety of wet meadows, fens,
and streams, was overflown, but its loca-
tion was not determined precisely. Aerial
photos of this region were missing from
the Maine Geological Survey files each of
my visits. The presence or extent of peat-
lands in the complex, which hasnumerous
bedrock exposures, has not been determined.

1.3 miles W of Bar Island T Cv

1.1 miles NE of Indian River F,T IV
community (cf. Addison7Y
quadrangle)
N.B. This wetland may be part of the
complex discussed above ("E of Indian
River, northerly of Jonesport HeatIP).

8 1.5 miles E of Indian River F,T,D R
community @cf. Addison,73i'
quadrangle)
N.B. This is the northern unit of the
Jonesport Heath complex, and is dis-
cussed elsewhere in the text.

7 The whole interconnected and F.%T,V,C, Ru-,S
lobed complex of peatlands D,J
south of E-W stream 2.0 miles
dire ctly W of Bar Island; the
complex extends to 0.3 mile
N of the head of Sawyer Cove

0.5 mile W of Natt Point, F,T,V X
crosses Route 187
N.B. This is a characteristic Coastal
Plateau Bog, small in size, and

145
Table 4 (continued)

apparently without Scirpus lawns. It
has been considerably disturbed by drain-
age ditches and trench mining. Portions
of the peatland, between the trenches,
and in areas not trenched, do support the
Sphagnum fuscum-Empetrum nigrum-Rubus
chamaemorus community. The apparently
level, gravel (outwash?) substrate is.
evident in the bottom of parts of some
of the trenches. Mining has not been
active for at least 3 years, and per-
haps as much as a decade.

Jonesport 7Y Jonesport 0.5 mile W of Little Pond FqT,V C
Beach, W of Route 187
N.B. This site is part of the preced-
ing site ("0.5 mile W of Natt Point,
crosses Route 187").

9 Complex of peatlands between F,T,V,D R,S
Rhine Point, Kelley Point,
and Sawyer Cove; includes
large unit, small unit between
road and Kelley Point, and
unit W of road, Ou4 mile W of
Loon Point

0.8 mile NE of West Jonesport T Cv(Rv)
N.B. Inadvertently missed on the over-
fliiht, and not viewed on aerial photo-
graphs (,Uhich were missing from the
files of the Maine Geological Survey on
each of my visits), this peatland should
be visited or overflown at low elevation,
for it may share many of the characters
of the peatlands nearby in all direc-
tions, most of which have been recommended
for evaluation as potential Critical Areas.

Beals 0.1 mile E of Beals Island-- F,A,V X
Great Wass Island Bridge
N.B. This miniscule semi-open peatland
is probably repeated in kind in numer-
ous places on northern Great Wass Island.
It does not contain sufficient features
of significance to warrant Critical
Area status.

0.3 mile SE of Beals Island-- F,A,V X
Great Wass Island Bridge
N.B. This miniscule semi-open peatland
is probably repeated in kind in numer-
ous places on northern Great Wass Island.
It does not contain sufficient features
of significance to warrant Critical
Area status.

146
Table 4 (continued)

Jonesport 71-,' Jonesport 0.3 mile N of Head Harbor F,A,T Rv
Creek Cove, Head Harbor Island
N.B. From the air this peatland appears
to have many features considered signifi-
cant at the sites on nearby Great Wass
Island that have been recommended for
evaluation as possible Critical Areas.
An exceedingly distinctive marginal
fen borders about three-fourths of the
raised peatland. The entire west end of
the peatland is forested, and the central
open area has scattered tree individuals.
Scirpus lawns do not appear to be present,
but Scirpus may be found in the marginal
fen. The marginal fen, so like those on
southern Great Wass Island, seems to be
the principal feature,of significance,
especially in conjunction with the plateau
morphology and presence of the coastal
communities. A visit is very strongly
recommended..

Whitneyville
71@1 Whitneyville Two tiny peatlands at N edge A,T I
of quadrangle (44*45')

Centerville, 0.6 mile W of Whitneyville F,A,T,V I
Whitneyville
Jonesborough

it Centerville 1-.2 miles W.of Whitneyville F,A,T I

Jonesborough .2.2 miles SW of Whitneyville, F,A,T I
on township line

2.1 miles SW of Whitneyville, F,A,T I
bordering railroad of N side

it 2.6 miles SW of Whitneyville, F,A,T I
0.2 mile S of railway

It
Small peatland 0.5 mile south F,A,T I
of railway, between heights of
land of 235 and 234 feet

2.2 miles N of Jonesboro, NE F,A,T I
of Porcupine Ledges, 1.7 miles
W of Route 1A

2 miles NNE of Jonesboro, 0.9 F,A,T I
mile W of Route 1A

1.1 miles NE of Jonesboro, F,A,T I
0.6 mile W of Route 1A

147
Table 4 (continued)

Whitneyville
7;j Jonesborough 0.4 mile E of Rou te 1AY F,A,T I
0.7 mile N of Route I

0.7 mile E of Route 1A, F,A,T I
0.2 mile N of Route I

0.6 mile E of Route 1A, F,A,T I
0.1 mile N of Route I

0.9 mile E of Route 1A, FYA,T
0.2 mile N of Route 1

1.8 miles E of jct. Route F,A,T,V
1A and Route 1, 0.1 mile
S of Route 1

0.3 mile SE of Gilman Hill F,A,T IV

Drisko Island
7;11 Addison Big Nash Island A,T,V x
N.B. This island has supported a free
ranging sheep flock (currently about
150 sheep) for many years. Plant growth
is non-woody vigorous, and highly adven-
tive. Native plant communities are
totally replaced by grazing maintained
communities. The wetland area figured
on the quadrangle does not now show any
obvious features indicating a peatland
past.

Addison 7k' Jonesport 4 Between heads of Hay Creek F,A,T,V, R
and Snare Creek C'j

2 miles NNE of Indian River F,A,T IV
community, 0.2 mile E of
Indian River
N.B. The boundary between Coastal and
inland peatland types has not been pre-
cisely determined in this vicinity.

Addison 1.2 miles NW of Bryant Cnrs., F,A,T,V I
0.2 mile E of Route 187
N.B. The site visited was predominantly
forested, with Tamarack a-prominent -
element.

1.1 miles W of Bryant Crns., F,A,T Cv
E and N of Hill

0.9 mile-NW of Bryant Cnrs. F,A,T Cv

is1 9.9 mile W of Hall Hill F,A,T Cv

148
Table 4 (continued)

Addison 7Y Addison 1.8 miles W of Hall Hill F,A,T CV

0.2 mile E of road, E of F,A,T,C CV
Reef Point

1.0 mile E of road, E of F,A,T Cv
Reef Point

1.5 miles E of road, E of F,A,T Cv
Reef Point

0.2 mile E of road, ENE of F,A,T CV
Reef Point, near BM 105 ft.

0.2 mile E of road, E of F,A,T Cv
Three Brooks Cove

0.7 mile E of road, E of F,A,T Cv
Three Brooks Cove

0.6 mile S of Three Brooks Aj Cv
Cove

0.5 mile N of the basin of Aj CV
Long Creek and Mill Creek

Southeastern end of Aj Cv(Rv)
Crowley Island
N.B. By virtue of the geographical
location of this site, which is very
similar to the location of peatlands
at West Jonesport and Jonesport that
are being recommended for evaluation
as potential Critical Areas, it may be
that this site contains significant
natural features. A visit is recom-
mended.

Columbia Falls
1.1 miles E of Route 187, Aj IV
0.7 mile S of Route I

Columbia In large delta, 2.6 miles Aj
Falls NE of Columbia Falls;
three wetlands
N.B. These wetlands in obvious depres-
sions in a former marine delta may be
peatlands. Their character was undeter-
mined in this study. Their presence in
such a prominent geomorphological fea-.
ture makes them especially worthy of
note.

149

Table 4 (continued)

Columbia Falls
71@1 Columbia "Marst Heath" F,A,T,C I
Falls N.B. This large and somewhat complex
peatland appears to have sufficient
natural features to receive Critical
Areas status. The site was not visited
and hence the presence or absence of
the coastal species and communities
could not be confirmed. If they are
present, the site would be the most in.-
land of the Coastal Bog type. The over-
flight revealed the presence of gramin-
oids in the central region, sometimes
dense, sometimes diffuse. It could not
be ascertained if Scirpus was a compo-
nent. Other features of "Marst Heath"
include: a clearly raised plateau sur-
face; trees being restricted only to the
lagg and very margin of the plateau;
pools and mud bottoms are absent (or very
small) on the plateau; there are some
distinctive ponds at the margins or shoul-
ders of the peatland; there is some stream
displacement along one portion of the
peatland margin; similar with other peat-
lands of like shape (essentially circular)
and size (for example, I'M mile S of
Harrington," I'M mile NW of Corea," and
0.4 mile S of Huntley Creek, Cutler")
adjacent io the margin of the principal
peat mass there are lobes, often more or
less semi-circular in shape, of open peat-
land flanked by conifers that lie 2-9 feet
below the elevation of the plateau, and
the entire peatland appears in totally
natural condition.

Centerville 0.4 mile S of Pecky Brook F,A,T,C I
1.1 miles SE of Centerville

0.3 mile N of Pecky Brook, F,A,T I
1.0 mile E of Centerville

"Big Heath," 0.8 mile E of F,A,T,V X
Milton Mountain J
N.B.. This peatland has been severely
altered by past and present mining. The
native plant communities are essentially
absent, and the original surface topog-
raphy has been erased; consequently, this
peatland cannot be classified. It cer-
.tainly lacks sufficient natural qualities
to qualify as a Critical Area.

150
Table 4 (continued)

Columbia Falls
7@1 Centerville 0.8 mile E of Chandler River, F,A,T I
0.2 mile N of Alder Brook

Bois Bubert 7;1' M:Llbridge 0.4 mile SW of Stover Cove Aj Cv

Harrington 7111 It .0.5 mile W of Turner Hill F,A,T IV

Harrington 0.6 mile S of Harrington A,T,V,C, X
D
N.B. The moderately large peatland was
mined some time ago. The extent of min-
ing is not clear, and it is nearly fully
vegetated at present. The original sur-
face character was not determined. Were
the natural character less disturbed, the
site might qualify for evaluation as a
proposed Critical Area since it lies at
or near the boundary of the Coastal and
Inland peatlands, and since it is suffi-
ciently large and exposed.to have had a
full expression of diagnostic peatland
type. This is one of several peatlands.
in or near the Coastal region where peat-
land recovery after disturbance could be
investigated.
Petit Manan 7;1' Steuben Tip of Petit Manan Point F,A S
S and W of Big Pond

Along Big Pond Stream, W of F,A,T Rv
Wood Pond Cove and Wood Pond
Point
N.B. These wetlands are well within the
Coastal region, although no Coastal
Raised Bog communities were ascertained
on the overflight. Fens and vigorous
dwarf shrub peatlands appear to domi-
nate. It is possible that the hydrology
of this system has had significant
changes in the near and/or distant past,
related in large part to the bar phe-
nomenon at Big Pond. It is conceivable
that the wetlands are, in part at least,
youthful or relatively youthful. If so,
they could be an extant example of an
early phase in Coastal Raised Bog develop-
ment. The natural conditions of the
wetlands is excellent, and the site de-
serves consideration and visitation (per-
haps within peatland categories including
dwarf shrub, graminoid fen, and/or stream-
side). Critical Area status seems very
likely.

151
Table 4 (continued)

Petit Manan 7V Steuben 0.5 mile SW of Chair Pond F,A,T Cv(Rv)
N.B. The possibility of.this site hav-
ing sufficient features to merit Critical
Area status is only moderate. However,
because of its proximity to other peat-
lands with the strong potential of having
qualities worthy of Critical Area status,
it should be visited along with the
other peatlands of Petit Manan Point.

0.7 mile NW of Chair Pond F,A,T Rv
N.B. By virtue of its being close to
and on the same stream as the larger
wetlands to the south (the wetlands
"Along Big Pond stream, W of Wood Pond
Cove and Wood Pond Point"), this wetland
should be investigated in conjunction
with the more extensive system.

0.5 mile SW of Stanley Cove, F,A,T S
three small peatlands

0.3 mile S of Stanley Cove, F,A,T S
on shore

0.4 mile W of Eagle Hill F,A,T IV

Gouldsboro 1.1 miles SW of Point Francis F,A,T Cv
N.B. The boundary between Coastal and
Inland peatland types has not been de-
termined in this vicinity.

1.4 miles SW of Point Francis F,A,T Cv

1.0 mile WNW of Newman Cove F,A,T Rv
N.B. This wetland complex of bog, fens,
and (perhaps) non-peatlands may be
hydrologically connected with the Corea
Heath ("0.5 mile NW of Corea"). If so,
it should definitely be investigated
further. Even if the hydrological re-
lationship does not exist, this system
warrants study, perhaps in a followup
study of Coastal Bog types, or with dwarf
shrub and/or fen peatlands. This system
appears to be larger than figured on the
quadrangle, and appears hydrologically
contiguous with wetlands figured separ-
-ately to its north and southeast.

1.2 mile W of Newman Cove F,A,T Cv

0.7 mile W of Long Mill Cove F,A,T Rv
N.B. This wetland area should be
studied as part of the system to its

152
Table 4 (continued)

northwest ("1.0 mile WNW of Newman
Cove"), as it appears to be of like
kind, and is probably hydrologically
connected.

Petit Manan 7;1' Gouldsboro 0.2 mile W of Corea Cemetery F,A,T,V Rv
N.B. This peatland is part of the
system "1.0 mile WNW of Newman Cove
,although it is separated by a road,
and should be studied with it.

3 0.5 mile NW of Corea F,A,T,V R

0.6 mile SW of Corea. F,A,T Rv
N.B. This peatland is immediately
adjacent to the sea, although there
appear to be no sea cut peats or sea
enhanced marginal slopes. It consists
of three somewhat connected peat masses.
that are denoted by water courses (in
part) that extend from (to?) a lake of
similar size. The lake appears to be
dammed by beaver, and its history is un-
known. No other.peatland in the study
area so close to the sea is adjacent to,
and hydrologically part.of, a lake. The
only current instance of beaver ponding
at a coastal peatland site is at the
heath at "0.7 mile SW of Larrabee." The
relationship to the pond, the proximity
to the sea,. and the presence of beaver
are features enough to warrant visita-
tion and probably recommendations for
evaluation as a proposed Critical Area.
Because of these features, one may ex-
pect unusual plant communities and/or
species as well.

Between Youngs Point and F,A,T,V C
Corea Harbor

Cherryfield 731' Milbridge 1.1 miles SSE of Milbridge F,A,T IV

1.4 miles SW of Milbridge, A,T,V X
N of Route 1
N.B. This small wetland contains in-
sufficient features to warrant Critical
'Area status.

Steuben 1.8 miles NW of Milbridge A,T IV

1.2'miles NE of East Stueben, A,T IV
N of Route I
N.B. Because this peatland may be near
the Coastal-Inland boundary (whose loca-
tion has not been precisely determined

153
Table 4 (continued)

in this region), and because of the
prominent marginal and bisecting streams,
it is worthy -of inspection at some time;

Cherryfield 7@2-' Steuben 1.0 mile E of Steuben, Aj IV
S of Route 1
N.B. Because this peatland may be near
the Coastal-Inland boundary (whose loca-
tion has not been precisely determined
in this region), and because of the
prominent bisecting stream, it is worthy
of inspection at some time.

Five small peatlands, 1.2, Aj IV
1.3, 2.0, 2.0, and 2.2 miles
NE of Steuben

0.9 miles NW of Steuben Aj IV
1.4 miles S of Unionville A,i,C IV
N.B.. Aerial photo interpretation
suggests this to be dominated by Inland
dwarf shrub communities. It certainly
should be studied with its appropriate
peatland type.

Cherryfield 15' Cherryfield 2.9 miles NE of Cherryfield Aj I

T 18 MD, and The "Great Heath," north of F,A,T,V I
Columbia and along the Pleasant River C
N.B.' This massive peatland is one of a
few large peatlands that lie on a line
roughly parallel to the coastline, only
a few miles inland of the Coastal-Inland
boundary. There is every likelihood that
this peatland will be found to qualify
completely for Critical Area status.

T 18 MD, and 2.6 miles NW of Shoodic Lake F,A,T I
Deblois

Bar Harbor 15' Gouldsboro, 0.8 mile E of Summer Harbor F.9A,T Rv
and Winter N.B. Overflight. revealed the possi-
Harbor bility of the coastal communities, in-
cluding some central Scirpus growth, at
this peatland. A visit is needed to con-
firm these features. If Coastal features
are present, this peatland would be
worthy of recommendation for evaluation
as a potential Critical Area, for it
is near the southern limit for the Coast-
al Raised Bog type, it would be signifi-
cantly "inland" for that type, and would
document the boundary between the Coastal

154
Table 4 (continued)

and Inland regions in an area lacking
such documentation, and which is espe-
cially important in delineating the whole
of the Coastal Region.

Bar Harbor 15' Winter Three wetlands, 1.0, 1.3, and F,A,T IV
Harbor 1.8 miles NE of Winter Harbor
N.B. The boundary between Coastal and
Inland peatland types has not been de-
termined precisely in this area.

Gouldsboro N and NW of Forbes Pond F,A,T I
N.B. These pond and stream margin wet-
lands are likely peatlands, and should
be considered with other similar peat-
-lands in Coastal and Inland regions.
Forbes Pond is one of the very few
ponds near the sea along the eastern
Maine coast, and its extensive wetlands
are similarly noteworthy. Comparison
should be made with the "Ackley Pond
wetlands" in Cutler, a smaller, but
similar, phenomenon..

1.1 miles W of Jones Pond, F,A,T IV
SE of Route 186 1

"Dingle Meadow Heath," 1.5 F,A,T I
miles NE of West Gouldsboro

T 7 SD "Goose Pond Heath" F,A,T I

Cranberry SW corner of Little Cran- Aj Rv
Isles berry Island
N.B. Because this peatland potentially
is very similar to, although smaller
than, "The Heath" on Great Cranberry
Island (a site highly recommended for
evaluation as a potential Critical Area),
it may prove to be a Coastal Bog with
sufficient features for Critical Area
status. Its proximity to the sea (per-
haps it is sea cut or the marginal slope
is sea enhanced), and the presence of
surface ponds (as figured on the Bar
Harbor 15'@quadrangle) surely warrant
verification. A visit is strongly recom-
mended.

Tunk Lake 15' A flight over several peatlands showed I
they are Inland peatland types.

Swans Island Southwest I "Big Heath," 0.8 mile NW of A,T,V,D R
15' Harbor Bennet Cove

155
Table 4 (continued)

Swans Island Southwest 0.5 mile N of Bennet Cove, A,T,V Ic
15' Harbor N of road
N.B. This peatland contains vigorous
leatherleaf shrub growth, and is likely
a low shrub fen. It should be con-
sidered with similar peatlands in the
Coastal and Inland regions.

Cranberry 2 SW quarter of*Great Cran- A,T,V R
Isles berry Isle

Mount Desert
15'*

Bar Harbor "Fresh Meadow" F,A,T,V I
N.B. A wetland complex with few trees,
cattails and sedges in lower areas and
adjacent to streams, and a raised peat-
land densely vegetated with Rhodora.
The vigorous Rhodora, which cannot
tolerate ombrotrophic conditions, may
be able to grow on the raised peats
partly because the surface was enriched
during peat mining operations many years
ago. Also, there are other instances
where Rhodora is prominent on peatlands
adjacent to stream systems in both the
Coastal and Inland regions (cf. the
peatlands "0.8 mile NE of Enoch Hill"
in the township of Whiting). This site
should be considered along with other
similar peatlands in both regions. A
large part of this wetland is owned by-
the Audubon Society.

"The Heath" F A,T,V
N.B. This peatland, "Fresh Meadow"
heath, and "Jones Marsh" should be
visited and compared at some time.
They are not expected to contain Coast-
al species or communities.

"Jones Marsh" F,A,T,V
N.B. A small open peatland with black
spruce, this site was visited briefly
very early in the study, and no coastal
species or communities were noted.

"Sunken Heath" A,T IV

"Long Heath" A,T IV

*Includes only selected sites on Mount Desert.Island.

GENERAL EVALUATION OF COASTAL RAISED PEATLANDS FOR INCLUSION

ON THE REGISTER OF CRITICAL AREAS

1. Description of Coastal Raised Peatlands:

Coastal raised peatlands are slightly to much elevated peatlands
found within a mile or so of tidewater along the coast of Maine from
Mount Desert Island to West Quoddy Head. Ranging in size from less than
10 acres to more than 500 acres, they support a characteristic vegetation
of the ex'treme oceanic coast. Many peatlands are clearly plateaus, tree-
less except at their margins, with dwarf shrub heaths in abundance, often
with central lawns.of a-sedge, Scirpus cespitosus. Peat mosses, Sphagnum
spp., are abundant throughout. Coastal peatland species, notably baked-
apple berry (Rubus chamaemorus) and black crowberry (Empetrum. nigrum)
flourish. By morphology and vegetation these peatlands are most similar
to coastal plateau peatlands in extreme southwestern New Brunswick,
coastal Nova Scotia, and western Newfoundland.

2. Considerations In Registration:

A. Values and qualities represented by the area (specifically includ-
ing any unique or exemplary qualities of the feature).

The coastal raised peatlands are a rare peatland type in North America,
some ofthe species and communities are nowhere else in the eastern United
States so abundant. These peatlands are.habitat for showy and curious plants
such as orchids and carnivorous species. Floral aad foliage displays are.
most attractive; there are several species with prolific tasty fruits.
Because they provide open vistas in a naturally forested landscape, and
because they convey an aura of the Arctic, these prominently raised peatlands
by the sea have considerable aesthetic appeal. Proximity to and erosion by
the sea adds scenic and scientific-significance.

B. Probable effects of uncontrolled use (specifically in relation to its
intrinsic fragility).

The most devastating use is mining, which can obliterate any peatland.
Partial mining may be somewhat. less damaging if care is exercised; recovery
times appear very long (decades to centuries), however. Human use, as ped-
estrians or by vehicles, quickly forms local channels which can disrupt drain-
age patterns and surface topography. Heavy visitation can.destroy many sig-
nificant features, including pond systems. Construction of roads, buildings,
military facilities, etc., locally eliminates the peatlands and can alter
drainages over a larger area. Since all nutrients the plants of the ombro-

156

157

trophic peatlands receive come from the air these peatlands are exceptionally
susceptible to any aerial pollution. Use of the peatlands.as landfills or
dumps seriously alters water chemistry. Infrequent natural fires occur, but
repeated burnings to enhance blueberries or deer hunting can alter natural
communities for lengthy periods of time.

C. Present and probable future use (specifically present and future
threats of destruction). I

Interest in mining is very active, locally, at the state, national,
and internati'onal levels. Complete removal of many of the larger peat-
lands is proposed. Aesthetic, educational, scientific, and management uses
are increasing rap-idly; several sites may soon be "over-visited."
Rising populations will continue to bring dwellings and roads to the
margins of the peatlands, increasing use, pollution, and fire. Berry
picking may soon increase. Aerial pollutants.from increased industrial-
ization may have serious effects generally, as well as near refineries,
power plants, etc.

D. Level of Significance.

The coastal raised peatlands recommended in this report are of local
significance because of their openness, their berries and wildlife, and
their economic potential as peat deposits. As the only peatlands of their
type in the United States, they are of state and national significance.
Because they include the southwesternmost coastal plateau peatlands, have
marine erosion, are adjacent to Shrub Slope peatlands, and have an example
of contiguous plateaus, they are of continental and global significance.

E. Probable effects of registration - positive and negative (specifically
including the economicimplications of inclusion of the area on the register).

The expected positive effect of registration will be to give official
recognition to the most significant of the Coastal Raised Peatlands of Maine.
Landowners will become informed of the importance of these peatlands and the
means whereby their natural features can be protected. Registration will
encourage monitoring of the peatlands and will encourage their conservation.
Registration will draw attention throughout the United States th-at there are
numerous kinds of peatlands, and that Maine has several types unique to it.

The expected negative effect of registration would be the conflicts
raised with mining interests and the increased visitor use generated by the
publicity caused by the registration process. The mining concerns will likely
be on a site-by-site basis, for not all peatlands are equally economically
attractive. Increased visitor use is more dilute, subtle, and potentially
very damaging in the long run since the effects are less obvious than mining.
and spread out over many years.

158

F. Management Sug@estions-

1. Guidelines for landowners outlining ways to minimize visitor
damage should be prepared and circulated.

2. At heavily visited sites elevated boardwalks, overlooks, towers,
or other vistas need to be built to reducevisitor damage.

3. Mining practices should inclUde protection of unmined peatland
adjacent to, within, or beneath the mine.site, bonds for restoration of natural
drainage and topography (as closely as possible) at the close of mining in
order to speed recovery of the site, and selection of mining sites based upon
natural as well as economic values.

4. Highly vulnerable features, such as the ponds of Big Heath in
Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, and the peat cliff and ponds at
Carrying Place Cove Bog need immediate protection.

5. Sources of water that feed the peatlands, and the major drainage
ways from the peatlands, should be determined so that the hydrology of the
peatlands can be protected from either disturbance in the watershed or alter-
ation of the drainage.

3. Conclusions and Recommendations:

A. Conformance with definiton contained in the Act.

The Act defines a critical area as meaning: "areas containing or pot-
entially containing plant and animal life or geological features worthy of
preservation in their natural condition, or other natural features of sig-
nificant scenic, scientific, or historical value."

The peatlands recommended for evaluation in this report are the result
of an intensive survey of the peatlands of the Coastal Raised Peatlands of
the Coastal Raised Peatland.Region of Maine. Each of the peatlands has its
own unique scenic and scientific attributes of state or wider significance
which can be destroyed by uncontrolled or other use.. The sites contain peat
deposits, scenic vistas, and other qualities linked to the State's economy.
The 19 recommended peatlands can thus be considered critical areas under the
legislated definition.

B..Conformance with the Guidelines for the Registration of Critical Areas,
adopted by the Critical Areas Advisory Board on September 11. 1975.

Section 1. Knowledge of the Area: This reportCoastal Raised Peatlands
in Maine and Their Relevance to.the Critical Areas Program of the State
Planning Office was prepared for the Critical Areas Program in order to pro-
vide detailed documentation about the ecologic and scenic significance of
coastal raised peatlands in Maine.

159

Section 2. Representation on the Register: Coastal Raised Peatlands
are not included on the Register of Critical Areas at this time.

Section 3. Variety of Values: The recommended peatlands have a
variety of values. They have geologic, geomorphic, and hydrologic sig-
nificance as part of the earth's surface; they support rare plants and
communities; they contain a unique ecology; they document past climates,
biota, and land/sea relationships; they are important scenic.and natural
areas; they are of local importance for berry crops; and some sites are
of historic significance in the deployment of military facilities and
local mining.

Section 4@ Scarcity: Each site recommended in this report is unique
in at least one important respect. Most sites have several unique features
of importance.

Section 5. Quality: The peatlands recommended in this report have
been selected to be exceptional examples of the features which they con-
tain. Fully 70% of the peatlands in the Coastal 'Region have been rejected
from further consideration, and only 19 of the 53 other peatlands are
recommended by this report for evaluation.as potential Critical Areas.

Section 6. Persistence: These peatlands are 7000 to 9000+ years old,
having begun their existence shortly after the emergence of the land from
the sea at the close of the Pleistocene. The long term prospects for the
continued existence of the peatlands is exceptionally promising if they
remain unaltered by mankind.

Section.7. Geographic Distribution: Both the literature search and
field work phases of this study were used to determine the extent of coastal
raised peatlands in Maine. The sites recommended for evaluation come from
throughout the coastal raised peatland region.

Section 8. Use: The coastal raised peatlands have exceptional potent-
ial for scientific, natural history, and educational use, and offer opport-
unity for passive recreation.

Section 9. Manageability: All peatlands recommended for registry can
be managed easily to perpetuate their described features.

Section 10. Potential Economic Effects: Landowners favoring the main-
tenance ofthe peatlands in a natural state will find little or no economic
effect because of registration. There may be economic implication for
some landownerg because of the potential for peat mining.

Section 11. Potential Effect of the Conservation-of the Areas:
Registration is expected to have a very positive effect on the conservation
of Maine's coastal raised peatlands.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. The exceptional coastal raised peatlands "recommended in Table 2 should
be evaluated for inclusion in the Register of Critical Areas.

2. The 18 coastal raised peatlands classified as "Rv" in Table 4
1 t' 0 luation as Pot-
and discussed in he section, OSites Likely Suitable for Eva
ential Critical Areas" should be field checked and'evaluated for inclusion
in the Register of Critical Areas.

3. The Shrub Slope peatlands should be field checked and evaluated
for inclusion in the Register of Critical Areas. Due to their limited
number this could be accomplished without extensive resource allocation.

4. The various peatlands classified as "Ic" in Table 4 (peatlands
not coastal raised peatlands, more like peatlands found elsewhere in
Maine) should be studied according to their peatland type when that peat-
land type is the subject of Critical Areas Program enquiry.

5. The high use peatlands recommended for evaluation, notably Big
Heath, the peatlands of Great Wass Island,.and Carrying Place Cove Bog,
should have management plans devised and implemented as quickly as possible
to prevent further disturbance from uncontrolled use. Similar plans are
recommended for highly visible and accessible sites such as Corea Heath,
West Jonesport Heath, Kelley Point Peatland Complex, and Kelley Heath.
@. Additional field-investigation should-be undertaken to verify
the significant natural portions of the Jonesport Heath.

7. Landowners of lands adjacent to peatlaads,.md their watersheds,
recommended for evaluation should beancouraged to not significantly alter,
waters that affect the peatlands.
8. Research on the susceptibility to disturbances and the mode and
rate of recovery from disturbances should be initiated as these topics are
virtually unknown for the coastal raised peatlands. The results of these
studies should lead to management practices.

160

GLOSSARY

This glossary provides brief descriptions of terms as used in this
report; it does not attempt to enumerate additional uses of the terms as
employed elsewhere.

amphi-Atlantic: both sides of the Atlantic

association: a taxonomic subdivision of Order in the Zigrich-montpellier
vegetation classification system based upon physiognomy and floristic
composition; e.-g., the Kalmio-Sphagnetum fusci includes dwarf shrub
heath vegetation with Kalmia angustifolia and Sphagnum.fuscum as impor-
tant constituents (c-. amman 1977).

ba.6a7I--:--b_ottom; the bottommost peats of a peatland (basal peats), or the
@,,-:.Pineralmaterials immediately below those peats (basal substrate).

basin@- a depression in the landscape

bay: an open.peatland considerably smaller than, contiguous with, and having
a lower surface elevation than a raised peatland

bog: commonly used, especially by general public, for all peatlands, most
particularly those with 'Sphagnum and subdued, low, or absent woody cover;
more specifically employed solely for ombrogenic. peatlands (which includes
nearly all peatlands with which this report is concerned)

class: the highest taxon of the ZiYrich-Montpellier vegetation classification
system (based upon floristic affinities) used here; e.g., the Oxycocco
Sphagnetea includes all the plant communities of ombrotrophic and oligo-
trophic, primarily organic, soils with the exception of mud bottom and
Sphagnum covered hollow vegetation (c.f. Damman 1979a).

coastal: by the sea; usually infers near the sea with some effect by the
sea; applied differently depending upon the geographic scale of interest

coastal region: that portion of eastern Maine and adjacent New Brunswick
along the Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy that contains open plateau bogs
with steep marginal slopes and central lawns, minerotrophic species on
ombrotrophic peats, and communities with prominent Sphagnum fuscum,
Empetrum nigrum, and Rubus chamaemorus; commonly used only in reference
to Maine

161

community: an assemblage of plants recognized by species composition and
relative abundance; typically the same community appears in different
places (e.g ..3. in numerous different peatlands); in the Zigrich-Montpellier
vegetation classification system the lowest taxon used here, for example
the-Scirpus-Sphagnum fuscum lawn community

concentric pattern: alternating topo graphic and/or vegetation features of
a peatland that are more-or-less parallel and encircle, at least in part,
the central region of the peatland

concentric zonation: the placement of the major plant communities of a
peatland in bands (zones, rings, etc.) around the central region of the
peatland generally parallel to the margin, regardless of the overall
shape of the peatland (the term eccentric is reserved for zonation much
more distorted than occurs in the study area)

domed peatland: a convex raised peatland that rises from all directions
to a central high area

downstream: the portion of a peatland generally closest to a drainage way,
commonly the lowest portion of the lagg; when overall a peatland slopes,
then the lowest margins are the downstream side

drainage way: a narrowed area of wetland (frequently peatland) that leads
away from a peatland unit, and through which water obviously drains from
the peatland; commonly with minor stream channels and perceptible water
flow

dwarf shrub: synonymous with low shrub

elevation: with reference to raised peatlands the height of the vegetated
peat surface; when considering entire peatlands the average distance above
sea level of the peatland surface

ericaceous: belonging to the plant family Ericaceae (the blueberries,
huckleberries, cra nberries, rhododendron., laurels, etc.); usually refers
to shrub lands of low shrubs that mostly belong to the Ericaceae

evapotranspiration:. the combination of water loss from an ecosystem to the
atmosphere through evaporation and transpiration

extreme maritime: with reference to location-within a few hundred meters
of the sea; with reference to climate-having much sea-fog, frequent sea
breezes, vigorous winds during coastal storms, direct salt spray at least
during large storms, etc.

fen: peatland that receives mineral ground water input4, vegetation varies
greatly

graminoid: grasslike; graminoid vegetation is composed of narrow-leaved
gras.ses, sedges, rushes, or similar plants

ground water: water in upper and lower layers of the landscape, including
soil water and deeper waters

162@

heath: a term used in portions of New England (Washington County, Maine
through southern Maine to portions of adjacent New Hampshire) for peat-
lands, especially open peatlands; in much of the range of the use of
the term it is restricted for raised peatlands, particularly those not
more than a few miles from the coast; the term clearly stems from the
British use of "heath" for terrain dominated by ericaceous, or related,
shrubs. Heath also may mean an ericaceous low shrub dominated ecosystem,
or only the shrubs of that ecosystem; or it may refer to the individual
shrub species or the individual shrub plants.

height; the highest region of a raised peatland

histosol: U.S. Soil Conservation Service term for organic soil

hollow: a low area of vegetated or bare peat varying in size from less than
four inches in depth to six feet or more, in breadth from eight inches or
so to many feet, in morphology from conical, hemispherical or bowl-shaped
to flat or curved-bottomed basins with shallow, steep or over-hung sides,
in shape from circular to oblong or highly elongated, with simple, highly
lobed or irregular margins; hollows may occur as discrete individuals,
or be variously interconnected and anastomosed; the areas between hollows
are commonly called hummocks; wet depressions, mud bottom sites, pools,
and ponds are specialized hollows

hollowless plain: plains of Sphagnum. essentially of hummock structure, but
with considerable lateral development; the adjective "hollowless" is used
to highlight the hummock structure and the absence of hollows and their
vegetation

hummock: a rise of usually vegetated peat varying in size from less than
four inches in height to six feet or more, in breadth from eight inches
or so to many feet, in morphology from conical and hemispherical to butte
or mesa, and in shape from circular to highly elongated, with margins
smooth to highly irregular; hummocks may stand free as individuals, or
be variously interconnected and anastomosed; the areas between hummocks
are commonly called hollows

hydrology: with peatlands refers to all aspects of water that affect growth
and development of a peatland; most particularly precipitation and ground,
soil, and surface waters, their physical, chemical, geographical (i.e.,
location), and temporal character

@inland: away from the coast; absolute distance from the coast depends upon
geographic scale of interest; also specifically used here for peatlands
without coastal morphology or communities

ladder-form: alignment of ponds, wet depressions or elongated hollows on
a peatlarid surface'resembling the rungs of a ladder; i.e., elongated
features in parallel formation

lagg: the marginal area of a peatland that is evidently affected, both
topographically and vegetationally, by mineral ground water; can vary

from a few feet to a few hundred feet in width, with or without open
water, streams, and/or ponds, and with various vegetation; for nearly
all peatlands, whether primary, secondary, or tertiary laggs are
slightly to much lower than the adjacent peatland

lawn: low sedge (esp. Scirpus cespitosus) dominated communities of ombro-
genic peatlands

low shrub: woody plant less than about 53 in (135 cm) tall, may be less
than 4 in (10 cm) tall; intended for use with ericaceous and other shrubs
of open peatlands, whose heights commonly are less than 31 in (80 cm) .

margin: the edge or fringe of a peatland at which point topographic, vege-
tation, and/or hydrologic changes due to the proximity of adjacent upland
or aquatic terrain becomes evident

maritime: of the sea; usually infers affected by the sea, as in maritime
climate; applied differently depending upon the geographical.scale of
interest

marsh: used loosely for graminoid dominated wetlands

meadow: used loosely for open grassy areas

mine: a portion of a peatland that has had removal of peat by human activity,
especially for agricultural, horticultural, bedding, fuel, or industrial
purposes; also used to include facilities, roadways, etc., necessary for
the peat removal

mineral ground water:. synonymous with ground water; term simply highlights'
that the water contains more minerals than does precipitation

minerotrophic: a plant community, ecosystem, etc., that has or requires
water with nutrients other than those supplied by precipitation and fallout

moat: sometimes used synonymously with lagg; sometimes refers to the portion
of a lagg with standing or flowing water

morphology: in reference to pearlands the three-dimensional shape of the
surface of the peatland, such as plateau, domed, flat, etc.

mud bottom: wet low areas of peatlands having exposed (muddy) peat amid
scattered or loosely growing low plants

nutrient-poor: limited supply of plant nutrients; usually applied to hydo-
logic situations when atmospherically supplied nutrients are supplemented
by just enough ground water nutrients to cause a perceptible change in
species composition

nutrient-rich.-@ relatively abundant supply of plant nutrients

offset.plateau, offset dome: condition when the highest elevation of a raised
plateau or dome peatland is not central but nearer one margin of the peat-
land

oligotrophic; used in reference to primary peatlands in basins whose
vegetation receives exceedingly nutrient-poor water, essentially all
of which is provided by rainfall

ombrogenic: formed as part of an ombrotrophic peatland; often used to
indicate that a slightly minerotrophic portion of a peatland is, in
fact, of ombrotrophic origin

ombrotrophic: "food from the sky"; a plant, community, ecosystem, etc
that has or receives nutrients solely from precipitation and fallout

open: essentially treeless

order: the first taxonomic subdivision of Class in the Zi7rich-Montpellier
vegetation classification system; e.g., the Sphagnetalia fusci includes
hummock vegetation of ombrotro@hic bogs and of the highest ridges in
certain northern fens (see lengthy discussion on this order by D n
1979a)

organic soil: according to the U.S. Soil Conservation Service organic soil
materials have at least 12% (if no clay present) to 18% (if clay is 60%
or more of universal fraction) organic carbon.if soil is saturated for
long periods, or with 20% or more regardless of saturation; an organic
soil has (a) more than half of the upper 32 in. of soil materials organic,
...or (b)-organic soil-ma-terial.s resting on.rock or fragmented material with
interstices filled with crganic materials

paludification: to become wet or waterlogged; landscape formerly upland
becomes peatland by upward and lateral growth of a tertiary peatland;, i.e.,
through paludification I

pattern: the regular alternation of peatland topographic and/or vegetation
features at a scale perceivable as one walks through the peatland or flies
over at low elevations

peat: partially decomposed organic matter usually found as natural shallow
or deep deposits; encompasses "peat" and "muck" designations formerly used
by U.S. Soil Conservation Service as well as wetland Histosols (organic
soils) of their present classification scheme; includes all materials con-
sidered peat by U.S. Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Bureau of Mines, and
American Society for Testing Materials; legal definitions of peat are
based primarily on measurements of ash or organic carbon content

peat deposit: the peat of a peatland, whether primary, secondary, or tertiary

peatland: a three-dimensional portion of the landscape that is a wetland
and has a peat substrate; includes the biota, the peat, and all surface
and internal waters

plain: the "bog plain" is the region of a raised peatland that is most level;
it lies central to the bog slope. "Sphagnum plains" are local regions of
the peat surface where Sphagnum (primarily S. fuscum) forms an essentially
level or slightly undulating firm carpet devoid of hummocks or hollows

165

plateau peatldnd: a morphologic form of raised peatland with fairly steep
marginal slopes and relatively flat upper surfaces; most plateaus are
actually slightly convex, but not clearly domed

pond: used here to refer to permanent, usually rather small (largest dimen-
sion from less than two feet to a few hundreds of feet) water bodies on
the surfaces of peatlands; ponds may have no standing water during some
droughts, but do not have continuous vascular plant and Sphagnum. plant
cover (as might ephemeral pools or wet depressio ns); occasionally used
for any body of predominantly open, shallow water

pond system: a series, group, ensemble, etc., of ponds on the surface of
a peatland that are interrelated by location, form, and hydrology

pool: usually used synonymously with pond; occasionally distinguished from
pond by restricting the term for ephemeral or seasonal, small water bodies
on the surfaces of peatlands

primary: peats or peatland formed or forming in a basin in such a way that
the water level in the basin is not raised except perhaps locally in
hummocks

raised peatland: peatlands where the accumulation of peat, and hence the
growing surface, is elevated above the regional water table; commonly the
peats are elevated above the adjacent mineral-or aquatic landscape as well

ridge: an elongated rise of vegetated peat (hummock), varying in height from
four inches to six feet, in length from a few.feet to hundreds of feet, and
in breadth from one to a few tens of feet; commonly the long axis of the
ridge lies perpendicular to the slope of the bog

secondary: peats or peatland formed or forming above (and usually somewhat
laterally beyond former limits) the former water level, but not beyond
the confines of mineral topography; i.e., secondary peatlands are capable
of elevating water tables, but not beyond topographic basins

shoulder: the portion of a raised peatland, especially a plateau peatland,
where the bog plain changes to the bog slope; occasionally used for places
where the bog slope abruptly becomes steeper
I

site: commonly used to mean a single peatland

slope: an area of peatland whose generalized surface (L.e., as if hummocks
and hollows were smoothed out) is not level, but slopes; in many cases
distinctive portions of the slope can be distinguished by steepness and
vegetation

soak: a portion of an ombrogenic peatland considerably wetter than its
surroundings, usually elongated with some perceptible water flowage

sociation: a group of plants commonly found together; essentially the same
as community in the Wrich-Montpellier system

166

soil water: water in the upper layers of the landscape, especially the soil

string-of-beads: an alignment of pools or ponds on a peatland surface re-
sembling a string of beads, usually several small or miniature, roundish
ponds connected by a narrow channel in the middle of a marginal fen, lagg,
or drainage way-

tertiary: peats or peatland formed or forming above and/or laterally beyond
former water levels without the aid of confining topography; tertiary
peatlands are raised peatlands and receive their water and nutrients
solely from the atmosphere (i.e., they are ombrotrophic), their internal
and surface waters are commonly perched above (and sometimes separated
from) the regional water table

thicket: used for shrublands five feet tall or more; i.e., shrublands through
which passage is difficult

topography: the three-dimensional shape of the surface of the landscape,
peatland, local portion of peatland, etc.

unit: an individual peatland; or, notably in the case of the Jonesport Heath,
an individual plateau among two or more contiguous or slightly coalesced
raised peatlands

upstream: the portion of a peatland generally farthest froma drainage way,
commonly the highest portion of the lagg; when overall a peatland slopes,
then the upper margins are its upstream side

vegetation unit: a physiognomic grouping of communities within an associa-
tion in the Z16rich-Montpellier vegetation classification system; e.g.,
the Dwarf Shrub Heaths, Lawnsand Carpets, and Mud Bottoms of raised bogs

von Post: a 10-point system denoting the degree of peat decomposition; I
is the least decomposed, 10 is the most decomposed

water track: an area of minerotrophic, water that flows through an ombro-
genic peatland, denoted by more minerotrophic species

wet depression: a lower area of open, vegetated peatland surface, commonly
elongated, varying.in depth from four inches to four feet and in breadth
from 8 inches to many tens of feet; the long axis,. if one, generally lies
at right angles to the slope of the bog

167

LITERATURE CITED

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174

Action Plan

On January 1.6, 1981, the Critical Areas Advisory Board and the State
Planning Office decided to implement the following actions:

1. The following peatlands will be evaluated for inclusion.on the
Register of Critical Areas.

Carrying Place Cove Bog
Kelley Point Reatland Complex
North Unit, Jonesport Heath-
Corea Heath
North Cutler Heaths
Kelley Heath, Cutler
Great Cranberry Isle Heath
Central Peatlands, Great Wass Island
Southwest Heath, Great Wa.ss Island
Big Heath, Mt. Desert Island
West Jonesport Heath

The Critical' Areas Program will contact the landowners of the
following peatlands:

Heath,,1.9 miles W of North Cutler
Boot Cove Heath
Larrabee Heath
South Trescott Heath
Moose River Heath
Great Cove Heath, Roque Bluffs
West Quoddy Head Heath

3. When funding resources allow, the program shall field check the
19 coastal raised peatlands classified as "Rv" in Table 4 shall
be field checked and evaluated for inclusion in the Register of
Critical Areas.

4. When funding resources allow, the program shall investigate the
subject of shrub slope peatlands.

The peatlands classi.fied.as "Ic" in Table 4 shall be evaluated
at a later date, when further peatland inventory work is under-
taken by the Critical Areas Program.

.6. The Critical Areas Program shall work closely with landowners of
the peatlands which are registered to encourage wise management
of the areas.

@7.@ It if becomes apparent to the Critical Areas Program that waters
entering a registered peatland are being significantly altered,
the landowners of the watershed shall be advised of the impact of
these alterations upon the critical area.

175

8. The Critical Areas Program shall encourage research by other agencies
and individuals investigating the susceptibility of peatlands to
va'rious disturbances, and modes and rates of recovery from these.

DATE DUE

GAYLORD No. 2333 PRINTED IN U.S.A.

3 6668 141LO59214