L|berty State ark Lstuary D|scovery 1ra|| beg|ns here:(Larthcache.org pr|ntab|e vers|on:) 1.1. Interpret|ve Centerhttp:]]coord.|nfo]GC2kW4D 2.2. Ireshwater ond http:]]coord.|nfo]GC211Lk 3.3. Urban Iorest http:]]coord.|nfo]GC211IV 4.4. L|v|ng on the Ldge: 8each nab|tathttp:]]coord.|nfo]GC211n6 S.S. Wet Meadow http:]]coord.|nfo]GC211I 6.6. N-NI narbor Lstuary http:]]coord.|nfo]GC211k2 7.7. kemnant Sa|t Marshhttp:]]coord.|nfo]GC211M 8.8. Commun|paw Cove http:]]coord.|nfo]GC211ND 9.9. Apex of the New ork 8|ghthttp:]]coord.|nfo]GC211N4 10. 10.8|ack 1omhttp:]]coord.|nfo]GC211NG 11. 11.Mudf|ats http:]]coord.|nfo]GC21InNature Interpret|ve Center at L|berty State ark Coord|nates: 40.698342-74.034163 woypolot 1 of 10 oo Coloq coostols N-NI notbot stooty co-ulscovety 1toll lo llbetty 5tote lotk, cocbes JevelopeJ by Coloq coostol, loc. (www.qoloqcoostol.otq) os o speclol ptoject lo offlllotloo wltb CtoooJspeok ooJ soppott ftom tbe N-NI notbot stooty ltoqtom ooJ tbe New oqlooJ lotetstote wotet lollotloo coottol commlssloo. 1he N-NI narbor Lstuary Larthcache D|scovery 1ra|| |s meant to he|p v|s|tors deve|op a better understand|ng of the Lstuary, make connect|ons between earth and env|ronmenta| sc|ence, and foster stewardsh|p. ark|ng |ot |s at 40.69914S, 074.0S4077 on the |eft, [ust across from the Center. Descr|pt|on:1he area LhaL encompasses LlberLy SLaLe ark has an lnLeresLlng geologlcal hlsLory and a number of slgnlflcanL naLural resources. 1he new ?ork-new !ersey Parbor LsLuary ulscovery 1rall beglns aL Lhe naLure lnLerpreLlve CenLer. lf Lhe CenLer ls closed, begln your exploraLlon of Lhe Lrall aL Lhe lnLerpreLlve klosk locaLed aL coordlnaLes 40.698317, -74.034314 ad[acenL Lhe enLrance of Lhe lnLerpreLlve CenLer. 1he anclenL geologlcal processes LhaL shaped Lhe new ?ork-new !ersey Parbor LsLuary can all be explored from Lhe reclalmed shores of LlberLy SLaLe ark. 1he seLLlng has undergone Lremendous changes ln Lopography and funcLlon over Lhe pasL 200 years. lormerly, a quleL marsh and cove, lL was Lransformed lnLo Lhe greaLesL concenLraLlon of rall faclllLles ln Lhe norLheasL, and Lhen was abandoned ln 1969. LlberLy SLaLe ark opened ln 1976. 1he former brownfleld (deserLed lndusLrlal wasLeland) has been revlLallzed lnLo wlldllfe hablLaL and open space. 1he process of reclalmlng and revlLallzlng Lhe landscape ls sLlll evolvlng. 1he naLure lnLerpreLlve CenLer focuses on Lhe ecology and naLural hlsLory of Lhe new ?ork-new !ersey Parbor LsLuary. 1he hands-on exhlblLs and dlsplays provlde an lnLroducLlon Lo Lhe areas naLural resources. SeL upon a 36-acre naLural area, vlslLors can explore rehablllLaLed weLlands, coasLal meadows, beach, salL marsh, Lldal mudflaLs and upland foresL ecosysLems. lamed archlLecL Mlchael Craves deslgned Lhe naLure lnLerpreLlve CenLer and planned Lhe sysLem of small pavlllons, paLhways and even deslgned Lhe blrdhouses placed around Lhe reclalmed weLlands. LocaLed on Lhe wesLern banks of upper new ?ork 8ay, aL Lhe mouLh of Lhe Pudson 8lver, LlberLy SLaLe ark ls one of Lhe naLlon's largesL urban ecologlcal resLoraLlon success sLorles. LlLLle remalns of Lhe orlglnal shores, shallow flaLs and Lldal weLlands, whlch used Lo characLerlze Lhe envlronmenL of Lhe new ?ork-new !ersey Parbor LsLuary. WhaL has survlved ln and around Lhe park ls lmmensely rare and valuable ln an urban area. LlberLy SLaLe ark comprlses 1,212 acres of land and waLer. vlslLors have free access Lo Lhe waLerfronL of Lhe n?-n! Parbor LsLuary and unparalleled vlews of Lhe SLaLue of LlberLy, Lllls lsland and new ?ork Parbor. 1he 8lchard !. Sulllvan naLural Area provldes several ecologlcally lmporLanL hablLs along Lhe shores of Lhe Parbor LsLuary. 1he comblnaLlon of freshwaLer weLlands, mudflaL and salL marsh provldes over 300 acres of proLecLed esLuarlne hablLaL LhaL serves as food and shelLer Lo a wlde varleLy of flora and fauna. A self-gulded naLure paLh offers opporLunlLles Lo observe and experlence Lhls unlque wlldllfe hablLaL. ?ou are lnvlLed Lo observe planLs and anlmals along Lhe naLure paLh. 8esLoraLlon plans are underway Lo provlde greaLer access Lo Lhe parks 230-acre lnLerlor area. 1he pro[ecL lncludes Lhe creaLlon of freshwaLer weLlands, salL marsh and 100 acres of emerglng foresL. SLaLe ark pollcy prohlblLs Lhe collecLlon, removal or harmlng planLs or anlmals from Lhe area. 1he naLure lnLerpreLlve CenLer offers programs for school and communlLy groups and Lhe general publlc. Cpen year round, Monday-SaLurday 8 a.m. Lo 3 p.m. and Sundays from Memorlal uay Lhrough Labor uay (closed mosL holldays). lor more lnformaLlon, please call (201) 913-3409.LlberLy SLaLe ark ls open 10 a.m. Lo 10 p.m. Logg|ng Act|v|t|es:1. Pow has Lhe hydrology of Lhe Parbor LsLuary lnfluenced how people used Lhls land?(See exhlblLs) 2.vlew Lhe exhlblLs and Lake a look across Lhe horlzon you wlll see a panoramlc vlew. uescrlbe one naLural feaLure and one man-made feaLure of Lhe vlew.3.(CpLlonal)vlslL Lhe lnLerpreLlve dlsplay ln Lhe ouLdoor gazebo ad[acenL Lo Lhe CenLer enLrance. WhaL ls Lhe value of a salL marsh? 4.(CpLlonal)1ake a plcLure of your Leam wlLh your backs Lo Lhe ond. 1o |og a f|nd on th|s earthcache, ema|| the cache owner (DC NC1 CS1 IN CUk LCG).Use your GS dev|ce to |ocate the next cache - GC211Lk. http:]]coord.|nfo]GC211Lk kemember, to up|oad a photo and |et us know |n your |og ways we can |mprove the tra||. Data Sources:lrlends of LlberLy SLaLe ark - www.folsp.org Parbor LsLuary rogram - hLLp://www.harboresLuary.org/pdf/Leachersgulde.pdf L|berty State ark Ireshwater ond CoordlnaLes:40 41 449 -74 03 296 woypolot 2 of 10 oo Coloq coostols N-NI notbot stooty co-ulscovety 1toll lo llbetty 5tote lotk, cocbes JevelopeJ by Coloq coostol, loc. (www.qoloqcoostol.otq) os o speclol ptoject lo offlllotloo wltb CtoooJspeok ooJ soppott ftom tbe N-NI notbot stooty ltoqtom ooJ tbe New oqlooJ lotetstote wotet lollotloo coottol commlssloo Descr|pt|on: 1he cache ls a freshwaLer pond and surroundlng weL meadow. 1he hablLaL was creaLed durlng remedlaLlon of conLamlnaLed solls from Lhe slLe. AbouL 71 of Lhe LarLh's surface ls covered by waLer. Cnly abouL 1 of Lhe LarLh's waLer ls freshwaLer. 1he waLer cycle ls Lhe drlvlng force supporLlng Lhe pond. 1he sun causes Lhe waLer ln Lhe pond and harbor esLuary Lo evaporaLe lnLo Lhe alr formlng clouds. 1he clouds preclplLaLe, releaslng Lhe waLer ln Lhe form of raln. 1he sLorm waLer fllls Lhe pond. 1he raln also flows off Lhe surface of Lhe surroundlng land lnLo Lhe pond, called sLormwaLer runoff. Soll ls naLurally permeable or porous allowlng waLer Lo lnfllLraLe Lo underground aqulfers Lo sLore as groundwaLer. 1rees and planLs absorb some of Lhe waLer ln Lhe soll. aved roads and parklng loLs form an lmpermeable or waLerLlghL surface so LhaL waLer Lravels as runoff over Lhe surface of lL. (vlslL llnk) 1he ecosysLem of Lhe freshwaLer pond ls made up of bloLlc and abloLlc componenLs. AbloLlc facLors are nonllvlng Lhlngs, such as sunllghL, waLer LemperaLure, waLer level, and dlssolved oxygen. Llvlng Lhlngs called bloLlc facLors such as aquaLlc planLs, lnsecLs, bacLerla and amphlblans also affecL lL. When Lhe abloLlc and bloLlc facLors are ln balance, Lhe pond can supporL a healLhy ecosysLem. 1he pond ls hablLaL Lo organlsms dependenL upon each oLher and fresh waLer. 1he planLs are known as producers ln Lhe ecosysLem. Consumers you may see are snalls, frogs, LurLles and flaLworms Lo name a few.1heloudesLconsumersarevarlousspeclesoffrogsandLoads,aLLracLedLoLhepondbyLhe reflecLlvesurfaceofLhewaLer.AmphlblansandrepLllesLhrlvelnLhepond.lnaddlLlon,blrdssuchas egreLs, ducks, and blrds of prey use Lhls area as a source of food and waLer. 1herelsagreaLvarleLyofwlldllfeLhaLcanbeobservedLhroughouLLheyearaLLhepond.lLlsaprlme hablLaL for many resldenL and mlgraLory blrd specles. 1hese blrds noL only rely on Lhe pond's ecosysLem for Lhelr llfe buL also parLlclpaLe ln Lhe lnLrlcaLe and fraglle sysLem LhaL makes llfe posslble aL all levels. WhaL makes waLer fresh"? 1ake a momenL and Lry Lo remember Lhe flrsL Llme you Lrled Lo open your eyes whlle swlmmlng ln Lhe ocean. ?our eyes sLung, rlghL? now Lhlnk abouL Lhe Llme you opened your eyes ln freshwaLer, dld Lhey sLlng? 1he reason freshwaLer doesn'L make your eyes sLlng ls because lL ls characLerlzed by havlng a very low sa||ne content, sallne ls salL and salL ls whaL made your eyes sLlng. Logg|ng Act|v|t|es: 1.ls Lhe ground where you are sLandlng on permeable or lmpermeable?Cbserve Lhe pond and whaL Lakes place ln and around lL. WhaL ls Lhe waLer level of Lhe pond? WhaL abloLlc facLors affecL Loday's waLer level? lease lnclude Lhe daLe of your vlslL.3. (CpLlonal) uraw a Lopo map of Lhls area around Lhe pond. (CS1 1C ?Cu8 LCC) 1o log a flnd on Lhls earLhcache, emall Lhe cache owner (uC nC1 CS1 ln ?Cu8 LCC), unless lnsLrucLed oLherwlse. use your CS devlce Lo locaLe Lhe nexL cache - CC211lv uaLa Sources: uS Ceologlcal Survey hLLp://ga.waLer.usgs.gov/edu/waLercycle.hLml hLLp://n[.gov/plnelands/edu/currlculum/plnecur/pwcwLa.hLm utt|ng Down koots! An Urban Iorest keeps |t A|| 1ogether Coord|nates: 40 41 832-74 03 197 woypolot J of 10 oo Coloq coostols N-NI notbot stooty co-ulscovety 1toll lo llbetty 5tote lotk, cocbes JevelopeJ by Coloq coostol, loc. (www.qoloqcoostol.otq) os o speclol ptoject lo offlllotloo wltb CtoooJspeok ooJ soppott ftom tbe N-NI notbot stooty ltoqtom ooJ tbe New oqlooJ lotetstote wotet lollotloo coottol commlssloo. D|ff|cu|ty: 1.3 1erra|n: 1.0 Data Co||ected:SepLember 26 - March 11, 2010 Descr|pt|on: 1hls cache ls an urban foresL Lo Lhe rlghL of Lhe paLh. rlor Lo human hablLaLlon, woodlands were some of Lhe mosL exLenslve naLural hablLaL on Lhe uplands of Lhe new ?ork-new !ersey Parbor LsLuary. 1oday, Lhe growLh of a foresL ln an urban envlronmenL ls unlquely rooLed ln Lhe geology of lLs soll. "WhaL lf Lhere was a slngle envlronmenLal asseL LhaL, lf proLecLed and nurLured, could help us solve Lhe mosL presslng problems faclng humanlLy, from food securlLy Lo cllmaLe change? Such an asseL ln facL exlsLs-lL's Lhe soll!" Soll lsn'L [usL dlrL. lL ls made of sand, sllL, clay and decomposlng organlc maLLer. ln Lhe urban loresL, Lhe soll lmmedlaLely ad[acenL Lo Lhe Lrall on Lhe rlghL, ls composed malnly of sand and Lhe soll Lype ls found Lo be a sandy loam. 1o deLermlne Lhls soll Lype a small sample was Laken from Lhe surface Lo a depLh of abouL 3.3 lnches. lL was Lhen molsLened and kneaded ln Lhe palm of Lhe hand Lo break any lumps and Lo brlng lL Lo lLs full plasLlclLy. A dry sample was Lhen rubbed beLween Lhe Lhumb and lndex flnger Lo check Lhe LexLure. 1o check lLs coheslveness Lhe molsL sample was pressed beLween boLh palms and moved from hand Lo hand Lo see how well lL held LogeLher. llnally Lo check how well Lhe sample formed a rlbbon, lL was worked beLween Lhe Lhumb and lndex flnger Lo see how well lL formed a rlbbon. 1o check Lhe sample's color Lhe Munsell Color CharL was used, whlch found Lhe color Lo be a dark yellowlsh brown. (See charL: hLLp://en.wlklpedla.org/wlkl/llle:Munsell-sysLem.svg) lurLher up Lhe Lrall and abouL Len feeL down Lhe genLle slope of Lhe Lrall Lo Lhe rlghL, Lhe soll ls dark and Lhe soll Lype ls a sllLy loam. 1hls soll Lype was found uslng Lhe same meLhods, whlch deLermlned Lhe sandy loam. 1he Munsell Color CharL deLermlned Lhe soll color as black. 1he change ln soll Lype ln such a small area ls mosL llkely a resulL of Lhe area's pasL hlsLory. ln 1831 Lhe Wharf AcL allowed shorellne properLy owners Lo bulld docks and oLher sLrucLures wlLh consenL from Lhe CounLy 8oard of lreeholders. 8allroad companles Look advanLage of Lhls new law and began buylng loLs wlLh Lhe lnLenL of fllllng Lhem Lo creaLe new land. 1hough Lhere were qulLe a few compeLlng rallroad companles ln Lhe area, Lhe company responslble for fllllng Lhe cove and creaLlng Lhe bulk whaL ls now LlberLy SLaLe ark was Lhe CenLral 8all 8oad of new !ersey. 1hey placed "over 20 mllllon cublc yards lnLo Lhe cove from approxlmaLely 1880 Lo 1916 ln a norLh Lo souLh dlrecLlon" accordlng Lo Lhe Army Corps of Lnglneers new ?ork ulsLrlcL's reporL of 2003. 1hough Lhe provlnce of Lhe soll ls unclear Lhe mechanlsm for Lurnlng rocks lnLo soll remalns Lhe same. WeaLherlng ls Lhe process LhaL Lurns rocks aL or near LarLh's surface lnLo soll. Powever Lhere are dlfferenL Lypes of weaLherlng. 1here ls physlcal/mechanlcal weaLherlng whlch break down rocks lnLo smaller and smaller pleces wlLhouL changlng lL chemlcally and Lhere ls chemlcal weaLherlng. Chemlcal weaLherlng breaks down rock by slmple soluLlon and changes Lhe weaLhered maLerlal chemlcally. 1he loose blndlng sandy soll maln consLlLuenL ls Lhe mlneral quarLz, whlch ls Lhe mosL reslsLanL mlneral Lo weaLherlng. lLs sandy LexLure also makes lLs capaclLy Lo hold and reLaln waLer very low. 1he sllLy soll wlLh lLs black appearance conLalns mosLly organlc maLLer. lL's capaclLy Lo hold and reLaln waLer ls greaLer Lhan LhaL of Lhe sandy soll due Lo lLs smaller parLlal slze LhaL allows for more surface area for waLer parLlal Lo blnd Lo. 8oLh solls are proLecLed agalnsL waLer and wlnd eroslon by Lhe dense vegeLaLlon of Lhe urban loresL. 1he sandy loam conLaln noLable elemenLs such as barlum (8a), manganese (Mn), LlLanlum (1l), vanadlum (v), ceslum (Cs), Lellurlum (1e), and chromlum (Cr) whlch were measured ln parLs per mllllon (ppm) uslng a porLable x-ray lluorescence (x8l) analyzer. 1he sllLy loam conLalns, wlLh Lhe excepLlon of 8a, Cs, and 1e, all Lhe elemenLs as Lhe sandy loam and oLher such as sLronLlum (Sr), lead (b), mercury (Pg), copper (Cu), anLlmony (Sb), cadmlum (Cd), and sllver (Ag). 1hough all of Lhese elemenLs can be found naLurally ln mlnerals Lhelr hlgh ppm readlngs polnLs back Lo Lhe parks pasL when Lhe area was a dumpslLe and a flurry of rallroad acLlvlLy. 1he presenL-day urban woodland ls domlnaLed by lnvaslve specles. An lnvaslve specles ls a Lype of organlsm noL naLlve Lo Lhe reglon and whose lnLroducLlon can cause envlronmenLal harm. Powever Lhese planLs mlghL be Lhe key Lo reduclng Lhese elemenLs ppm levels ln Lhe soll. Accordlng Lo Lhe unlLed SLaLes ueparLmenL of AgrlculLure (uSuA), planLs can be and has been used Lo remove conLamlnaLes and heavy meLals from soll ln a process called phyLoremedlaLlon. hyLoremedlaLlon works llke a vacuum cleaner by allowlng Lhe planLs Lo suck up Lhe conLamlnanLs and heavy meLals Lhrough lLs rooLs and sLorlng Lhem ln lLs sLeams, shoLs and leaves. 1here are plenLy of planLs ln Lhe urban loresL LhaL ls probably conducLlng phyLoremedlaLlon rlghL now. 1here ls a mlx of naLlve and nonnaLlve hardwood Lrees and marlLlme shrubs. Common Lrees lnclude Lhe easLern coLLonwood and 8usslan ollve. Shrubs lncludlng norLhern bayberry, black chokeberry, wlnged sumac, and sLag-horn sumac domlnaLe Lhe ground flora. 8erry produclng shrubs and Lrees are a blg aLLracLlon for many dlfferenL blrd specles. 1he foresL ls always changlng.1rees and shrubs change wlLh Lhe seasons. 1here are Lwo Lypes of Lrees, conlferous and declduous. Con|ferous Lrees are evergreen keeplng Lhelr leaves all year, such as plne and spruce Lrees.1he hardwoods LhaL shed Lhelr broad-leaves each auLumn are called dec|duous. 1he leaves are facLorles for converLlng sunllghL and waLer lnLo food and for Laklng carbon dloxlde ouL of Lhe alr. 1he green plgmenL ln Lhe Lrees leaves (and ln all green planLs) LhaL capLures Lhe sun's energy ls ch|orophy||. Less waLer and less sunllghL ln Lhe auLumn slgnals Lhe Lree Lo sLop produclng chlorophyll. 1he green plgmenL fades, reveallng yellow and orange colors. Some Lree leaves even make red and purple plgmenLs Lo dlsplay a full range of colors. 1he sLem evenLually closes off, deprlvlng Lhe leaf of waLer, causlng Lhe leaf Lo drop Lo Lhe ground.1rees know whlch way ls up. 1hey grow Lowards Lhe llghL and bend Lhelr branches Lo glve Lhe leaves Lhe mosL sun. hotosynthes|s happens when Lhe Lree uses energy from Lhe sun, waLer from Lhe soll, and carbon dloxlde from Lhe alr Lo make slmple sugars (carbohydraLes). 1hese carbohydraLes are elLher used by Lhe Lree for energy or sLored ln Lhe Llssues. When an anlmal eaLs Lhe planL Lhe nuLrlenLs and carbons are released Lhrough dlgesLlon. When Lhe anlmal breaLhes ouL lL releases Lhe carbon dloxlde LhaL ls used by Lhe planLs conLlnulng Lhe carbon cyc|e. 1he process conLlnues unLll lL ls Llme for Lhe decomposers Lo go Lo work and reLurn Lhe dead organlsm Lo Lhe soll. 1he process also produces carbon dloxlde, whlch ls agaln absorbed by Lhe Lrees and oLher planLs. 1here ls a mlx of naLlve and nonnaLlve hardwood Lrees and marlLlme shrubs. Common Lrees lnclude Lhe easLern coLLonwood and 8usslan ollve. Shrubs lncludlng norLhern bayberry, black chokeberry, wlnged sumac, and sLag-horn sumac domlnaLe Lhe ground flora. 8erry produclng shrubs and Lrees are a blg aLLracLlon for many dlfferenL blrd specles. 1he Lrees and shrubs malnLaln Lhe Lopology of Lhe landscape by prevenLlng eroslon. 1he vegeLaLlon also fllLers polluLanLs from ralnwaLer helplng Lo malnLaln waLer quallLy. Logglng AcLlvlLles: 1. Cbserve Lhe sandy soll around you, how ls lL able Lo sLays ln place wlLhouL belng eroded by Lhe envlronmenL? SLaLe Lhree ways Lo erode Lhe soll. 2. Lxpose a small area of soll and pour some waLer ln Lhe area. Lxamlne whaL happen. uoes Lhe waLer seep lnLo Lhe soll qulckly or slowly? 8ase on your answer and Lhe area's pasL, do you Lhlnk wasLe can sLlll be presenL ln Lhe soll? uaLa Source: www.nan.usace.army.mll/pro[ecL/new[ers/facLsh/pdf/.../vol1malnreporL.pdf hLLp://www.ars.usda.gov/ls/A8/archlve/[un00/soll0600.hLm Munsell Color CharL - hLLp://en.wlklpedla.org/wlkl/Munsell_color_sysLem L|v|ng on the Ldge: 8each nab|tat Coord|nates:40 41 808 -74 03 133 woypolot 4 of 10 oo Coloq coostols N-NI notbot stooty co-ulscovety 1toll lo llbetty 5tote lotk, cocbes JevelopeJ by Coloq coostol, loc. (www.qoloqcoostol.otq) os o speclol ptoject lo offlllotloo wltb CtoooJspeok ooJ soppott ftom tbe N-NI notbot stooty ltoqtom ooJ tbe New oqlooJ lotetstote wotet lollotloo coottol commlssloo. D|ff|cu|ty: 1.3 1erra|n: 1.0 Data Co||ected: SepLember 26 - March 11, 2011 Descr|pt|on:1he cache ls an edge hab|tat vlslble, Lhough noL accesslble from Lhe Lrall paLh. lL ls a Lyplcal LranslLlonal zone from sandy beach Lo small shrubs. 8eaches are naLural geologlcal formaLlons LhaL develop where a body of waLer meeLs Lhe land.8eaches can be made of a varleLy of maLerlals. As you can see Lhls parLlcular beach has boLh a sandy parL and a rocky parL. 1he beach ls consLanLly ln moLlon, endlessly erodlng and replenlshlng. Sand lLself ls sed|ment made up of dlfferenL Lypes of rocks LhaL were washed down rlvers and ground up by Lhe waves over hundreds of Lhousands of years. 8ocky beaches are ofLen caused by more recenL naLural eroslon of Lhe land and wlll become a sandy beach as Llme goes on. A complex marlne ecosysLem llves on Lhe edge. A slngle graln of sand ls home Lo bacLerla, dlaLoms, and mlcroscoplc organlsms. 1he ||ttora| zone ls Lhe lnLerLldal zone where land and sea meeL, covered wlLh waLer aL hlgh Llde and exposed Lo Lhe alr durlng low Llde. 1he dry sand above Lhe hlgh waLer mark ls called Lhe backshore, where Lldes and waves wlll form a beach berm llke a wave of sand capped wlLh a cresL. !usL above Lhe hlgh Llde llne ls Lhe wrack ||ne also called the strand. Pere you wlll ofLen flnd a llne of seaweed, debrls and oLher deLrlLus LhaL was washed ashore by Lhe lncomlng Llde. Cver Llme, Lhls decomposlng organlc maLLer wlll Lrap sand and sedlmenL Lo bulld sand dunes. Pow can you Lell lf Lhls beach ls Lldal or noL? Look aL Lhe sand.uo you see a dlscoloraLlon of Lhe sand and rocks as Lhe beach slopes down closer Lo Lhe waLer? 1haL ls an lndlcaLor LhaL Lhls beach happens Lo be on a Lldal waLerway. Cver Lhe course of a day ln Lhe new ?ork-new !ersey Parbor LsLuary, Lhe waLer wlll rlse and Lhen fall Lwlce.AL low Llde, Lhe waLer wlll be abouL four feeL lower Lhan Lhe waLer aL hlgh Llde. 1hls ls called Lhe Lldal range. 1he Lldes are caused by a gravlLaLlonal pull of Lhe moon, and Lo a lesser degree Lhe sun. 1he Lldes follow Lhe phases of Lhe moon, as Lhe moon waxes and wanes, all Lhe oceans ln Lhe world move wlLh lL! noLlce Lhe beach slopes, Lhls slanL ls caused by sand belng pushed up by wave act|on. 1he beach ls noL very sLeep aL Lhe shorellne, whlch glves a clue LhaL Lhe waLer ln Lhe basln ls shallow. 1he waves LhaL hlL Lhe shorellne carry sand and small rocks, whlch bulld up Lhe beach. 1hls sedlmenL LransporL and wave energy shapes Lhe coasLllne. 8eaches on t|da| waters wlll become sandy fasLer Lhan Lhose wlLh no Lldes. Lvery slx hours, Lhe waLer llne wlll sLarL aL Lhe Lop of Lhe beach (almosL Lo Lhe Lree llne) and wlll recede down Lhe beach. Slx hours laLer Lhe waLer llne wlll sLarL Lo cllmb back up Lhe beach unLll Lhe waLer ls back aL Lhe Lree llne slx hours afLer low Llde. 1hls ebb and flow of Lhe Lldes wlll conLlnue on Lhls beach forever and ever. lL ls easy Lo predlcL Lldes. 1he Llme beLween hlgh and low Llde ls slx hours aparL and Lhe Llde cycle happens 30 mlnuLes laLer each day. 1he Llde cycle here ls unlque Lo Lhls beach. 8ecause waLer ls fluld and Lhe moon ls ln consLanL moLlon Lhe hlgh Llde here wlll happen aL a dlfferenL Llme Lhan ln oLher parLs of Lhe harbor. uurlng Lhe spr|ng t|de aL new moon and full moon, Lhe moon and sun are allgned pulllng LogeLher and Lldes are aL Lhelr hlghesL. uurlng neap t|de aL Lhe flrsL and Lhlrd quarLer phases of Lhe moon, Lhe moon and sun are aL a rlghL angle pulllng ln dlfferenL dlrecLlons and Lhe Lldes reach mlnlmal helghL. When wlnd and waLer meeL Lhe resulL ls a wave. lf Lhe wlnd ls sLrong, Lhe waves can become choppy. Are Lhe waves here blg or small? lor Lhe mosL parL Lhese waves are small. Why do you Lhlnk LhaL ls? Waves are formed hundreds of mlles ouL aL sea and become blgger and blgger from Lhe wlnd pushlng on Lhem as Lhe wave geLs closer Lo Lhe land and crashes on Lhe slope of Lhe beach. ?ou would Lhlnk Lhese waves would be huge! 1he reason Lhese waves are small ls because boLh Lhe 8rooklyn and SLaLen lsland coasLllne proLecLs new ?ork Parbor where mosL of Lhe blg waves lose Lhelr momenLum as Lhey enLer Lhe upper 8ay. Logg|ng Act|v|t|es 1. AL Lhe Llme of your vlslL, whaL ls Lhe Lldal flow? rovlde daLe and Llme of vlslL. 2. 1he color and LexLure of Lhe sand can Lell you whaL rocks and sedlmenL Lhe sand ls made from. WhaL lsLhecolorandsurfaceLexLureofLhebeachsand?1ryLoguesswhaLLypeoflocalrockLhlssandmay have come from. 3. (CpLlonal) lrom Lhe paLhway vlew Lhe wrack llne and ldenLlfy one lLem sLranded on Lhe beach by Lhe Llde. Data Sources: 8eaches - hLLp://en.wlklpedla.org/wlkl/8eachColoq coostol New otk clty by 8arbara La 8occo (lordham unlverslLy ress 2009) LlLLoral Zone - hLLp://en.wlklpedla.org/wlkl/LlLLoral_zone 1ldes and CurrenLs - hLLp://LldesandcurrenLs.noaa.gov L|berty State ark Wet Meadow & I|e|d Coord|nates:40 41 782-74 03 111 woypolot 5 of 10 oo Coloq coostols N-NI notbot stooty co-ulscovety 1toll lo llbetty 5tote lotk, cocbes JevelopeJ by Coloq coostol, loc. (www.qoloqcoostol.otq)os o speclol ptoject lo offlllotloo wltb CtoooJspeok ooJ soppott ftom tbe N-NI notbot stooty ltoqtom ooJ tbe New oqlooJ lotetstote wotet lollotloo coottol commlssloo. Descr|pt|on: 8eLween Lhe mld 1800's and Lhe 1960's, Lhe CenLral 8allroad of new !ersey (C88n!) permanenLly alLered Lhe landscape of Lhls shore by fllllng Lhe salL marshes Lo creaLe a waLerfronL LransporLaLlon hub of rall yards, frelghL Lralns and cross-harbor barges. 8y Lhe Llme Lhe rallroad and lndusLry abandoned lL, Lhe land was a Loxlc dump. 1he LransformaLlon of Lhe landscape Lo Lhls beauLlful freshwaLer weL meadow requlred Lhe removal of Lhousands of cublc yards of conLamlnaLed soll. Chromlum processlng planLs ln Lhe area polluLed Lhe soll. Cld Loxlc flll was dug ouL and healLhy new soll was placed as parL of hablLaL recovery efforLs. 1oday, Lhe WeL Meadow ls characLerlzed by a wealLh of vlbranL flowers and grasses LhaL form an lmporLanL hablLaL for many specles. 1he WeL Meadow and lleld ls a Lype of freshwaLer marsh saLuraLed wlLh waLer parL of Lhe Llme because of poor dralnage. 1he ground ls llke a sponge, soggy and damp. 1he soll ls clay and sllL. A varleLy of waLer-lovlng grasses, sedges, rushes, and weLland wlldflowers prollferaLe ln Lhe hlghly ferLlle soll of weL meadows. WeL meadows are valuable weLlands. uurlng heavy ralnsLorms, Lhe weL meadow collecLs and fllLers runoff. 1he weL meadow ls a nuLrlenL rlch envlronmenL LhaL provldes vlLal food and hablLaL for many lnsecLs, amphlblans, repLlles, blrds, and mammals. LlberLy SLaLe ark's WeL Meadow ls a perfecL place for a wlde range of lnsecLs Lo llve ln! lnsecLs llke, bees, grasshoppers, beeLles, ladybugs, crlckeLs, and buLLerflles. lf you llsLen closely, you may here Lhe crlckeLs. uo you know LhaL only Lhe male crlckeLs chlrp? And when Lhey chlrp Lhere are four Lhlngs Lhey could be slnglng abouL, buL all four songs are Lo aLLracL Lhe female? 8eL you dldn'L know crlckeLs go on daLes Loo! SC llsLen closely. 1he weL meadow near Lhe esLuary offers perfecL growlng condlLlons for LasLern CoLLonwood (opulus delLolds), whlch ls parL of Lhe wlllow Lree famlly and a naLlve specles. 1he coLLonwood Lree Lo Lhe wesL, loves Lhe sun, and also prefers very molsL soll. Lach year Lhe female Lree releases Llny seeds LhaL look llke sllky fluff - ln Lhe wlnd. When Lhls happens lL looks llke lL ls snowlng - lL ls also how Lhls opulus delLolds goL lLs nlckname, coLLonwood. 1he coLLonwood slngs when Lhe wlnd rusLles Lhrough lLs leaves. A healLhy meadow ls a nolsy place. A chorus of brllllanLly colored songblrds - barn and Lree swallows, easLern Lowhees, and passerlnes, call ouL as Lhey fly above Lhe grassy fleld dlnlng on lnsecLs. 1hlrLy-four specles of songblrds have been reporLed aL LlberLy SLaLe ark. LlsLen Lo a whole anlmal orchesLra ln Lhe meadow, crlckeLs cheeplng, bees buzzlng, frogs croaklng, blrds LweeLlng and seagulls squawklng. When all Lhe crlLLers chlme ln, Lhelr symphony ls called a b|ophony. now, Lune ln Lhe background geophony - Lhe sound of Lhe rusLllng Lrees, waLer lapplng on Lhe shore, and Lhe wlnd blowlng across Lhe meadow grass. ?our volce, Lhe dlsLanL boaL moLor, an alrplane overhead, and oLher human-made nolse are anthrophony. 1aken all LogeLher lL makes up Lhe soundscape of Lhe meadow.

Act|v|t|es 1.Cbserve Lhe weL meadow examlnlng Lhe Lopography and elevaLlons. lrom whaL dlrecLlon does freshwaLer runoff arrlve ln Lhe weL meadow?2.WhaL oLher waLer source keeps Lhe meadow weL?3. (CpLlonal) WhaL anlmals do you see or hear ln Lhe weL meadow?4. (CpLlonal) uraw a sound map. llrsL mark an x" ln Lhe cenLer of Lhe page. 1he x" shows ?Cu on Lhe map- Lhen deslgnaLe where you are by drawlng a compass rose. Close your eyes and llsLen for aL leasL one mlnuLe. now draw plcLures or symbols on Lhe map represenLlng all Lhe sounds you hear, and where Lhey are comlng from, for example lf you hear a crlckeL near Lhe Lree close Lo your lefL ear, waves hlLLlng Lhe shore behlnd you. (CS1 1C ?Cu8 LCC). Data Sources:n! Ceologlc Survey - hLLp://www.sLaLe.n[.us/dep/n[gs/envlroed/lnfoclrc/provlnces.pdf n! uL - hLLp://www.sLaLe.n[.us/dep/parksandforesLs/parks/llberLy_sLaLe_park/llberLy_hlsLory.hLml u.S. LA - hLLp://waLer.epa.gov/Lype/weLlands/wmeadows.cfm WeL Meadow - hLLp://en.wlklpedla.org/wlkl/WeL_meadow L|berty Ln||ghten|ng the N-NI narbor Lstuary Coord|nates: 40 41 726-74 03 116 woypolot 6 of 10 oo Coloq coostols N-NI notbot stooty co-ulscovety 1toll lo llbetty 5tote lotk, cocbes JevelopeJ by Coloq coostol, loc. (www.qoloqcoostol.otq) os o speclol ptoject lo offlllotloo wltb CtoooJspeok ooJ soppott ftom tbe N-NI notbot stooty ltoqtom ooJ tbe New oqlooJ lotetstote wotet lollotloo coottol commlssloo. Descr|pt|on:1he cache overlooks upper new ?ork 8ay where you can vlew Lhe naLural and human developmenLs of Lhe new ?ork-new !ersey Parbor LsLuary. lrom corner Lo corner, you are seelng an arm of Lhe sea called an estuary. LsLuarles are where rlvers meeL Lhe sea, LranslLlon zones where salLy seawaLer and fresh rlver waLer mlx ln a proLecLed embaymenL. 1he sLory of Lhe n?-n! Parbor LsLuary sLarLs some 123 mllllon years ago wlLh Lhe rlfLlng of 1euLonlc laLes causlng Lhe breakup of Lhe greaL super-conLlnenL looqoeo. 1he spllL formed Lhe ALlanLlc Ccean when norLh Amerlca pulled aparL from Lurope. 1he LarLh's cllmaLe wenL Lhrough lce Ages where lL cooled Lhen warmed called Claclal and lnLerglaclal perlods. 1he currenL lce age, called Lhe Wlsconsln glaclaLlon began 2 mllllon years ago. When Lhe glanL lce sheeLs slld across norLh Amerlca Lhey sLopped aL abouL where you are sLandlng, 40 degrees norLh laLlLude. When Lhe glaclal lce sheeL came down over Lhls area, lL was 1,000 feeL hlgh. lL covered all buL Lhe very Lop, of Lhe 1,230-fooL Lall Lmplre SLaLe 8ulldlng. uurlng !ersey ClLy's formaLlve years, g|ac|a| t||| deposlL and glaclal melL waLer creaLed a marshy hablLaL on Lhls shore.1he lce bullL a rldge of glaclal debrls (moralne) LhaL blocked 1he narrows and connecLed 8rooklyn and SLaLen lsland, called Lhe Parbor Plll Moralne. 1he glacler pushed rocks and dlrL and deposlLed Lhe debrls when lL began Lo Lhaw. 1hlnk of a snowplow pushlng everyLhlng ln fronL of lL. 1he modern esLuary Look shape almosL 18,000 years ago when Lhe lce sLarLed Lo reLreaL. As Lhe glacler melLed, sea level rose ln Lhe upper 8ay ln Llme bursLlng Lhrough 1he narrows, openlng Lhe passage LhaL ls Lhe gaLeway" Lo Lhe harbor and formlng Lhe presenL paLh of Lhe Pudson 8lver. ln prehlsLorlc Llmes, LlberLy (8edloe) and Lllls lslands were small hllls on Lhe malnland. now, less Lhan 2,000 feeL away, LlberLy LnllghLenlng Lhe World" welcomed over 12 mllllon lmmlgranLs beLween 1892 and 1934 Lo Lhe processlng sLaLlon on Lllls lsland. MosL of Lhe lmmlgranLs' boarded ferrles for Lhe CenLral 8allroad of new !ersey 1ermlnal Lo geL Lo Lhelr new homes ln Amerlca. vlslLors can explore Lhe hlsLory of resLored C88n! 1ermlnal aL Lhe norLhern end of LlberLy SLaLe ark and Lake ferrles LhaL sall Lo Lhe SLaLue of LlberLy and Lllls lsland lmmlgraLlon Museum. 1he Pudson ls a 313-mlle rlver LhaL flows souLheasL from lLs headwaLers aL Lake 1ear of Lhe Clouds ln Lhe Adlrondack MounLalns Lo meeL Lhe LasL 8lver and form Lhe upper new ?ork 8ay.1he dlrecLlon of Lhe Pudson 8lver's flow ls conLrolled by ocean Lldes. As Lhe Llde rlses, ocean currenLs push norLh abouL 130 mlles upsLream ln Lhe Pudson 8lver Lo 1roy uam. Low Lldes reverse Lhese currenLs. 1he Lldes sLop and reverse dlrecLlon four Llmes durlng a Lldal day, whlch ls 24 hours and 30 mlnuLes. 8ecause of Lhls Lldal flow, Lhe rlver ls sald Lo flow Lwo ways." 1|da| currents are Lhe esLuarles llquld LransporL for organlsms, sedlmenLs, clrculaLlng and renewlng nuLrlenLs and oxygen, and removlng wasLes. 1ldes are Lhe up and down movemenLs of waLer, Lhe rlse and fall Lrlggered by Lhe gravlLaLlonal pull of Lhe moon prlmarlly, and much less by Lhe sun. 1|da| currents are Lhe horlzonLal movemenL of Lhe waLer. lL ls a f|ood t|de currenL when Lhe Llde ls rlslng and ebb t|de currenL when Lhe Llde ls falllng. When Lhe Llde ls aL lLs hlghesL or lowesL polnL Lhe currenL sLops brlefly before lL reverses, Lhls ls called s|ack t|de. ln addlLlon Lo Lldes and currenLs, Lhe Parbor LsLuary has a very unlque waLer clrculaLlon paLLern called a sa|t wedge. A wedge-shaped layer of denser salLwaLer flows along Lhe boLLom, under Lhe llghLer fresh waLer floaLlng on Lhe surface. 1hls makes for a moderaLely strat|f|ed estuary, meanlng salL waLer and fresh waLer are only parLlally mlxed. ?ou can Lell how well Lhe seawaLer and rlver waLer are mlxlng by measurlng Lhe sa||n|ty (level of salL) ln Lhe waLer. 1he esLuary's sallnlLy level varles dependlng on Lhe season and weaLher, sprlng ralns and snowmelL lncrease fresh waLer flow. 1he dally mlxlng leads Lo dynamlc blochemlcal condlLlons ln Lhe esLuary. now, see how clear Lhe waLer looks. When Lhere ls a loL of sLuff llke dlrL and sand floaLlng ln Lhe waLer lL makes Lhe waLer turb|d. 1hls ls from suspended sedlmenLs of erodlng rocks and mlnerals are LransporLed by Lhe Pudson 8lver and Lhe ocean Lldal currenLs carry sllL and clay. Murky waLer prevenLs sunllghL from plerclng Lhe waLer depLhs, lnhlblLlng phoLosynLhesls and maklng lL dlfflculL for planLs and anlmals Lo llve here. 1he sedlmenLs wlll slowly seLLle Lo Lhe sandy boLLom of Lhe bay. ln addlLlon Lo sallnlLy and LurbldlLy, good waLer quallLy relles on sLable LemperaLures, dlssolved oxygen, and pP. WaLer LemperaLure ls for swlmmlng and marlne llfe. D|sso|ved oxygen (uC) ls a byproducL of phoLosynLhesls crlLlcal Lo aquaLlc llfe. P ls Lhe measure of how acldlc or alkallne Lhe waLer ls. ure waLer has a neuLral pP of 7.0. Marlne organlsms can sLand a pP of beLween 6.3 and 9.0.SeawaLer provldes a comforLable pP of 7.3.Measurlng Lhese dynamlcs Lo undersLand how human acLlvlLles and naLural evenLs lmpacL Lhe ecosysLem monlLors Lhe healLh of Lhe esLuary. Act|v|t|es:1.name Lhe glaclal feaLure vlslble on Lhe horlzon?2.Look closely aL Lhe movemenL of Lhe waLer. ls lL hlgh or low Llde? ls Lhe currenL flowlng up Lhe rlver or comlng down lnLo Lhe bay? noLe daLe and Llme of your vlslL.3.(CpLlonal)PumanacLlvlLlesandnaLuralevenLsconLlnueLochangeLhlsecosysLem.nameone human acLlvlLy LhaL changed Lhls ecosysLem. name one acLlon you can Lake Lo help lmprove esLuary healLh. 4. (CpLlonal) 1ake a plcLure wlLh Lady LlberLy ln Lhe background and posL Lo your log. Data Sources: LsLuarles Llve - hLLp://www.esLuarles.gov/ Parbor LsLuary rogram - hLLp://www.harboresLuary.org/ nCAA - hLLp://oceanservlce.noaa.gov/educaLlon/pd/esLuarles/welcome.hLml u.S. LA - hLLp://waLer.epa.gov/learn/klds/esLuarles/ kemnant Sa|t Marsh Coord|nates:40 41 449 -74 03 296 woypolot 7 of 10 oo Coloq coostols N-NI notbot stooty co-ulscovety 1toll lo llbetty 5tote lotk, cocbes JevelopeJ by Coloq coostol, loc. (www.qoloqcoostol.otq) os o speclol ptoject lo offlllotloo wltb CtoooJspeok ooJ soppott ftom tbe N-NI notbot stooty ltoqtom ooJ tbe New oqlooJ lotetstote wotet lollotloo coottol commlssloo. Descr|pt|on:1he cache ls where llfe beglns ln Lhe new ?ork-new !ersey Parbor LsLuary. lL ls one of Lhe few remalnlng Lldal salL marsh hablLaLs.?ou should be sLandlng near Lhe wayslde slgn deplcLlng ducks faclng wesL. 1he salL marsh ls a remnanL of Lhe vasL marshlands LhaL once llned Lhe esLuary. Mud ls Lhe base soll LhaL supporLs llfe ln Lhe salL marsh. 8oLh salL and fresh waLer sedlmenL bulldup ln Lhe mud, whlch produces healLhy rlch vegeLaLlon. 1he mud ls made of sllL and sand carrled by Lhe Pudson 8lver or conveyed by ocean Lldes. 1ldal currenLs cause new waLer Lo clrculaLe lnslde Lhe cove Lwlce each day. 1he mud and planL llfe becomes fully covered by Lhe rlslng Llde glvlng Lhe planLs valuable nuLrlenLs. 1he salL marsh provldes crlLlcal hablLaL for a varleLy of resldenL and mlgraLory blrds. Many cormoranLs and gulls reslde here year round whlle ducks, grebe and oLher blrds are mlgraLory, whlch means Lhey sLop here Lo resL and feed durlng Lhelr seasonal [ourneys Lo breed. 1he blrd mlgraLlon rouLe ls named Lhe At|ant|c I|yway - whlch sLreLches along Lhe ALlanLlc coasL from llorlda Lo nova ScoLla. Many of Lhe blrds here Loday are on Lhelr way Lo norLhern Canada (ln Lhe sprlng) or Lo Lhe Culf of Mexlco (ln Lhe fall). 1he waLer ln Lhe marsh ls noL all salLwaLer or all freshwaLer, buL a bracklsh mlx. Many aquaLlc anlmals llve ln Lhe cove because Lhe salL marsh ls well shelLered from sLorms and heavy wave acLlon. SalL LoleranL smooLh cordgrass ls one of Lhe few planLs capable of survlval ln Lhe marshlands. lL can handle dally drownlng and droughL, hlgh sallnlLy waLer and oxygen poor soll. Cordgrass ls Lhe cenLer of a complex food web. 1he cordgrass dles aL Lhe end of each season releaslng nuLrlenLs lnLo Lhe Lldal waLers. MosL of Lhe anlmals here are very small, llvlng ln Lhe mud or underwaLer. 1hey feed on algae or dead leaves and cordgrass, called deLrlLus. Cnce cordgrass Lakes rooL lLs underground sLems (called rhlzomes) spread aL Lhe edge of Lhe marsh. 1he sLalks caLch sedlmenLs and over Llme bulld up Lhe level of Lhe salL marsh. ?oung crabs and flsh llve ln and around lLs sLalks where mud snalls burrow and perlwlnkles and sea horses cllng. 1he marsh ls a producLlve nursery for sLrlped bass, flounder, Amerlcan shad and many oLher Lypes of local flsh.1he salL marsh helps proLecL Lhe Parbor LsLuary. lL malnLalns waLer quallLy ln Lhe cove and Lhe esLuary. 1he marsh grasses slow sLormwaLer runoff and capLure sedlmenLs. 1he planLs remove excess nuLrlenLs as well as carbons Lhrough phoLosynLhesls. 1he salL marsh proLecLs human developmenL by provldlng a buffer agalnsL floods and helplng reduce shore eroslon. 1he salL marsh ls a fully susLalnable ecosysLem. 1he sllghLesL dlsLurbance ln Lhe cycle can lmpede Lhe enLlre way of llfe, causlng a chaln reacLlon LhaL affecLs all llfe ln Lhe salL marsh. 1hlnk of lL llke Lhls: Lhe blrds feed on Lhe flsh, Lhe flsh feed on Lhe plankLon and planLs, Lhe planLs feed on Lhe waLer and Lhe soll, lf any parL ln Lhe chaln becomes alLered, Lhe enLlre sysLem falls. When Lhe waLer becomes polluLed, Lhe planLs sLop growlng and Lhe flsh wlll noL spawn here, when Lhe flsh do noL spawn Lhen Lhe blrds wlll noL come because Lhe blrds wlll have noLhlng Lo eaL. 1hls wlll cause a deLour ln Lhe ALlanLlc llyway for hundred of Lhousand of blrds. Logg|ng Act|v|t|es:1. SalL marshes develop only ln proLecLed waLers. WhaL feaLure ln Lhls landscape ls keeplng Lhe waLer calm? 2. (CpLlonal) WhaL mlgraLory blrds do you see on Lhe marsh? Are Lhe blrds headed, norLh or souLh? noLe Lhe daLe and Llme of your vlslL, posL a phoLo lf you llke. 3. (CpLlonal) CreaLe a blrd's eye vlew map of Lhls salL marsh and naLural areas, lnclude feaLures and creaLures, landmarks and waLermarks. 8e sure Lo lnclude a norLh arrow. (CS1 1C ?Cu8 LCC) Data SourcesALlanLlc llyway - hLLp://www.blrdnaLure.com/flyways.hLml n?-n! Parbor LsLuary - hLLp://oceanservlce.noaa.govSalL Marsh - hLLp://www.eoearLh.org/arLlcle/SalL_marsh SalL Marsh lood Web - hLLp://www.allenLeacher.com Commun|paw Cove Coord|nates: 40 32.382-73 33.296 woypolot 9 of 10 oo Coloq coostols N-NI notbot stooty co-ulscovety 1toll lo llbetty 5tote lotk, cocbes JevelopeJ by Coloq coostol, loc. (www.qoloqcoostol.otq) os o speclol ptoject lo offlllotloo wltb CtoooJspeok ooJ soppott ftom tbe N-NI notbot stooty ltoqtom ooJ tbe New oqlooJ lotetstote wotet lollotloo coottol commlssloo. Descr|pt|on:1he cache ls aL Lhe wayslde map aL Lhe edge of Cverlook lleld. 1he ground here ls all made-land. 1here ls no naLural landscape. 1he rallroads creaLed Lhls wlde expanse of land now known as LlberLy SLaLe ark from 1860 Lo 1928, fllllng ln marshland and lnLerLldal flaLs. 1he Packensack Lrlbe of Lhe Lenape naLlves used Lhe area as a summer encampmenL called Communlpaw, whlch means blq looJloq ploce ot tbe slJe of o tlvet. Communlpaw Cove sLreLched from Lhe area of whaL ls now Morrls Canal on Lhe norLh Lo Caven olnL on Lhe souLh.WashlngLon lrvlng refers Lo Lhe early uuLch seLLlemenL here as "Lhe egg from whlch Lhe greaL clLy of new ?ork was haLched." 1he shallow marshes and waLers of Communlpaw Cove were fllled wlLh debrls maLerlal, new ?ork ClLy garbage, and shlp ballasL (heavy lLems placed ln Lhe hull Lo balance shlps). 1he surroundlng waLers were dredged, Lhe boLLom of Lhe marshes dug-up Lo make Lhe waLer deep enough for boaLs Lo dock. ln some areas canal boaLs were dellberaLely sunk as reLalnlng walls Lo hold Lhe flll," whlch came from dredged spoll (sllL scooped from Lhe boLLom from deepenlng Lhe waLerway), and refuse. LvenLually, rallroad landfllllng exLended Lhe ground from Morrls Canal ln Lhe norLh Lo 8lack 1om Channel ln Lhe souLh. Ceologlcal forces shaped Lhls landscape long before Lhe anLhropogenlc or human lmpacL on Lhe envlronmenL. 1he naLural subsLraLe aL LlberLy SLaLe ark ls aL leasL 30 feeL below Lhe surface, bedrock of 1rlasslc-!urasslc sedlmenLary formaLlon. 1he earLh floor has many layers. 1he , Lhe underlylng layer, was formed ln prehlsLorlc Llmes by Lhe colllslon of LecLonlc plaLes and glaclers slldlng across Lhe landscape. LlberLy SLaLe ark ls locaLed aL Lhe souLh end of a glaclal rldge formed by Lhe debrls of a glacler, called a moralne. lL separaLes newark 8ay 8asln from Lhe lower Pudson 8asln, along Lhe easLern edge of Lhe ledmonL rovlnce (a physlographlc classlflcaLlon wlLh Lhe larger Appalachlan Plghland group). uurlng !ersey ClLy's formaLlve years, abouL 10,000 years ago, glaclal Llll and glaclal melL waLer formed a marshy hablLaL. Mllllons of years ago Lhe deep Pudson 8lver channel dldn'L exlsL, lL was noLhlng more Lhan a sLream. A clue Lo whaL changed lL can be found all over new !ersey and new ?ork. 1he clue ls boulders whlch are found ouL of place and LhaL are dlfferenL from Lhe rocks, whlch surrounds Lhem. Many of Lhese boulders may conLaln deep grooves and some may be pollshed, whlch lndlcaLes a force sLrong enough Lo move Lhese boulders over huge dlsLances. 1he forces responslble are glaclers. Claclers are huge lce sheeLs LhaL forms when wlnLery condlLlons perslsL year round and snow accumulaLes on Lop of pasL snow evenLs formlng Lowerlng sheeLs of lce. 1hey are noL sLagnanL however, Lhey move and when Lhey do Lhey grlnd Lhelr way across Lhe landscape breaklng off rock from formaLlons and carrylng Lhem ln Lhelr base. 1hese rocks behave llke abraslves and scraLch grooves ln oLher rock formaLlon Lhey flow over. When Lhe glaclers reLreaL or melL, Lhey leave Lhese boulders behlnd where we see Lhem Loday ln CenLral ark and parLs on new !ersey. Cver mllllons of years Lhese advances and reLreaL of Lhe lce sheeLs changed Lhe landscape. 1he crescenL gouges call chaLLer marks ln rock formaLlons more Lhan a mlle above sea level LhaL surrounds LlberLy ark lndlcaLe LhaL Lhe glacler was over a mlle Lhlck. 1he glacler LhaL mosL llkely formed Lhe area of LlberLy SLaLe ark, advanced SL from Canada, whlch ls lndlcaLed when you compare Lhe orlenLaLlon or dlrecLlon ln space, of Lhese grooves ln upsLaLe new ?ork Lo Lhe ones ln CenLral park. 8efore Lhe glaclers Lhe waLer of Lhe Pudson had slowly eroded Lhe landscape and formed a v-shaped channel lndlcaLlve of a rlver channel buL afLer Lhe glacler, Lhe Pudson was craved lnLo a deep u-shaped valley lndlcaLlve Lo glaclal acLlvlLy. 1he sldes and boLLom of Lhe sLream channel was gouged ouL Lo whaL we see now Loday. lL was Lhe glaclers LhaL made new ?ork- new !ersey Parbor LsLuary. Powever when Lhe glacler reLreaLed lL lefL an enormous amounL of glaclal debrls behlnd whlch blocked Lhe Pudson narrows where Lhe verrazano-narrows 8rldge ls Loday from Lhe ALlanLlc Ccean. 1he rldge called a glaclal moralne connecLed Long lsland Lo SLaLen lsland and forced Lhe Pudson Lo devlaLe Lo Lhe wesL and exlLlng ln Lhe ALlanLlc Lhrough Lhe 8arlLan 8ay. WhaL broke Lhe rldge ls belleved Lo be a flash flood. 1he source of Lhls flash flood ls belleved be Lhe waLers from Lake lroquols, a huge glaclal lake formed nexL Lo Lake CnLarlo aL Lhe end of Lhe lce age. 1he glacler lLself dammed Lhe lake buL over Llme lL melLed and weakened, evenLually causlng a serve flash flood LhaL flowed down Lhe Pudson and broke Lhrough Lhe moralne aL Lhe verrazano narrows. ln SouLh Cverlook lleld Lhe llbetotloo Mooomeot by sculpLor naLhan 8appaporL sLands LwenLy-fooL sLaLue Lall. 1he sLaLue commemoraLes Lhe llberaLlon of PolocausL vlcLlms wlLh lLs deplcLlon of a WWll concenLraLlon camp survlvor belng carrled Lo freedom by an unarmed Amerlcan soldler. 1oday, Lhe ground here ls all man-made. 1here ls no naLural landscape. 1he physlcal alLeraLlon began wlLh Lhe rallroads LhaL creaLed Lhls wlde expanse of land now known as LlberLy SLaLe ark from 1880 Lo 1916, fllllng ln marshland and lnLerLldal flaLs. 1he shallow marshes and waLers of Communlpaw Cove were fllled wlLh debrls maLerlal, new ?ork ClLy garbage, and shlp ballasL (heavy lLems placed ln Lhe hull Lo balance shlps). Act|v|t|es:1. ?ou are currenLly ln an area where glaclers had once been. Cbserve Lhe area and sLaLe all Lhe clues of glaclal acLlvlLy. 2. When Lhe glacler advanced from Lhe norLh lnLo Lhls area lL grlnd along Lhe land surface and eroded Lhe land.3. Looklng over Pudson 8ay lnLo ManhaLLan explaln why boLh Lhe bay and ManhaLLan were noL evenly eroded Lo Lhe same depLh. Data Sources:Ceologlc Map of new !ersey: hLLp://www.n[geology.org LlberLy SLaLe ark - hLLp://www.llberLysLaLepark.org hLLp://www.sLaLe.n[.us/dep/parksandforesLs/parks/llberLy_sLaLe_park/llberLy_hlsLory.hLml 1he Apex of the New ork 8|ght Coord|nates:40 41 449 -74 03 296 woypolot 8 of 10 oo Coloq coostols N-NI notbot stooty co-ulscovety 1toll lo llbetty 5tote lotk, cocbes JevelopeJ by Coloq coostol, loc. (www.qoloqcoostol.otq) os o speclol ptoject lo offlllotloo wltb CtoooJspeok ooJ soppott ftom tbe N-NI notbot stooty ltoqtom ooJ tbe New oqlooJ lotetstote wotet lollotloo coottol commlssloo. Descr|pt|on:uo you know whaL a blghL" ls? A b|ght ls an lndenL ln Lhe coasLllne shaped by geologlcal processes. 1he new ?ork 8lghL ls Lhe spaLlal arrangemenL of Lhe coasL of new !ersey (Lo Lhe souLh and wesL) formlng a rlghL angle Lo Lhe coasL of Long lsland (Lo Lhe norLh and easL) ln Lhe ALlanLlc Ccean, wlLh lLs peak or apex aL Lhe mouLh of Lhe Pudson 8lver. 1he mosL noLable unLouched geologlc feaLure of Lhe new ?ork-new !ersey Parbor LsLuary lles beneaLh Lhe waLer. SLop for a momenL and lmaglne whaL Lhe submarlne world looks llke, whaL lL sounds llke and how lL was creaLed. lf you look closely, Lhe benth|c zone (boLLom hablLaL) and Lhe bathymetry (boLLom Lopography) are revealed ln Lhe shallow waLers of Lhe esLuary. 1he esLuarles greaLesL naLural aLLrlbuLe ls lLs glacler-carved deep harborage LhaL led Lo lL belng one of Lhe world's foremosL economlc porLs. 1he new ?ork 8lghL ls a Polocene Lpoch phenomenon havlng formed ln Lhe lasL 11,000 years ln Lhe currenL lnLerglaclal perlod. uurlng Lhe lce Ages (Lhe lelsLocene Lpoch) LhaL preceded lL, sea levels dropped by as much 400 feeL. 1he mouLh of Lhe ancesLral Pudson 8lver was over 130 mlles furLher easL. 1he submarlne areas of Lhe harbor were dry land all Lhe way Lo Lhe edge of Lhe conLlnenLal shelf. When Lhe lce sheeL melLed, an avalanche of waLer loaded wlLh glaclal deposlL made of rocks and soll poured across Lhe exposed shelf of land. Cver Llme, dense rlver currenLs carved ouL a deep gorge ln Lhe flood plaln LhaL ls Lhe nudson k|ver Canyon - as blg as Crand Canyon. 1he Parbor LsLuary ls a ma[or Lhoroughfare of Lhe orL of new ?ork and new !ersey, Lhe Lhlrd largesL porL ln Lhe counLry. Puge conLalner shlps, barges, oll Lankers, cargo vessels, LugboaLs, and many oLher merchanL shlps operaLe wlLhln Lhese waLers. 1here are nauLlcal hlghways, called channels LhaL crlsscross Lhe Parbor LsLuary and upper 8ay marklng safe passages and danger zones where noL Lo go. 1he navlgaLlonal channels have been dredged from Lhe naLural 17 feeL depLh Lo 43-30 feeL. ln some places channel deepenlng has blasLed Lhrough Lhe bedrock or down Lo Lhe lelsLocene glaclal sedlmenLs.Figure 1:Batbymetric maps sbow deptbs of landforms below sea level. 1here are Lhree enLrances Lo Lhe Parbor from Lhe ALlanLlc Ccean. vessels enLer from Lhe ALlanLlc Ccean Lo Lhe Lower 8ay by 1he narrows under Lhe verrazano 8rldge. Smaller oll barges enLer by Lhe klll van kull on Lhe wesLern slde of SLaLen lsland Lo faclllLles on newark 8ay, whlle local barges come from Lhe Long lsland Sound by Lhe LasL 8lver. 1he maln passage across Lhe upper 8ay Lo Lhe Pudson 8lver ls called Lhe Anchorage Channel, where small barges Lowed or pushed by LugboaLs make dellverles Lo upsLaLe new ?ork by way of Lhe Pudson 8lver. 1o Lhe souLh are Lhe shlpplng derrlcks of Lhe Clobal Marlne 1ermlnal aL 8ayonne, new !ersey. 1he upper 8ay ls a very busy commerclal and recreaLlonal harbor. SallboaLs, powerboaLs, personal waLercrafL and kayaks share Lhe waLers wlLh commerclal vessels. Shlps and barges aL anchor slL ln Lhe cenLer of Lhe harbor walLlng for Lhe Llde Lo change Lo enLer Lhe porL Lermlnals or [ourney ouL Lo sea. WlLh all Lhese boaLs sharlng Lhe waLerways, lL ls lmporLanL LhaL everyone know Lhe navlgaLlon rules. SouLh of LlberLy Walk are Lwo waLer markers, one ls red and Lhe oLher green. 1hls lndlcaLes Lhe channel where Lhere are safe navlgable waLers. All waLer buoys are shown on Lhe navlgaLlonal charL and capLalns and boaLers allke navlgaLe uslng Lhese charLs Lo flnd Lhe channels, anchorage areas and depLh of Lhe represenLed aL low Llde. 1hls wlll assure a safe waLerway and conLlnue Lhe mulLl-use waLerway of upper new ?ork 8ay. All sLorm dralns lead Lo Lhe esLuary. LlLLer on Lhe sLreeLs Lravels and flnds lLs way lnLo Lhe waLerways. WlLh each ralnfall, sLormwaLer runs over Lhe surface of Lhe land carrylng sLreeL llLLer, lawn ferLlllzers, spllled oll, and oLher land runoff, whlch ls washed down sLorm dralns LhaL flow rlghL lnLo esLuary waLers. known as nonpo|nt source po||ut|on, Lhls process degrades waLer quallLy and has a negaLlve lmpacL on hablLaL and aquaLlc llfe wlLhln Lhe ecosysLem. LvenLs far upsLream ln Lhe waLershed can evenLually make Lhelr way lnLo esLuary waLer. 1he dralnage basln or waLershed of Lhe LsLuary encompasses abouL 16,300 square mlles, lncludlng much of easLern new ?ork, norLhern new !ersey, and small parLs of wesLern ConnecLlcuL, MassachuseLLs, and vermonL. 1he waLer dlrecLly surroundlng Lhe seawall ls deep enough LhaL healLhy flsh can grow Lo conslderable slzes and because Lhe harbor ls proLecLed from Lhe ocean by SLaLen lsland, Lhese flsh have greaL maneuverablllLy ln relaLlvely calm waLers. 1he wayslde slgn shows some of Lhe flsh specles LhaL llve ln Lhe esLuary for all or parL of Lhelr llfe. 1he shelLered waLers are spawnlng and nursery grounds for sLrlpped bass, fluke and blueflsh. ulfferenL slze flsh feed on dlfferenL Lhlngs - Lhe largesL flsh feed on smaller flsh, and Lhose smaller flsh feed on plankLon, seaweed and fauna. llshlng ls allowed anywhere ln LlberLy SLaLe ark. 1he new !ersey ueparLmenL of LnvlronmenLal roLecLlon releases flsh consumpLlon advlsorles abouL posslble envlronmenLal conLamlnanLs and healLh rlsks for people eaLlng locally caughL seafood (see: www.flshsmarLeaLsmarLn[.org). Act|v|t|es:1.WhaL effecL does Lhe Pudson Canyon have on Lhe flow of waLer ln harbor esLuary?2.WhaL's llvlng ln Lhe waLer?3.WhaL ways do people make a llvlng on Lhe waLer?4.name one Lhlng you can do Lo keep Lhe esLuary healLhy and clean.3.use your CS Lo navlgaLe Lo Lhe nexL naLural area feaLure. Data Sourcesnew ?ork 8lghL - hLLp://web2.uconn.edu/seagranLnyblghL/ u.S. LA - hLLp://waLer.epa.gov/learn/klds/esLuarles/ u.S. Ceologlcal Survey - hLLp://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/pro[ecL-pages/newyork/ Name and 1ype of Land LlberLy SLaLe ark200 Morrls esln urlve, !ersey ClLy, n! 07303 hone: (201) 913-3404 www.llberLysLaLepark.org CWnL8:n! ueparLmenL of LnvlronmenLal roLecLlon 8|ack 1om Is|and Coord|nates:40 41 339 -74 03 438 woypolot 10 of 10 oo Coloq coostols N-NI notbot stooty co-ulscovety 1toll lo llbetty 5tote lotk, cocbes JevelopeJ by Coloq coostol, loc. (www.qoloqcoostol.otq) os o speclol ptoject lo offlllotloo wltb CtoooJspeok ooJ soppott ftom tbe N-NI notbot stooty ltoqtom ooJ tbe New oqlooJ lotetstote wotet lollotloo coottol commlssloo. Descr|pt|on:8lack 1om was orlglnally a small offshore lsland. lL was one of four glaclal moralne lslands, made of dlrL and rocks deposlLed by Lhe lasL glacler. 8lack 1om was abouL 1,200 feeL from Lhe shorefronL. lL comprlsed abouL 20 acres, dlmenslons of abouL 800 feeL norLh and souLh and 1,200 feeL easL and wesL. 1he four lslands of low uplands wlLh creeks flowlng beLween Lhem were once surrounded by over 3,000 acres of low-lylng Lldal flaLs known as Lhe !ersey llaLs, made of mud and sedlmenL deposlLed by Lhe Pudson 8lver as lL empLled lnLo upper new ?ork 8ay. 1he !ersey llaLs were hlsLorlcally home Lo Lhe largesL oysLer bed ln Lhe world largely caused by Lhe proLecLlon of 8obblns 8eef sand bar. 1he reefs formlng Lhe hard foundaLlon of Lhe !ersey llaLs exLended from 8lack 1om Lo 8obblns 8eef and were made of gnelss rock carrled from Lhe 8ergen Pllls. 1he sedlmenL ls characLerlzed by mlxed deLrlLus eroded from older glaclal maLerlal.1he greaL expanse of oysLer beds exLended all Lhe way from Lhe Llp of SLaLen lsland up Lhe Pudson 8lver Lo newburgh. CaLherlng oysLers and shad flshlng was Lhe area's earllesL lndusLrles. Larly uuLch seLLlers called Lhe group of lsleLs lncludlng 8lack 1om, 8edloe and Lllls lslands Lhe CysLer lslands. 1he oysLer beds however, were desLroyed by Lhe laLe 1800s due Lo Lhe arrlval of rallroads and lndusLry LhaL polluLed and conLamlnaLed Lhe waLerways. 1he consLrucLlon of Lhe plers aL Lhe rall depoL caused changes ln Lhe Lldal currenLs. dumplng of clnders, ash and sLreeL refuse lnLo Lhe norLh 8lver (Pudson 8lver) and harbor dlmlnlshed Lhe veloclLy of Lhe currenLs and caused Lhe formaLlon of shoals around Lhe !ersey plers whlch acLed as breakwaLers. 8y 1873, refuse and sedlmenL lncreased Lhe slze of Lhe !ersey llaLs and began encroachlng on Lhe maln shlpplng channels. 1he llaLs were a dumplng ground. 8edloe and CysLer lslands were enlarged by clLy refuse. naLlonal SLorage Company purchased Lhe lsland for $330,000 and wenL Lo work maklng bulkheads, plers, and deep waLer berLhs ouL of 8lack 1om. Lehlgh valley 8allroad made a causeway Lo 8lack 1om lsland from 1860 Lo 1880. (vlslL llnk) 1hen Lhe rallway dredged a 20-fooL deep channel Lhrough Lhe shallow shoals Lo docks where coal was LransporLed from Lhe Lehlgh valley coalmlnes ln ennsylvanla and barged Lo Lhe new ?ork harbor markeLs. 1hey laLer landfllled Lhe lsland maklng lL parL of Lhe malnland, shaplng a mlle-long wharf [usL opposlLe Lhe SLaLue of LlberLy. (vlslL llnk) 8efore Lhe unlLed SLaLes enLered World War l, Cerman saboLeurs blew up Lhe 8lack 1om depoL. 8lack 1om depoL conveyed munlLlons Lo boLh Cermany and 8rlLaln. Amerlca had declared lLs neuLrallLy. When Lhe 8rlLlsh navy sLarLed a blockade Lo cuL off shlpmenLs. 1he saboLage aL 8lack 1om was dlrecLed aL hlnderlng shlpmenLs Lo Allled owers. ln Lhe mornlng of !uly 30, 1916, Lwo mllllon pounds of ammunlLlon exploded, lncludlng 1n1, black powder and dynamlLe. (vlslL llnk) 1he exploslon was earLh shaLLerlng, breaklng Lhousands of wlndows ln lower ManhaLLan. Shrapnel pockmarked Lhe SLaLue of LlberLy. lmmlgranLs walLlng processlng on Lllls lsland had Lo be evacuaLed. 1he 8lack 1om depoL wlLh lLs frelghL cars, warehouses, barges, LugboaLs and plers was compleLely desLroyed. WlLhln a year of Lhe 8lack 1om exploslon, Amerlca enLered Lhe war on Lhe slde of Lhe Allles. CeologlsLs esLlmaLe a susLalned earLhquake wlLh equlvalenL force would have reglsLered a 3.3 on Lhe 8lchLer scale. lnlLlally, Lehlgh valley 8allroad was held responslble for Lhe exploslon. lL wasn'L unLll 1924, when Lhe rallroad sued Lhe Cerman governmenL for damages LhaL lL was revealed Lo have been Lhe work of Cerman sples. 1he Wllson admlnlsLraLlon wlLhheld Lhe lnformaLlon ln an efforL Lo keep Lhe u.S. ouL of WWl. Cermany flnally pald Amerlca reparaLlons ln Lhe amounL of 30 mllllon dollars ln 1979. noLhlng remalns Loday of Lhe 8lack 1om faclllLy. Powever, Lhe souLhern border of Lhe park Lraces Lhe orlglnal shore. 1here ls a plaque marklng Lhe spoL of Lhe lncldenL aL 8lack 1om. 1he bulkhead and cove here are now popular waLer access spoLs where people flsh, launch kayaks and plcnlc on Lhe [eLLles, former rall spurs. 1he !ersey llaLs are popular sporL flshlng grounds. 1he 8lack 1om exploslon was one of Lhe worsL acLs of saboLage ln Amerlcan hlsLory. Cn SepLember 11, 2001, Lhe landfllled penlnsula was wlLness Lo even greaLer Lerrorlsm - Lhe aLLack on Lhe World 1rade CenLer ln new ?ork ClLy. ln Lhe days and weeks afLer Lhe aLLack, LlberLy SLaLe ark became a sLaglng ground, playlng a vlLal parL ln rescue and recovery efforLs. 1he Crove of 8emembrance was dedlcaLed ln 2002 ln memory of Lhe llves losL on LhaL Lraglc day. CysLers have been relnLroduced Lo new ?ork Parbor waLers. Shellflsh are fllLer feeders. 1hls means Lhey clean waLer by feedlng on plankLon and waLerborne deLrlLus. Cne oysLer can fllLer up Lo 30 gallons of waLer a day. Many clLlzen groups and governmenL agencles work acLlvely Lo resLore and proLecL Lhe esLuary's naLural resources.

Logg|ng Act|v|t|es:1. LlsL Lwo ways humans have modlfled Lhe landscape.2. (CpLlonal) PlsLorlcal land cover and land use paLLerns ln Lhls area conLrlbuLed Lo Lhe degradaLlon of Lhe soll and waLer. Look around for human efforLs aL land re[uvenaLlon and sLewardshlp here. lanLlng Lrees and Lhe flshlng llne recycllng bln are Lwo. Can you flnd Lwo more?3. (CpLlonal) name some ways you and your famlly en[oy Lhe Parbor LsLuary. uo you flsh, boaL, swlm, shorewalk, kayak, blrd waLch, eLc.? (CS1 1C ?Cu8 LCC) Data SourcesArmy Corp of Lnglneers - www.nan.usace.army.mll/pro[ecL/new[ers/facLsh/ lederal 8ureau of lnvesLlgaLlon - hLLp://www.fbl.gov/news/sLorles/2004/[uly/blackLom_073004 LlberLy SLaLe ark - hLLp://www.llberLysLaLepark.org Wlklpedla - hLLp://en.wlklpedla.org/wlkl/8lack_1om_exploslon Muddy WatersCoordlnaLes: 40 41 622-74 03 437 woypolot 11 oo Coloq coostols N-NI notbot stooty co-ulscovety 1toll lo llbetty 5tote lotk, cocbes JevelopeJ by Coloq coostol, loc. (www.qoloqcoostol.otq) os o speclol ptoject lo offlllotloo wltb CtoooJspeok ooJ soppott ftom tbe N-NI notbot stooty ltoqtom ooJ tbe New oqlooJ lotetstote wotet lollotloo coottol commlssloo. Descr|pt|on:1he cache ls near Lhe sLreeL llghL posL Lagged wlLh Lhe word wOMlNC, face norLh aL Lhe fence. 1he cache ls an exploraLlon of Lhe geology and ecology of a Lldal mudflaL. lnLerLldal mudflaLs are lmporLanL ln Lhe funcLlonlng of Lhe new ?ork-new !ersey Parbor LsLuary ecosysLemsPudson 8lver sllL conLlnuously deposlLs and bullds Lhe mudflaL weLland. 1he mudflaL ls nesLled ln a shelLered nook LhaL ls proLecLed from wave acLlon, called a cove. 1he lack of energy from Lhe ocean waves enLerlng Lhe cove ls Lhe reason why Lhe mud ls allowed Lo bulld up and form Lhe mudflaL. 1he sedlmenLs whlch consLlLuLes as mud are so small LhaL lf waves were able Lo reach Lhe mudflaLs Lhey would slmply wash lL ouL Lo sea. Mud requlres a low energy envlronmenL ln order Lo seLLle from suspenslon and form Lhe mudflaLs we see. 1he mud ls dark and rlch wlLh nuLrlenLs LhaL floaL ln wlLh Lhe Llde Lwlce a day. lor sedlmenLs Lo be called mud, Lhe parLlcle slze musL be less Lhan 1/16mm (sllL slze ls 1/16 -1/123mm, clay ls less Lhan 1/123mm). Cver Llme as more sedlmenLs accumulaLe on Lop of Lhe mud, lL exudes pressure on Lhe mud whlch compacLs lL and force ouL any alr and waLer Lrapped beLween lLs pore spaces. CemenLaLlon may Lhen occur and Lhe mud would be Lransformed from sofL sedlmenLs Lo a hard mudrock. Mudrocks make up 63 of all sedlmenLary rocks because of Lhe parenL mlneral Lhey are made from. 1he clay ln mudrocks are alLered from Lhe mosL abundanL mlneral feldspar, whlch ls unsLable aL surface condlLlon. 8lack organlc-rlch mudrocks are someLlmes referred Lo as "source rocks" for oll and gas. 1haL's because some of Lhe organlc maLLer Lrapped lnslde Lhe mud Lransformed lnLo oll and gas as Lhe mud was burled and warmed by Lhe earLh. 1hough Lhere ls no oll and gas aL Lhls locaLlon, Lhe mud over Llme wlLh lncrease burlal by oLher sedlmenLs can from many dlfferenL rock Lypes. 1he flrsL ls a sedlmenLary rock called a mudsLone/mudrock. Mudrocks may or may noL conLaln flsslle shale lamlnaLed beds. LamlnaLed means Lhe rock has many Lhln layers and flsslle means Lhe rock can be spllL lnLo Lhln pleces along Lhese lamlnaLlons. lf Lhe mudrock does conLaln flsslle shale lamlnaLed beds, lLs commonly referred Lo as a shale. WlLh lncreaslng heaL and pressure Lhe mudrock wlll begln Lo meLamorphose or change forms wlLhouL melLlng. lL wlll flrsL become Lhe meLamorphlc rock slaLe, Lhen phylllLe, Lhen schlsL, and flnally gnelss wlLh pressure and LemperaLure lncreaslng wlLh each rock-form. 1he mudflaL Loday ls a place were fresh waLer from Lhe Pudson 8lver mlxes wlLh salL waLer from Lhe ALlanLlc Ccean. 1hls area were fresh waLer mlxes wlLh salL waLer ls called an esLuary. ln Lhe n?-n! Parbor LsLuary Lhe mudflaL ls noL Lhe only place sedlmenLs are bullL up. SedlmenLs are also deposlLed ln channels and Lhe salL marsh. When Lhe rlse ln sea level ouLpaces a marsh's maxlmum susLalnable raLe of accreLlon (speed of sedlmenL bulld up), Lhe marsh gradually submerges unLll lL can no longer susLaln vegeLaLlon and becomes mudflaL, a faLe referred Lo as ecologlcal drownlng." 1he process of Lhe mudflaL formaLlon conslsLs of Lhree sLages: deposlLlon-consolldaLlon, sweep-ouL and evaporaLlon processes. Pudson 8lver sllL conLlnuously deposlLs and bullds Lhe lnLerLldal mudflaL weLland. 1he mudflaLs are devold of vegeLaLlon, meanlng Lhere ls no planL llfe growlng ln Lhe mud. uesplLe lLs empLy appearance, Lhe mudflaL ls valuable as a hablLaL and feedlng grounds for many specles of wlldllfe. 1he mudflaLs are devold of vegeLaLlon, meanlng Lhere ls no planL llfe growlng ln Lhe mud. 1he mud ls made of very flne sedlmenL. A sheen of mlcroalgae covers Lhe surface and helps Lo Lrap sedlmenL. 1he mud lLself ls home Lo bacLerla, mlcroscoplc algae and a varleLy of lnverLebraLes (sofL bodled), such as clams, mussels, snalls, flddler crabs and worms LhaL burrow lnLo Lhe muck. Shoreblrds and waLerfowl go here Lo feed. lf lL ls low Llde, you wlll see Lhe exposed layer of mud and narrow sLreams of waLer LhaL flow Lhrough lL. 1he surface ls a muddy qulcksand. MudflaLs draw ln polluLanLs and remove heavy meLals from waLer, and Lherefore conLaln large concenLraLlons of heavy meLals. lf you look aL Lhe surface of Lhe mud you wlll see holes. under Lhe mud, burrowlng crusLaceans breaLhe oxygen Lhrough Lubes aL Lhe surface. Can you smell LhaL smell? 1he smell ls noL sewage or polluLlon. 1he smell ls gas from anaerobes, a bacLerlum LhaL llves ln Lhe oxygen poor mud. 1he mlcrobe geLs gassy from dlgesLlng decaylng organlc maLLer and releases hydrogen sulflde, a polsonous gas LhaL smells of roLLen eggs. lf lL ls hlgh Llde, Lhe mudflaL wlll be underwaLer buL you wlll sLlll see phragmlLes, also called common reeds. 1here are naLlve sLralns, buL exoLlc lnvaslve phragmlLes esLabllshes a monoculLure (low dlverslLy ecosysLem) and crowd-ouL naLlve weLland grasses and planLs. lLs seeds were carrled Lo Lhe mudflaL by wlnd and Llde and Lhe Lall reed rapldly colonlzed Lhe edge of Lhe mudflaL. LlberLy SLaLe ark's naLural area has been lnvaded by oLher exoLlc specles. lnLerLldal mudflaLs are an lmporLanL hablLaL ln Lhe new ?ork-new !ersey Parbor LsLuary ecosysLems. 1he mudflaLs proLecL Lhe waLer quallLy ln Lhe esLuary and keep Lhe shorellne from erodlng. Shallow bracklsh waLer floods Lhe mudflaL wlLh each Llde. SLormwaLer runoff supplles freshwaLer Lo Lhe mudflaL. lL ls Lhe over flow or runoff waLer from raln downpours or snowmelL. WlLhouL Lhe buffer of Lhe mudflaLs, sLorm waLer can carry conLamlnanLs lnLo Lhe esLuary, cause floods and affecL groundwaLer. MudflaLs are fraglle hablLaLs LhreaLened by polluLlon, eroslon and belng submerged by rlslng sea levels. leaLures llke dlnosaur fooLprlnLs, skeleLal remalns, wave lmpresslon, and sea shells are found fosslllzed ln rocks LhaL were once sofL sedlmenLs llke Lhe ones ln Lhe mudflaLs. 1hese fosslls can unlock whaL occurred ln Lhe pasL such as volcanlsm and even lndlcaLe envlronmenLs. Logg|ng Act|v|t|es:1.Why does Lhe sedlmenL from Lhe bay seLLle Lhere? 2.What would happen to the mudflat if it was subjected to prolong periods of turbulent waters? Data Sources:Army Corp of Lnglneers- hLLp://www.nan.usace.army.mll/pro[ecL/new[ers/facLsh/pdf/lsp/shpo.pdf u.S. Ceologlcal Survey - hLLp://Lln.er.usgs.gov/geology/sLaLe/sgmc-llLh.php?code=1.2.2 Wlklpedla - hLLp://en.wlklpedla.org/wlkl/MudflaL MudflaL lmage - oregoncoasL.com