Salt Marshes
of the Upper Bay of Fundy

Right whales, sandpipers, shad, and the early human history of the upper Bay are linked to the salt marshes that fringe Chignecto Bay - the upper Bay of Fundy.

The word Chignecto may come from Mi'kmaq origins meaning "great marsh district". However Champlain is also credited with the name - "cape between two bays". Regardless, Cape Chignecto does split two bays and this area has some of the great salt marshes of the world - as anyone can observe on a drive between Alma and Sackville.

Their Importance........ What you see on your tour is only a fraction of the marshes that existed before the arrival of European settlers. Then, this rich ecosystem was a stopping place for millions of water-fowl and home to many other birds and mammals. Salt marshes have long been prized for the richness of their soil, producing hugh quantities of marsh hay for hundreds of years. The early Acadians recognized the value of salt marshes and formed communities around the Bay where the marshes existed. To keep out the salt water from the sea, dykes were build using an ingenious system of one way valves called aboiteaux, that allowed fresh water from the marsh to drain out but preventing salt water from entering. Salt marshes are essential for the health of the Bay. Where they exist, opportunities are created for an exchange of nutrients between the Bay and the land - nutrients that are responsible for the abundance of mud shrimp, shrimp-like mysis and copepods - food for fish such as shad, the hundreds of thousands of sandpipers on their annual migration and the right whale that summers in the lower Bay. The Mechanism..... Flooding, during spring tides, deposits minerals and nutrients onto the marsh - which the marsh grass then converts into carbon based food through photosynthesis. By October, the marsh grass dies and is transported into the Bay throughout the winter during times when the marshes flood. This dead matter becomes a food source for bacteria, an essential part of a food web that includes mud shrimp, copepods, sandpipers and whales.

Marsh Grass..... The most important species of grass that forms the salt marsh is spartina or cord grass - a plant with a wide range of tolerances for varying salt concentrations and temperature changes. Spartina alterniflora grows on the lower part of the marsh and is subjected to more frequent flooding. Spartina patens, or salt hay, prefers the higher, landward portions of the marsh that is only occasionally flooded by the tides. Spartina is highly adapted to survive in its harsh environment. Its flexible stem allows the plant to withstand strong wind and water current. To obtain water for growth, it has developed mechanisms for excreting the salt from the salty water it is subjected to. Spartina stems are hollow and act as conduits, taking oxygen to root systems buried deep in the mud. Visiting a Salt Marsh..... A number of salt marshes between Alma and Moncton are easily assessable. At Waterside, a dirt road leads to a parking lot in the middle of the marsh. This is great for those wishing to visit Waterside Beach, birders looking for the blue herons and marsh hawks and for those who wish to examine an existing salt marsh up close. Broadleaf Guest Ranch conducts horseback riding tours through marshland dyked by the early Acadians. At FreshAir Adventure, there is a small marsh on the Estuary, that we explore at high tide.