The Spruce Hole Bog, locally known as Spruce Hole, is a complete ecological community occupying a true
kettle hole
A kettle (also known as a kettle lake, kettle hole, or pothole) is a depression/hole in an outwash plain formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters. The kettles are formed as a result of blocks of dead ice left behind by retreating gla ...
in the town of
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
* Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
,
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
. According to the National Register of Natural Landmarks: "It illustrates characteristics of a typical sphagnum-heath bog, localized in a specialized geologic setting." It was designated a
National Natural Landmark
The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...
in 1972.
Spruce Hole is located west of the
town center of Durham and is owned by the town, which has conserved around it. It is reached by a woods road off Packer's Falls Road, and despite the name, the surrounding forest is mostly white pine, hemlock, and birch.
The bog is also adjacent to the Oyster River Forest, a permanently conserved + parcel owned by the town of Durham.
References
External links
Spruce Hole Bog and Conservation Area- Durham, New Hampshire
Brieffrom the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
Spruce Hole locater map
Bogs of New Hampshire
National Natural Landmarks in New Hampshire
Landforms of Strafford County, New Hampshire
Protected areas of Strafford County, New Hampshire
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