Geology & Landscape | Fresh Water | Soils | Plants | Animals Cultural Environment | Sites of Interest | Topics & Habitats

Geology and Landscape Development
The Kejimkujik Drumlins or "grey" drumlins cover an extensive area from Lake Kejimkujik to the drainage basin of the southwestern branch of the LaHave River. The underlying bedrock is entirely composed of Halifax slate, and it is from this that the till sheet is derived. The till ranges in thickness from 1-10 m and has a loose matrix with fragments of bedrock. The drumlins are composed of slaty (Hartlen) till which is compact and clayey (see Figure 12).

South Chair Island Click to enlarge

The landscape of the Kejimkujik Drumlins is hummocky, with relief provided entirely by the low drumlins, 15-30 m high. The coastal equivalent of Unit 433 is described in Unit 832, LaHave Drumlins.

Fresh Water
The drainage pattern is deranged with many irregularly shaped lakes and sections of some of the larger rivers. Most runoff in this area is eventually directed to the Medway or LaHave rivers. Scattered small flat fens and bogs are found mainly inland. Kejimkujik is generally considered a clear water lake, as it is low in nutrients. Conductivity in this lake is between 23.8 and 25.8 micromhos/cm, and pH has been recorded as low as 5.0. Other lakes in this Unit have conductivity levels ranging between 24 and 42 micromhos/cm, and pH averages 6.0.

Soils
Soils in this Unit have been mostly derived from slate. Bridgewater soil, a well-drained sandy loam, mantles both the drumlins and the ground in between. Many of the drumlins have been cleared. In the southwest part of the Unit, Bridgewater drumlins spill over into an area of Halifax soils derived from quartzite. On flat and depressed terrain, pockets of poorly drained Riverport and Middlewood soils occur. There are also a few small areas of coarse-textured LaHave and Torbrook soils, developed on water-deposited materials.

Plants
This Unit, together with Unit 434, Lunenburg Drumlins, falls within Loucks' Sugar Maple-Hemlock, Pine Zone, in which shade -tolerant hardwoods are found on a wide range of sites. The bowl-shaped depression occupied by this Unit has a distinct local climate: relatively low rainfall and relatively high summer temperatures. The older forest for much of the Unit is Sugar Maple, Yellow Birch, and American Beech, but extensive disturbance by fire and cutting has resulted in large areas of mixed forest: Red Spruce, Eastern Hemlock, pine, and Balsam Fir with the shade-intolerant maple and birch. In this Unit the coarser, drier soils on some drumlins support more White Pine, and more hardwood stands - particularly American Beech, Trembling Aspen, and Red Oak. Many of the drumlins' tops are cleared for agriculture or have been colonized by a post-fire maple, oak, birch association.

Many coastal-plain flora species can be found in this Unit. The disjunct species Gold-crest has been found in wet areas near Fancy Lake, Lunenburg County.

Animals
A warmer climate permits the survival of a distinct relict fauna, including Blanding's Turtle, the Southern Flying

Bats Click to enlarge

Squirrel and the Northern Ribbon Snake. They also allow greater species diversity and greater numbers of reptiles and amphibians. The hardwood forests provide good Ruffed Grouse habitat. Extensive agricultural settlement provides open-land habitat. There are concentrations of White-tailed deer. Distinctive birds include the Scarlet Tanager, Great-crested Flycatcher, and Wood Thrush. The introduced American Dog Tick is frequently encountered here in early summer. Typical fish species include Brook Trout, Lake Chub, Golden Shiner, Brown Bullhead, perch, Banded Killifish and White Sucker. The Petite-Rivière watershed also contains the only known population of Atlantic Whitefish in the world.

Cultural Environment
A portion of Kejimkujik National Park occurs within this Unit. This park was established in 1965, its name taken from the largest lake within its boundaries. Kejimkujik is a Mi'kmaq word which has been given various translations such as "attempting to escape" and "swelled waters." A more credible translation, suggested by Thomas Raddall, is "the stricture passage," given by Mi'kmaq to the outlet of the lake where waters backed up or "swelled" as a result of the placement of weirs. Mi'kmaq artifacts such as arrowheads have been found at former campsites and along canoe routes. Around 1835 the Fairy Lake Indian Reserve was established within the park boundaries at a time when the Mi'kmaq were encouraged by the government to abandon their nomadic life. By the turn of the century, the Mi'kmaq had left this reserve.

A significant number of migrants were attracted by the timber trade in the nineteenth century and then stayed to farm. From the early 1800s to 1940, agriculture was the stable base on which communities in this area were formed. Many farmers were also part-time loggers. By the early years of the twentieth century, log drives often began on the Mersey River above Lake Kejimkujik and continued down waterways to Milton and other points near Liverpool. Water-powered sawmills operated throughout this area. Large sawdust piles and accumulations of slabs at various points in the park and the general area remain as evidence of a vanished industry. Vigorous regeneration of disturbed sites by Balsam Fir has formed the basis for the Christmas tree-growing industry in this Unit and adjacent Unit 434. The Kejimkujik Drumlins area experienced about 20 years of prosperous gold mining, from 1883 to 1905, around Whiteburn and Brookfield. A fish hatchery and culture station is located at McGowan Lake.

Sites of Interest

• Part of Kejimkujik National Park
• Big Dam Lake (IBP Proposed Ecological Site 63) - old Eastern Hemlock forest
• LaHave Drumlins - global site for classic drumlin field

Ecological Reserves

• Ponhook Nature Reserve

Provincial Parks and Park Reserves

• Fancy Lake
• Cookville
• Camerons Brook
• Nineveh

Proposed Parks and Protected Areas System includes Natural Landscape 15.

Scenic Viewpoints

• Unit 433: LaHave River, both sides below Bridgewater

Associated Topics T2-2 The Avalon and Meguma Zones T3-4 Terrestrial Glacial Deposits and Landscape Features T11.3 Open-habitat Birds T11.10 Ungulates T11.15 Amphibians and Reptiles T11.18 Rare and Endangered Animals T12.2 Cultural Landscapes T12.8 Fresh Water and Resources T12.10 Plants and Resources

Associated Habitats H3.2 H3.4 H3.6 Freshwater Lentic H5.2 Oldfield H6.1 Hardwood Forest (Maple, Oak, Birch Association) H6.2 Softwood Forest (Pine Association)