Travel and Environment: The Kampoosa Bog Experience

Never attempt to step on the Bog.  This was the biggest warning I have read when the topic is about the Bog or a Fen.  For the first time, I came in close encounter with a Bog and that happened at Eden Hills in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.  At that time, I was with a group of 100 plus pilgrims from New Jersey who went to the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy.  When our bus found its spot for parking, we went down to proceed to the Chapel.  On my way there, I spotted this wetland.  I was curious because at that time I was preparing a write-up about estuaries.  So, I inspected it, so to speak, and found this marker.  It says Kampoosa Bog Drainage Basin and it tells about what this bog is all about, including what has been done by the government of Massachusetts.

Many times in the past, I have seen this kind of wetland along the road on the way to New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts.  I thought they were swamps.  Then I saw this one here in Stockbridge and it is called a Bog. This experience in coming face to face with a Bog at Eden Hills came as a surprise but I was happy because I came to learn and understand its value in the ecosystem and biodiversity.

Wetlands and Estuaries have been known to be the sanctuary or habitat of various species of plants and animals. In Eden Hills as in most areas of  Western Massachusetts, the Kampoosa Bog and Drainage Basin (KBDB) is declared an ACEC or Areas of Critical Environmental Concern.  I thought  Why? Because these Bogs has been established as the habitat of 19 species of plants and animals.  So, the state of Massachusetts has declared these bogs as protected areas.

According to the marker and my other sources of information, Kampoosa Bog and Drainage Basin is part of a 1,350 acres drainage basin located between the towns of Lee and Stockbridge. Scientists identified KBDB, technically,  as a Fen - a low and flooded area. This, probably, explains why the warning is always like this - never attempt to step on the bog because it is soft enough that it cannot carry a heavy body.

Here in Eden Hills, the Kampoosa Bog Drainage Basin (KBDB) is really visible because it is located near the parking area of buses and cars that carry pilgrims to the Shrine of the Divine Mercy.
If I had enough time, I could have observed the species of birds that frequent this area or spot certain turtles that make this Bog their habitat.  It is nice to confirm that the Bog or Fen are sanctuaries of various life forms thus making our ecosystem more interesting.

This day, I learned another lesson that no matter how ugly looking or no matter how insignificant things in our environment may appear, we should always advance our thinking that underneath these things, or around it are organisms that thrive in it.  And protecting them will assure us  -  the survival of vulnerable and fragile species of plants and animals.

KBDB is accessible from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy at 2 Prospect Hill Rd, Stockbridge, MA 01263.