Chamcook Lake
Encyclopedia
Chamcook Lake is a lake of St. Andrews Parish, New Brunswick
, Canada
. It is located just north of the Passamaquoddy Bay
which is part of the Bay of Fundy
, near the border with Maine
, United States
. The town of Chamcook, New Brunswick
lies on the eastern bank of the lake and Chamcook Mountain
is nearby. The lake has been notable within New England
and Canada for its fishing.
, has many meanings but none are certain.
. The lake is connected by road to St. Stephen, New Brunswick
. A Canadian Pacific Railway
freight service station has been located at Chamcook Lake.
The lake is situated at 95 feet (29 m) above sea level, and has a maximum depth of 200 feet (61 m). The Chamcook River which feeds the Chamcook Lake rises from the cone shaped hill range of Mt. Chamcook. The Chamkcook harbour, a wet dock, lies is to the eastern side of the peninsular where development took place. It contains Odell Island in the southeast and Big Rock in the north. Despite its name, the Odell Island is larger than Big Rock. Approximately 2.2 miles to the north beyond Big Rock is a sister lake named Little Chamcook Lake. The Chamcook Lake watershed serves as a potable water supply for the Atlantic Salmon Federation
, the St. Andrews Biological Station
, the Champlain Industrial Park, and the town of St. Andrews
.
The lake's red rock is feldspathic
, of a brownish-red colour that weathers to brick-red, imperfectly syenitic
, and showing some indications of an eruptive origin. A set of very fine petro-siliceous rocks, which are almost black, but have a perceptible purplish tinge are situated on the western shore.
The steep and solitary Chamcook Mountain overlooks the lake. The mountain has a glacial rounded top scored with long scratches which indicate that a glacier from the northern highlands had grated its way across the mountain. The Chamcook Lake and the Chamcook mountain are both located in the Silurian
belt of huge sandstone
s which has fossiliferous and volcanic formations in different sections.
Ecology
After an advisory warning was issued in September 2010 for bloom of blue green algae, no detectable toxins were found in the town’s drinking water supply, which comes from the lake, though officials continued to monitor the water supply.
and in the 1930s a new species of Holopedium
was discovered in the area. Lymnaea
is found mainly along the lake's margin, composed chiefly of Tsoeles echinospora braunii; Lophotocarpus spongiosus; Potamogeton heterophyllus; Potamogeton dimorphus; and the aquatic form of Hypericum boreal. Ground Cedar is found on the lake's dry bank and Isoetes echinospora braunii is frequent along the lake's south margin.
The mushroom
Boletus luridus Schaef. vermiculosus Pk
has been found nearby. Of the Halophyte
s, Sagittaria latifolia gracilis, Sagittaria arifolia
, Alopecurus geniculatus aristulatum, Glyceria borealis
, Eleocharis acicularis
, Acorus calamus, and Juncus pelocarpus
are noted along the lake margins. The fern vegetation
found on the lake's shores and along the stream which flows out from the Chamcook Lake to the sea are the Lycopodium complanatum, Habelliforme Common, Isoetes echinospora braunii and Laphotocarpus spongiosis.
, steelhead trout and brown trout
. During certain times of the year, it is said to contain heavy populations of sebago salmon. Studies conducted into the methylmercury
concentration of eels from Chamcook Lake in the early 1970s indicated elevated levels of mercury
in the lake's ecosystem, although brook trout
from the lake revealed only 0.03 ppm
.
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located just north of the Passamaquoddy Bay
Passamaquoddy Bay
Passamaquoddy Bay is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy, between the U.S. state of Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick, at the mouth of the St. Croix River. Most of the bay lies within Canada, with its western shore bounded by Washington County, Maine. The southernmost point is formed by...
which is part of the Bay of Fundy
Bay of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine...
, near the border with Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The town of Chamcook, New Brunswick
Chamcook, New Brunswick
Chamcook is a community in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. It lies on the eastern bank of Chamcook Lake....
lies on the eastern bank of the lake and Chamcook Mountain
Chamcook Mountain
Chamcook Mountain is located from St. Andrews, Charlotte County, New Brunswick, Canada. Ice has completely ground over it and the summit, above sea level, is scored and polished.-Etymology:...
is nearby. The lake has been notable within New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and Canada for its fishing.
Etymology
Chamcook comes from the Passamaquoddy word K'tchumcook which, according to William Francis GanongWilliam Francis Ganong
William Francis Ganong, M.A., Ph.D., LL.D., F.R.S.C., was a Canadian botanist, historian and cartographer. His botany career was spent mainly as a professor at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts...
, has many meanings but none are certain.
Geography
Chamcook Lake is approximately 1.5 miles from Passamaquoddy BayPassamaquoddy Bay
Passamaquoddy Bay is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy, between the U.S. state of Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick, at the mouth of the St. Croix River. Most of the bay lies within Canada, with its western shore bounded by Washington County, Maine. The southernmost point is formed by...
. The lake is connected by road to St. Stephen, New Brunswick
St. Stephen, New Brunswick
St. Stephen is a Canadian town in Charlotte County, New Brunswick, situated on the east bank of the St. Croix River at .-Climate:...
. A Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
freight service station has been located at Chamcook Lake.
The lake is situated at 95 feet (29 m) above sea level, and has a maximum depth of 200 feet (61 m). The Chamcook River which feeds the Chamcook Lake rises from the cone shaped hill range of Mt. Chamcook. The Chamkcook harbour, a wet dock, lies is to the eastern side of the peninsular where development took place. It contains Odell Island in the southeast and Big Rock in the north. Despite its name, the Odell Island is larger than Big Rock. Approximately 2.2 miles to the north beyond Big Rock is a sister lake named Little Chamcook Lake. The Chamcook Lake watershed serves as a potable water supply for the Atlantic Salmon Federation
Atlantic Salmon Federation
The Atlantic Salmon Federation is an international conservation organization established in 1948.The Federation is dedicated to the conservation, protection and restoration of wild Atlantic salmon and the ecosystems on which their well being and survival depend.ASF’s headquarters are in St...
, the St. Andrews Biological Station
St. Andrews Biological Station
St. Andrews Biological Station is located on Brandy Cove Road in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada. Along with the Huntsman Marine Science Centre, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, and New Brunswick Community College/St. Andrew's, SABS is a part of a network of fisheries research and educational...
, the Champlain Industrial Park, and the town of St. Andrews
St. Andrews, New Brunswick
St. Andrews is a Canadian town in Charlotte County, New Brunswick.It is sometimes referred to in tourism marketing by its unofficial nickname "St. Andrews-by-the-sea".-Geography:St...
.
The lake's red rock is feldspathic
Feldspar
Feldspars are a group of rock-forming tectosilicate minerals which make up as much as 60% of the Earth's crust....
, of a brownish-red colour that weathers to brick-red, imperfectly syenitic
Syenite
Syenite is a coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock of the same general composition as granite but with the quartz either absent or present in relatively small amounts Syenite is a coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock of the same general composition as granite but with the quartz either absent or...
, and showing some indications of an eruptive origin. A set of very fine petro-siliceous rocks, which are almost black, but have a perceptible purplish tinge are situated on the western shore.
The steep and solitary Chamcook Mountain overlooks the lake. The mountain has a glacial rounded top scored with long scratches which indicate that a glacier from the northern highlands had grated its way across the mountain. The Chamcook Lake and the Chamcook mountain are both located in the Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
belt of huge sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
s which has fossiliferous and volcanic formations in different sections.
Ecology
After an advisory warning was issued in September 2010 for bloom of blue green algae, no detectable toxins were found in the town’s drinking water supply, which comes from the lake, though officials continued to monitor the water supply.
Flora
Chamcook Lake contains populations of VitreaVitrea
Vitrea is a genus of small, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Pristilomatidae.-Species:This genus contains more than 60 species including the following:subgenus Vitrea Fitzinger, 1833...
and in the 1930s a new species of Holopedium
Holopeidae
†Holopeidae is an extinct family of paleozoic gastropod mollusks.This family is unassigned to superfamily. This family has no subfamilies....
was discovered in the area. Lymnaea
Lymnaea stagnalis
Lymnaea stagnalis, better known as the great pond snail, is a species of large air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Lymnaeidae.-Distribution:The distribution of this species is Holarctic...
is found mainly along the lake's margin, composed chiefly of Tsoeles echinospora braunii; Lophotocarpus spongiosus; Potamogeton heterophyllus; Potamogeton dimorphus; and the aquatic form of Hypericum boreal. Ground Cedar is found on the lake's dry bank and Isoetes echinospora braunii is frequent along the lake's south margin.
The mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
Boletus luridus Schaef. vermiculosus Pk
Boletus luridus
Boletus luridus, commonly known as the lurid bolete, is a fungus of the bolete family, found in deciduous woodlands in Europe and eastern North America. Fruiting bodies arise in summer and autumn and may be common. It is a solid bolete with an olive-brown cap, orange pores and stout ochre stem...
has been found nearby. Of the Halophyte
Halophyte
A halophyte is a plant that grows where it is affected by salinity in the root area or by salt spray, such as in saline semi-deserts, mangrove swamps, marshes and sloughs, and seashores. An example of a halophyte is the salt marsh grass Spartina alterniflora . Relatively few plant species are...
s, Sagittaria latifolia gracilis, Sagittaria arifolia
Sagittaria
Sagittaria is a genus of about 30 species of aquatic plants whose members go by a variety of common names, including arrowhead, duck potato, iz-ze-kn, katniss, kuwai , swan potato, tule potato, and wapato...
, Alopecurus geniculatus aristulatum, Glyceria borealis
Glyceria borealis
Glyceria borealis is a species of mannagrass known by the common names northern mannagrass, boreal mannagrass, and small floating mannagrass. It is native to much of the northern half of North America, where it has a widespread distribution...
, Eleocharis acicularis
Eleocharis acicularis
Eleocharis acicularis is a species of spikesedge known by the common names needle spikerush and dwarf hairgrass. It has a circumboreal distribution and it can also be found throughout the rest of the Americas. It is also found in Australia, where it is probably an introduced species...
, Acorus calamus, and Juncus pelocarpus
Juncus
Juncus is a genus in the plant family Juncaceae. It consists of some 200 to 300 or more species of grassy plants commonly called rushes...
are noted along the lake margins. The fern vegetation
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
found on the lake's shores and along the stream which flows out from the Chamcook Lake to the sea are the Lycopodium complanatum, Habelliforme Common, Isoetes echinospora braunii and Laphotocarpus spongiosis.
Fauna
In 1886, 200,000 salmon and salmon trout fry (young trout) were deposited in the lake. Fish species reported from the lake included sockeye salmonSockeye salmon
Sockeye salmon , also called red salmon or blueback salmon in the USA, is an anadromous species of salmon found in the Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it...
, steelhead trout and brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
. During certain times of the year, it is said to contain heavy populations of sebago salmon. Studies conducted into the methylmercury
Methylmercury
Methylmercury is an organometallic cation with the formula . It is a bioaccumulative environmental toxicant.-Structure:...
concentration of eels from Chamcook Lake in the early 1970s indicated elevated levels of mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
in the lake's ecosystem, although brook trout
Brook trout
The brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, is a species of fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail. A potamodromous population in Lake Superior are known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters...
from the lake revealed only 0.03 ppm
Parts-per notation
In science and engineering, the parts-per notation is a set of pseudo units to describe small values of miscellaneous dimensionless quantities, e.g. mole fraction or mass fraction. Since these fractions are quantity-per-quantity measures, they are pure numbers with no associated units of measurement...
.