The posted coordinates are for the parking area. From here, you
will proceed to the trailhead, which can be seen from the parking
lot. All of the interpretive signs will be found along the main
trail, which is mostly boardwalk with some paved areas. There is
little to no grade along most of this trail. The only steep area is
at the “Upper Fort Island” sign, which can be bypassed
if necessary, so I would consider this cache to be wheelchair
accessible. All the signs necessary to answer the questions for
this cache are located on the main trail, but I'd encourage you to
explore the Marsh boardwalk, the Wet Woodlands Loop, and the dirt
trails on top of Fort Island and Beech Island if you can. The main
trail makes a loop through the park, so it doesn’t matter
which direction you start in. Follow the arrows to Fort Island,
Beech Island, and the Kettle Formation to see evidence of the
glaciers that shaped our landscape.
For nearly two million years, Ice Age glaciers covered 2/3 of
the State of Ohio. These massive sheets of ice formed the landscape
we know today. On your journey, you will cross Schocalog Run and
see several interesting glacial features while walking through Fort
Island Park. You may also learn about Native Americans in this area
and about local biodiversity as you read the signs along the
trail.
Bogs are common ecosystems in areas formerly covered by
glaciers. A bog is a wetland area characterized by highly acidic
peat soil. Peat is formed by dying vegetation that does not decay
completely and is subjected to pressure. Another nearby example of
a bog is the Kent Bog
State Nature Preserve in Kent.
Both Fort Island and Beech Island are higher in elevation than
the surrounding peat bog. They are drier and have a different type
of soil, so different kinds of trees and plants grow on the islands
than in the surrounding bog. Both “islands” are glacial
kames. Glaciers collected sand and gravel sediments in their
travels. In some cases, meltwater streams formed in the glacier.
The liquid water moved these sediments and deposited them in large,
layered piles. When the glacial ice melted away completely at the
end of the Ice Age, the piles of sediment remained, forming hills
called kames. Similarly, sediments collected in the bottom of the
meltwater streams. When the ice melted, these sediments formed
long, twisting ridges where the stream used to run through the
glacier. These ridges are called eskers. North of Fort
Island is an esker formed in this way. Kames and eskers are common
formations from Kent down to Canton and Massillon.
Across the Midwest, kettle holes and kettle lakes can be found.
The weight of large chunks of ice left behind by a retreating
glacier caused depressions to form in the land. When the ice
finally melted away, a large hole was left behind. Often, lakes
formed, like Punderson Lake at Punderson State
Park in Geauga County. Sometimes, boggy wetlands developed in
and around the kettle hole, such as the formation here at Fort
Island Park.
LOGGING REQUIREMENTS: In order to log this Earthcache, I ask
that you answer three questions based on some of the signs
you’ll read while following the loop trail through Fort
Island Park. Also, seeing a photo of you and/or your GPS at a site
you find especially interesting would be nice (but not required, if
you're shy or if you don't have a camera available!)
Here’s your quiz:
1. What could you find below 200 feet of glacial debris near
Schocalog Run?
2. How much peat fills the small kettle hole formation in the
southeast part of the park?
3. What is the name for a third type of glacial deposit? This kind
of deposit may have blocked Schocalog Run to form a lake in
prehistoric times.
Logs that are not accompanied, within a reasonable amount of
time, by an email to satisfy these requirements will be deleted,
because that’s the Earthcaching rule. Please don’t make
me have to delete anything!
References:
Ohio DNR
website
Camp, Mark J. 2006 Roadside Geology of Ohio. Missoula,
Montana: Mountain Press Publishing Company
City of Fairlawn, Fort Island Park interpretive signage (Thanks to
the City of Fairlawn and Laurie Beisecker for allowing this
Earthcache!)