Past, Present, and Future

NBSP in 1915, map credit UNH Diamond Library
Documents Department & Data Center

400 years ago:

It is hard to imagine how our site appeared 400 years ago, when Samuel de Champlain discovered the lake. Niquette Bay was historically a delta, and our site includes a huge low spot, so we think a river could have once run through it. Based off of a 1915 map, the swamp area appears to have been much larger. It was probably an area of old-growth forest, with up to four age classes and huge mature trees. Species composition has likely changed since then as well.

Human use today:

A small area of the southern portion of our plot has trash. There is a car seat, a grill, and other odd parts and pieces. Thankfully, the trash is not wide-spread but contained into a small area. Throughout the rest of our hectare, the most obvious way in which humans are impacting it is the trail system; the Ledges Trail cuts through the southeastern side of the plot. Most of the plot seems largely undisturbed, however, which is better for habitat, especially in the vernal pool area. As far as management is concerned, this area seems like a great place for recreational hiking, picnicking, birding, and cross-country skiing, but that is really just about it; there is no fishing directly in our site, the area is not very ripe for big game hunting, and another popular Vermont pastime — mountain biking — would be far too dangerous.

NBSP in 1948, map credit UNH Diamond Library
Documents Department & Data Center

In the year 2111:

Barring major disturbance, and as long as the park is still preserved, in 100 years the forest at Niquette Bay State Park will look quite different from how it appears today. Currently it is a two-stage forest, with a deciduous regeneration understory. One hundred years from now, the current mature trees will be both much larger and in states of decline, yielding snags and coarse woody debris. A larger abundance of snags and coarse woody debris will provide more habitat (including wintering habitat) for a number of species, including various small mammals, songbirds, and woodpeckers.