Fundy National Park

Fundy National Park

Fundy National Park is located in New Brunswick, which falls into the Atlantic Maritime eco-zone. The Atlantic Maritimes are heavily forested and have a long history of European settlers.

Climate

New Brunswick has a typically continental climate. Continental climates compared to true maritime climates, have an earlier spring and shorter fall, wider fluctuations of temperatures from day to day and from season to season, an more snowfall, but less precipitation. July is the warmest month in New Brunswick. The average summer temperature range is from 22C on the Fundy coast to 25c and higher inland. January is the coldest month. Along the southeastern shores, the January mean is around Ð'-7.5C.

Vegetation

Fundy National Park is in the transition zone between the strictly coniferous boreal forest to the north and the deciduous dominated forest to the south.

Generally Fundy's forest is a mix of red spruce, balsam fir, yellow birch, white birch, and maples. It is known as an Acadian forest. The forest floor is covered with carpets of moss, wood fern, and bunchberry.

Representing the southern element of the Acadian Forest and covering 5.4 percent of the park are pure hardwood stands. Yellow birch, the largest of Fundy's hardwoods, and white birch are the most abundant. Other species include suger maple, red maple, and beech.

Landforms and Natural Resources

Fish are one of the natural resources. Scallops, herring, cod, salmon, halibut, sardines, and lobster live off the East Coast of the Canadian Atlantic Ocean. The ocean helps fish live there due to the warmer water and the vast amount of food that are found close to shore.

Forestry is another resource that is found in this region. The land there is hilly with lowlands and high lands. The land helps trees grow from the rich soil that was left long ago from the glaciers. Mineral like coal, zinc, lead, copper, and iron are also found in the Atlantic region.

Wild Life

Fund is well positioned on the Atlantic migration route over 260 bird species have been identified in the park. Of those, 95 species have nested in the park. Common species in the park include many types of warblers, pilated woodpeckers, juncos, white-winged sandpipers, and semi-palmated plovers.

Spring and early summer night vibrate with the mating calls of frogs and toads. Salamanders, the other amphibians in the park are mute. Seven species live in moist places and out of the seven three are considered rare. Four-toed salamanders have not been found anywhere else in New Brunswick, and Fundy is the only Canadian National Park known to contain the northern dusky salamander. The third rare salamander is the blue-spotted salamander.

Four species of snake have also been found in Fundy, the garter, and the green snake are both very common but the ring-necked is rare. It only grows 30 cm long and feeds at night on salamanders.

Opportunities in Fundy National Park exist to observe mammals in their natural habitat, especially along the trails and streams where openings are common. Of those 38 species in the park, those most commonly seen include the snowshoe hare, chipmunk, red squirrel, little brown bat, eastern coyote, white- tailed deer and moose. Moose are the largest animals in the park. All these animals are prepared from cold climates because of their furs and either feed from the vegetation or the lakes.

Movement

The nearest bus terminal is Sussex and Moncton. Airports are located in Mancton, Saint John and Fredericton.

By car from Saint John take highway 1 east towards Mancton. Then take route 144 at exit 211.