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List of National Natural Landmarks in Massachusetts facts for kids

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The National Park Service has designated eleven National Natural Landmarks in Massachusetts. Most of these are bogs, swamps, wetlands and old growth forest.

Name Image Date Location County Ownership Description
Acushnet Cedar Swamp Acushnet Swamp-MA.jpg June 1972 New Bedford Bristol state One of the state's largest, wildest and most impenetrable swamps, and an outstanding example of the diversity of conditions and species in the glaciated section of the oak-chestnut forest.
Bartholomew's Cobble Bartholomew's Cobble (Sheffield, MA).JPG October 1971 Ashley Falls Berkshire private (The Trustees of Reservations) Contains over 800 plant species, including North America's greatest diversity of ferns.
Cold River Virgin Forest April 1980 Mohawk Trail State Forest Berkshire, Franklin state Probably the only virgin hemlock-northern hardwood forest in New England, with the hemlocks and sugar maples exceeding 400 years in age.
Fannie Stebbins Refuge Fannie Stebbins-MA.jpg June 1972 Longmeadow Hampden municipal The area contains the only sizeable example of Connecticut River flood plain under preservation, exhibiting many successional stages including upland and flood plain forest, swamp, marsh, ponds, and meadows.
Gay Head Cliffs Gay Head Cliffs-MA.jpg October 1975 Aquinnah Dukes native lands (Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head) An unusual cross section of Raritan and Magothy sediments of Cretaceous age and fossil-bearing sands of Miocene and either Pliocene or Pleistocene ages that rise as much as 150 feet (46 m) above sea level, resting on the continental shelf and detached from the mainland. The center of Wampanoag native culture.
Hawley Bog Hawley Bog-MA.jpg May 1974 Hawley Franklin private Unspoiled cold northern boreal sphagnum-heath bog occupying an old shallow glacial lake basin which demonstrates bog succession from the central open water pond to the surrounding spruce-fir forest.
Mt. Greylock Old Growth Spruce Mt Greylock-MA.jpg November 1987 Adams Berkshire state This site contains three separate stands of undisturbed old growth red spruce on the northwest slopes of Mt. Greylock, the highest mountain in Massachusetts. These stands have been undisturbed for at least 150–180 years, and may be virgin. No other old growth red spruce stands are known in southern New England, while only a few comparable or better sites occur in northern New England.
Muskeget Island Muskeget Island.jpg April 1980 west of Tuckernuck and Nantucket Islands Nantucket municipal, private The only known locality where the Muskeget beach vole is found, and southernmost station where the gray seal breeds. The area supports an enormous nesting population of herring gulls and black-backed gulls.
North and South Rivers North & South Rivers-MA.jpg May 1977 Norwell Plymouth state, municipal, private Classic examples of drowned rivermouth estuaries, supporting at least 45 species of fish and many species of birds. The site contains salt marsh, brackish marsh, and freshwater marsh areas.
Poutwater Pond Poutwater Pond, Holden MA.jpg June 1972 Holden Worcester state An undisturbed sphagnum-heath bog in southern New England, illustrating ecological succession from open water in a glacial depression to upland forest.
Reedy Meadow was Lynnfield Marsh Reed Marsh-MA.jpg June 1972 Between Wakefield and South Lynnfield Essex municipal, The largest freshwater cattail marsh in Massachusetts. The area preserves the habitat requirements of many bird species and serves as a breeding ground for the king rail and least bittern, rare species in the region.
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List of National Natural Landmarks in Massachusetts Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.