Cobscook Bay State Park

The Cobscook Bay State Park is a state park in Washington County in the U.S. state of Maine. The 359 -acre park is located six kilometers south of Denny Ville on a peninsula in the Cobscook Bay.

Geography

The Cobscook Bay is an unusual estuary with only a narrow access to the open sea, a long and winding coastline and relatively few tributaries. The tidal range in the Cobscook Bay is an average of seven meters and can reach up to 8.5 meters, while otherwise on the coast of Maine is on average 2.7 meters. The park area has been geologically explored first in 1885 by Nathaniel S. Shaler, who recognized that the landscape has been shaped by three forces of nature: by the powerful tides, through volcanic rock and the glaciation during the ice ages. The occurring in the park tuff breccias are geologically associated with the Silurian and are therefore up to 420 million years old. The surface was shaped by the last ice age about 12-18000 years ago. Due to the high tide and low water circulation in the bay mud is deposited, in Whiting Bay silt thicknesses were measured from up to 28 meters.

Flora and Fauna

The benefits accruing from the Gulf of Maine food -rich water is very rich in plankton, which the Cobscook Bay has a rich marine fauna of Muschen, crabs and shellfish, herring, sea trout, striped bass and Atlantic salmon. Bald Eagle and osprey, seals, otters and occasionally even bears serves the bay in search of food. Overall, coming in the park in front of over 200 bird species. The Cobscook Bay is in spring and in autumn park resting place of thousands of migratory birds, peak of bird migration is in late August to early September. In the inner bays dark ducks and Maine's largest wintering population of bald eagles. From late May to July midges and other mosquitoes are very common.

History

The name Cobscook comes from the language of Native Americans from the tribe of Maliseet - Passamaquoddy and inscribed " boiling tides " due to the high tidal range. Park area belongs to the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, which was established in 1937. 1964 offered the management of the protected area to the State of Maine the free and unlimited transfer to a created at the Whiting Bay Recreation Area. Parliament of Maine agreed and the Cobscook Bay State Park was established.

Tourist Facilities

The visit to the park is chargeable. The park has a campground with 100 spaces, sanitary facilities, a picnic area and a boat dock. The park is open from May 15 to October 15. The park is crossed two short walking paths that lead along the coast and to lookouts.