Reflections on Water - Chapter 5, Reflections on Mud

Chris Nicodemus & Katrina Meserve

Katrina and Chris sat down to review our progress in the Reflections on Water series that’s been part of the monthly ACT newsletter over the past year. The first year’s reflections were a primer on various aspects of water and its “participation” in different aspects of the environmental sciences. Chris noted these fields which have emerged and specialized over the lifetime of his baby boom post-war generation are now studied as independent fields at many universities. The atmosphere generates water, the landscape stores and transports water, the sun heats and evaporates water, while the dark skies of long winter nights freeze water, and the biology of the environment selects itself according to the pressures and rhythms of the season. Natural selection yields the landscape and the associated flora and fauna that predominates in every local area. Depending on how keen one is as an observer, one can appreciate that every location is in some way unique. It is the mission of ACT to foster our community’s appreciation of our landscapes, and promote an understanding of its features, wonders and sensitivities as we continue to cultivate our community while preserving habitats and allowing for sustainable growth that respects and preserves what is unique about the region while allowing both our shared natural environment and our regional communities to thrive.

The first Spring melt of 2025 occurred overnight March 5-6 in northern New England with heavy southerly rains and local ice jams that threatened flooding in some North Country communities. It also marks the start of the 2025 mud season. While the multiple fields of environmental science/natural science have emerged and specialized in the last half century analogous progress has occurred across the multiple disciplines of civil engineering. Chris marvels at the Pantheon as his favorite example of outstanding engineering that he has encountered in his life’s travels. This building in Rome was built with stone and mortar more than 2000 years ago and is still standing and functioning according to the intent of its designers. It has a circular hole in its domed roof that allows sunlight to illuminate its walls and interior and slice an arc of light across its interior every day according to the calendar. Rain can enter the main hall through the opening in the dome, but the floor is paved in stone. There is no mud. The building has remained functional according to its original design for two millennia.

Civil engineering fields address many aspects of modern life including efficient safe transportation, reliable water, flood control, appropriate handling of waste, distribution of energy, standards for constructing comfortable places to live work and much more. Mud has been a focus of attention for many “engineers” since the early days of civilization.

Roads, aqueducts, plumbing systems, sewage management, and flood control systems date back thousands of years in human civilization and innovations have arisen independently in various cultures. With the coming of spring each year, rivers rise, and firm ground softens. Hooves, feet, and wheels all disturb the destabilized wet earth and wet areas in the snow-covered forest reemerge and can be difficult or impossible to traverse. Winter logging operations must suspend and wait for the short interval cold snaps of springs to extract equipment without severely damaging the forest floor. Many municipalities post weight limits for vehicles using local roads and the freeze-thaw cycles heave the previously smooth paved roads into teeth jarring obstacle courses.

Mud is a combination of soil and water, and its characteristics vary with the nature of the soil. Pure sand and water do not form mud, but soils with organic materials be they freshly composted plant debris or ancient clays and everything in between will form mud. The clays of Vermont’s central piedmont add a reddish label to New Hampshire cars that visit Vermont’s unpaved roads in mud season. Well drained sandy glacial soils with low organic content drain quickly from below as soon as deeper ice melts and have very brief mud seasons in spring whereas soils lying on ledges that cannot easily drain and soils that have high organic content that absorbs water can remain muddy for weeks. Engineers have battled mud through selection of road building materials, the composition of base layers and the design of drainage systems since at least roman times. Similarly building foundation design must consider the movement of ground water in Spring and the instability of muddy soils. Elimination of mud is often a goal of a carefully designed construction project. Swamps are drained and wetlands filled as part of the process and public health benefits are sometimes cited in the name of mosquito and other pest control.

There is a tension and a conflict between well intentioned civil engineering and an optimized biodiverse natural landscape. Countless flora and fauna overwinter in the mud and spring collections of surface water create the vernal pools that harbor the egg masses and hatched tadpoles of countless amphibians along with insect larva on which they feed. Drainage systems that contaminate surface waters with road salts and petroleum residues can easily destroy the viability of an otherwise productive vernal wetland. Dikes that prevent rising flood waters from spreading across a landscape not only deflect excess water downstream but prevent the surface water from dispersing across the forest floor adding nutrients to soils and allowing for the spreading of aquatic life.

Spring is a wonderful time to visit natural environments, inventory emerging plants, and observe the hustle of activity amongst residents of the habitat be they amphibians or nesting birds and animals. Spring migrations with lengthening daylight bring a variety of creatures through northern New England and our muddy habitats provide a critical source of food and water as the migrants settle in for the season to nest and raise a family or fuel themselves up for the continuation of their migratory journeys.

Properties with trails must be stewarded carefully during mud season. Some trails with poor drainage and organic soils are best avoided during this season, but ideally one can find local trails with sandy glacial soils that will dry quickly and resist damage from hikers, bikers, and other visitors including larger animals.

Landowners, municipalities, contractors, and outdoor recreationalists can often make informed decisions about planned activities and property improvements that minimize negative impacts of our local natural resources and often can provide for enhanced natural environments. One should pay attention to environmental regulations but often it’s the simple appreciation of the negative consequences of an intended activity or construction, that allows one to adjust one’s plan to minimize damage and enhance the environment for all.

Banner photo, and photos 1, 4 and 5 by: EP Chow

Photos 2 and 3 by Chris Nicodemus