Canoeing at the
	Kensan Devan
	Sanctuary
	Return to the Kensan Devan Sanctuary

Canoeing on Meetinghouse Pond is an excellent way to enjoy the sanctuary from a completely different perspective. Put your boat in at the landing, and enjoy a peaceful afternoon on the water, a panoramic view of Mount Monadnock, and a close-up look at Meetinghouse Pond's rich variety of flora and fauna.

Paddling around the edges of the pond in summer, you'll skim through blooming flotillas of white and yellow water lily, water shield, and stands of purple pickerelweed. The whorled leaves and pink flowers of sheep laurel line the shore, along with other water-loving shrubs such as highbush blueberry, sweetgale, maleberry, and sweet pepperbush.

When water levels are high, the bog mat can be circumnavigated. The north end of the pond is a haven for waterfowl, from Canada geese to hooded mergansers. Palm warblers stop to rest on the mat during migration.You may surprise a great blue heron in one of the tiny coves, or be surprised by the warning slap of a beaver's tail.

Cozy up to the bog mat itself, and enter a world afloat on a carpet of sphagnum moss. The slow, quiet water of the pond allowed this floating mat of vegetation to form and slowly build up over hundreds of years. Here, carnivorous pitcher plants and sundews trap unwary insects. Heaths such as leatherleaf and bog rosemary, and black spruce trees are lingering refugees from the far north, pushed south ahead of the last glacier. All these plants are specially adapted to the scarce nutrients and harsh conditions on the mat. How many other unusual plants can you find here?

Evidence of human activity exists here, too. The dam at the southwest end of the pond was used in the early 1900's to provide water power to a woodworking shop and mill on the brook. Did the dam raise the water level in the pond? What clues will tell us? What other activities might have taken place here at one time?