Virginia Natural Area Preserve System: Difference between revisions
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| [[New Point Comfort Natural Area Preserve|New Point Comfort]] || [[Mathews County, Virginia|Mathews]] || {{convert|105|acre|km2|sortable=on}} || [[The Nature Conservancy]] || Yes || <!--notes--> |
| [[New Point Comfort Natural Area Preserve|New Point Comfort]] || [[Mathews County, Virginia|Mathews]] || {{convert|105|acre|km2|sortable=on}} || [[The Nature Conservancy]] || Yes || <!--notes--> |
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| [[North Landing River Natural Area Preserve|North Landing River]] || [[Virginia Beach County, Virginia|Virginia Beach]] || {{convert|3441|acre|km2|sortable=on}} || DCR || No || After a decade of closure due to illegal activities, this preserve |
| [[North Landing River Natural Area Preserve|North Landing River]] || [[Virginia Beach County, Virginia|Virginia Beach]] || {{convert|3441|acre|km2|sortable=on}} || DCR || No || After a decade of closure due to illegal activities, this preserve was scheduled to re-open for public use in 2016 or 2017.<ref name=DCR_NoLanRiv>{{cite web |url=http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/natural-area-preserves/northlanding |title=North Landing River Natural Area Preserve |publisher=Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation |accessdate=December 12, 2016}}</ref> |
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| [[Northwest River Natural Area Preserve|Northwest River]] || [[Chesapeake County, Virginia|Chesapeake]] || {{convert|2774|acre|km2|sortable=on}} || DCR || By arrangement || <!--notes--> |
| [[Northwest River Natural Area Preserve|Northwest River]] || [[Chesapeake County, Virginia|Chesapeake]] || {{convert|2774|acre|km2|sortable=on}} || DCR || By arrangement || <!--notes--> |
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Revision as of 12:35, 16 April 2017
The Virginia Natural Area Preserve System is a system of protected areas in the state of Virginia. As of 2016[update] there were sixty-three dedicated preserves in Virginia, containing examples of some of the rarest natural communities in the state; in addition, many serve as a home for locally, nationally, and globally rare species.[1]
History
In 1986, the Virginia Natural Heritage Program was formed through a cooperative agreement between the Commonwealth of Virginia and The Nature Conservancy; the program was placed under the control of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) two years later. To further the Natural Heritage Program's mission to conserve and manage sites identified as significant natural areas within the state, The Virginia Natural Area Preserve System was established in 1989.[2][3] The system's first preserve, North Landing River Natural Area Preserve, was established the following year. By 2007, the preserve system included 50 protected areas.[4] As of 2016[update], 63 Natural Area Preserves were established in Virginia.[1]
Description
The Virginia Natural Area Preserve System is managed as part of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation's Natural Heritage Program, with the purpose of protecting threatened or rare plants, animals, and natural communities.[5] To become a part of the system, a Natural Area Preserve must be accepted by the director of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, although they may be initially dedicated by other departments and agencies of the Commonwealth of Virginia.[6] Natural Area Preserves may be acquired by the Commonwealth of Virginia, or may continue to be owned by independent conservation organizations or other private landowners. Dedication itself is similar to a conservation easement, as it places certain legal strictures on future development of a given portion of land.[1]
Public access
Most properties are owned by the Department of Conservation and Recreation, however some are owned by local government, universities, private citizens, and independent conservation organizations such as The Nature Conservancy.[1] Many properties owned by Virginia are freely open to the public for low-impact uses such as hiking; however other state-owned properties require that arrangements be made with a state-employed land steward prior to visitation. Privately held properties may restrict public access, although visitation may sometimes be arranged in coordination with the preserve's owner.[7] Access to any individual Natural Area Preserve may be temporarily restricted if it is determined that such a closure is necessary to protect sensitive plant and animal populations within the preserve, or to enact management actions such as prescribed burns. Activities such as camping or the building of campfires are typically forbidden.[1]
List of Virginia Natural Area Preserves
The following table lists Virginia's Natural Area Preserves as of 2016[update]. Those listed as being accessible "by arrangement" require prospective visitors to contact either state-employed land stewards, private property owners, or both.[1]
| Preserve name | County or counties[8] |
Area[8] | Owner[8] | Public access?[8] |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antioch Pines | Isle of Wight | 1,017 acres (4.12 km2) | DCR | By arrangement | |
| Bald Knob | Franklin | 79 acres (0.32 km2) | DCR | No | |
| Bethel Beach | Mathews | 105 acres (0.42 km2) | DCR | Yes | |
| Big Spring Bog | Grayson | 50 acres (0.20 km2) | DCR | By arrangement | |
| Blackwater Ecological Preserve | Isle of Wight | 318 acres (1.29 km2) | Old Dominion University | By arrangement | |
| Blackwater Sandhills | Isle of Wight | 815 acres (3.30 km2) | Isle of Wight County | No | |
| Buffalo Mountain | Floyd | 1,140 acres (4.6 km2) | DCR | Yes | |
| Bull Run Mountains | Faquier, Prince William |
2,486 acres (10.06 km2) | Virginia Outdoors Foundation | Yes | |
| Bush Mill Stream | Northumberland | 103 acres (0.42 km2) | DCR | Yes | |
| Camp Branch Wetlands | Floyd | 80 acres (0.32 km2) | Private | No | |
| Cape Charles Coastal Habitat | Northampton | 29 acres (0.12 km2) | DCR | Yes | |
| The Cedars | Lee | 1,797 acres (7.27 km2) | DCR | By arrangement | |
| The Channels | Washington, Russell |
721 acres (2.92 km2) | Virginia Department of Forestry | Yes | |
| Cherry Orchard Bog | Sussex, Prince George |
354 acres (1.43 km2) | DCR | By arrangement | |
| Chestnut Creek Wetlands | Floyd | 244 acres (0.99 km2) | DCR | By arrangement | |
| Chestnut Ridge | Giles | 233 acres (0.94 km2) | Private | By arrangement | |
| Chotank Creek | King George | 1,108 acres (4.48 km2) | Private | No | |
| Chub Sandhill | Sussex | 1,066 acres (4.31 km2) | DCR | Yes | |
| Cleveland Barrens | Russell | 1,288 acres (5.21 km2) | DCR/The Nature Conservancy | By arrangement | |
| Clover Hollow | Giles | 25 acres (0.10 km2) | DCR | By permission | Access permitted only for the purpose of data collection and monitoring.[9] |
| Cowbane Prairie | Augusta | 63 acres (0.25 km2) | DCR | By arrangement | |
| Crawford's Knob | Nelson | 1,387 acres (5.61 km2) | Private | By arrangement | |
| Crow's Nest | Stafford | 2,872 acres (11.62 km2) | Stafford County | Yes | |
| Cypress Bridge | Southampton | 535 acres (2.17 km2) | DCR | By arrangement | |
| Dameron Marsh | Northumberland | 316 acres (1.28 km2) | DCR | Yes | |
| Deep Run Ponds | Rockingham | 706 acres (2.86 km2) | DCR | By arrangement | |
| Dendron Swamp | Sussex | 636 acres (2.57 km2) | DCR | By arrangement | Contains the 19-acre (7.7 ha) Charles C. Steirly Natural Area, an essentially virgin bald cypress swamp that was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1974.[10] |
| Difficult Creek | Halifax | 819 acres (3.31 km2) | DCR | Yes | |
| Dundas Granite Flatrock | Brunswick | 11 acres (0.045 km2) | Private | By arrangement | |
| Elklick Woodlands | Fairfax | 226 acres (0.91 km2) | Fairfax County Park Authority | By arrangement | |
| False Cape | Virginia Beach | 3,573 acres (14.46 km2) | DCR | Yes | |
| Fletcher Ford | Lee | 54.5 acres (0.221 km2) | The Nature Conservancy | By arrangement | |
| Folly Mills Creek Fen | Augusta | 29 acres (0.12 km2) | Private | By arrangement | |
| Goshen Pass | Rockbridge | 936 acres (3.79 km2) | DCR | Yes | |
| Grafton Ponds | York | 375 acres (1.52 km2) | Newport News | Yes | |
| Grassy Hill | Franklin | 1,440 acres (5.8 km2) | DCR | Yes | |
| Grayson Glades | Grayson | 31 acres (0.13 km2) | DCR | By arrangement | |
| Hickory Hollow | Lancaster | 254 acres (1.03 km2) | Northern Neck Audubon Society | Yes | |
| Hughlett Point | Northumberland | 204 acres (0.83 km2) | DCR | Yes | |
| Johnsons Creek | Alleghany | 99 acres (0.40 km2) | DCR | By arrangement | |
| Magothy Bay | Northampton | 286 acres (1.16 km2) | DCR | Yes | |
| Mark's and Jack's Island | Accomack | 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) | The Nature Conservancy | By arrangement | |
| Mill Creek Springs | Montgomery | 222 acres (0.90 km2) | The Nature Conservancy | By arrangement | |
| Mount Joy Pond | Augusta | 274 acres (1.11 km2) | DCR | By arrangement | |
| Mutton Hunk Fen | Accomack | 516 acres (2.09 km2) | DCR | Yes | |
| Naked Mountain | Nelson | 278 acres (1.13 km2) | Private | By arrangement | |
| New Point Comfort | Mathews | 105 acres (0.42 km2) | The Nature Conservancy | Yes | |
| North Landing River | Virginia Beach | 3,441 acres (13.93 km2) | DCR | No | After a decade of closure due to illegal activities, this preserve was scheduled to re-open for public use in 2016 or 2017.[11] |
| Northwest River | Chesapeake | 2,774 acres (11.23 km2) | DCR | By arrangement | |
| Ogdens Cave | Frederick | 131 acres (0.53 km2) | DCR | By arrangement | |
| Parkers Marsh | Accomack | 759 acres (3.07 km2) | DCR | Yes | |
| Parramore Island | Accomack | 7,000 acres (28 km2) | The Nature Conservancy | By arrangement | Access permitted for research or educational purposes only.[12] |
| Pedlar Hills Glades | Montgomery | 1,036 acres (4.19 km2) | DCR | By arrangement | |
| Pickett's Harbor | Northampton | 123 acres (0.50 km2) | DCR | By arrangement | |
| Pinnacle | Russell | 891 acres (3.61 km2) | DCR | Yes | |
| Poor Mountain | Roanoke | 933 acres (3.78 km2) | DCR | Yes | |
| Redrock Mountain | Smyth | 640 acres (2.6 km2) | DCR | By arrangement | |
| Savage Neck Dunes | Northampton | 298 acres (1.21 km2) | DCR | Yes | |
| Sweet Springs | Montgomery | 235 acres (0.95 km2) | Private | By arrangement | |
| South Quay Sandhills | Southampton, City of Suffolk |
3,586 acres (14.51 km2) | DCR/The Nature Conservancy | By arrangement | |
| Unthanks Cave | Lee | 171 acres (0.69 km2) | DCR | By permission | Access permitted only for the purpose of data collection and monitoring.[13] |
| Wreck Island | Northampton | 1,380 acres (5.6 km2) | DCR | Yes |
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Natural Area Preserves". Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ "Virginia DCR - Natural Heritage Program". LandScope America. NatureServe. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ "§ 10.1-214. Virginia natural area preserves system established". Code of Virginia. 1989. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ Virginia's Natural Area Preserve System (PDF). Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. 2016. p. 16. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
- ^ "Natural Area Preserves". LandScope America. NatureServe. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ "§ 10.1-213. Dedication of natural area preserves". Code of Virginia. 1989. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ Middleton, Leslie (October 6, 2016). "Preserve walks celebrate VA Natural Heritage Program's 30th year". Bay Journal. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ a b c d Information included in this column is sourced from individual pages listed at: "Natural Area Preserves". Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ "Clover Hollow Natural Area Preserve". Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ "Charles C. Steirly Natural Area". National Natural Landmarks. National Park Service. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
- ^ "North Landing River Natural Area Preserve". Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ "Parramore Island Natural Area Preserve". Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
- ^ "Unthanks Cave Natural Area Preserve". Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved December 12, 2016.