Thursday, March 23, 2017
I had to go home for personal business. Coming from my cousin's house a different route than I had gone, I noticed a large section of woods had been cut down. As I drove farther to my parents house, I saw that the cut area ended just a couple of yards from the swamp on Yellow Hammer Road, Zuni, VA. A little over a mile from my parents home east on Mill Creek Dr. Discovered more trees had been cleared and Spanish Moss was killing and taking over the swamp lands. The swamp waters were high and trees were dead in the water. The house built near the bank of the swamp looked like they may get flooded out. I can't even imaging why someone would want to build this close to the swamp. I can't understand how they were able to get a permit to build this close. Over the years growing up, this house has been underwater as the river waters rose due to heavy rainfall locally and in North Carolina as the Isle of Wight branch of the Blackwater is downstream of the North Carolina branch. The water in the Blackwater Swamp often is covered in thick green algae because the water doesn't move. It was pretty incredible and sad to see how this invasive Spanish Moss was killing the trees in this section of the swamp.
These photos reminded me of how several times this river has flooded and caused heavy devastation. With so many trees being sold and forested areas around the river and the swampy marsh land flooding has gotten worse. Here are some headlines from those times of flooding.
Flood warning issued for Blackwater River in Franklin, Suffolk and Isle of Wight County
Fickle Blackwater River keeps locals on edge
Friday, March 24, 2017
I drove down Blackwater Rd to the boat launch that is in the Antioch Pines Natural Area Preserve and the Blackwater Ecological Preserve, 6 miles away, to inspect if any other trees had been torn down in that area. There were none that had been removed near that area, but along route 627, 1 Mile Road, about a half of a mile of pine trees had been cut down. State route 627 is about a mile from the Preserve area. There is a lot of farmland between places.
Everything I have learned in the Natural Resources Master's program came flooding to mind. How drought and destruction of forest affects not only the climate, but also the health of the rivers, lakes, and streams. I grew up on the Blackwater River so coming back and seeing how the landscape was changing due to human consumption and destruction hurt my soul. I found this document that supports the move to stop deforestation and save the invaluable habitats that ensure healthy fish breeding grounds like that of the Blackwater Swamp branches. Deforestation is also dangerous to the estuaries and tributaries which are under increasing danger as the sea levels continue to rise.
Riparian deforestation, stream narrowing, and loss of stream ecosystem services
Keeping the banks of the Blackwater river forested is vital and very important. Thankfully there is good efforts to maintain the forests and to curb the destruction of these forests.
Virginia Woodlands Protection: Deal Ensures Survival
This brought back to mind the very controversial Highway 460 Bypass that threatened to destroy my parents home and ruin much of the wetlands in the surrounding area. The battle to derail construction of such a major roadway was epic. Petitions were signed. Protesters from my childhood community went to Richmond regularly to protest and fight against this proposal. Finally the deal fell through. The Army Core of Engineers were a big help in the fight as they recognized the destruction of wetlands that would ultimately have a far worse impact on the area than traffic. It was a happy day for my parents and the community when it became official that the bypass would not happen. Having strong partners in the fight for nature and ecological health is incredibly valuable. Having the strength of the public and community makes it even stronger.
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Stayed with my dad and explored the strip of woods he keeps around his house. There were six really big trees that had fallen, but I noticed holes from wood peckers on the trees and other large holes. My son and I observed two squirrels chasing each other through the trees. They each disappeared into one of the holes we were watching in the trees. It was pretty exciting to see. Squirrels never interested me before. The thought that they build their homes on the hollows of trees made me curious. The holes we saw were too high for me to reach, but we found another tree with a hollowed out place and took a look inside. It would be a perfect place for a bird's nest. This is another reason to stop deforestation. Each one of these trees and wooded areas is home to some kind of animal. Tree roots areas like the one below especially. We used to build forts int he woods using places like the one pictured below. If we liked to hide there as kids, I'm sure animals would love to dig out a den for themselves.
Squirrel Condominium - Save the trees for the squirrels
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
I made the pledge to do a nature walk with my son and took him down the path of the mitigated wetlands I helped create in my dual credit biology class as a teenager at Windsor High School. The water table and the trail has to be maintained by the school biology class as an agreement for building the new school on wetlands area. We noted different plants that we saw. It was nice to see the different kinds of plants and flowers that had grown up there. Some berry bushes were starting to come back as well. The yellow wild daisy was my favorite as Daisy was grandmother's name.
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| My son liked this seed blower for the yellow tips it bore. We hadn't seen one quite like this before. |
Monday, April 24, 2017
I decided to make a pledge to help the Nature Conservancy maintain natural habitats at state parks. Bottom Creek Gorge Preserve in Montgomery County will be my site. This is a project that I can continue for a very long time. I love living in the mountains and I love nature. The Blackwater River and Swamp was a big part of my home while growing up. As I have gotten older and am rearing an environmentally conscious son, I want him to see and understand the impacts of human actions on the natural world. There is no training needed to go out and clean a trail or pick up trash. Should I decide to be a riverkeeper, then I will go through the training to be able to document river changes and report on the state -of- the- river blog.
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