Homestead Conservation

  Throughout this semester, I have been exploring biodiversity and conservation at Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. My family and I have enjoyed visiting the park over the years, walking through the fields and experiencing the landscape firsthand. There is an abundance of wildlife here; on any given visit, we often spot white-tailed deer, bats flying overhead in the evening sky, and a rich variety of bird species in the open meadows and forest edges. Reflecting on these explorations, looking at Cedar Creek and Belle Grove through a conservation lens transformed how I view familiar ground. Beyond being a cherished local spot for outdoor recreation and historical reflection, the park serves as a vital ecological corridor where biodiversity thrives in a variety of agricultural land, restored grasslands, and riparian zones. Writing the blog posts and mapping local species helped me build a bigger understanding of the area's wildlife and gave me practice in turnin...

Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park is home to a wide variety of tree species that shape its natural landscape. Identifying and studying these trees helps us better understand the Shenandoah Valley's forest ecosystem and land-use history over the centuries. Watch the slideshow to see key tree species found throughout the park, learn their distinguishing features, and explore the role these trees play in the park's landscape today.

Below is a template outlining the foundational steps for starting a local river conservation non-profit in Northern Virginia. It focuses on the North and South Fork Shenandoah River watershed, breaking down what an organizational setup and action plan would look like. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shenandoah River Preservation Non-Profit Launch Roadmap (Template) Below is a sample framework for a fictional non-profit focused on protecting and restoring the North and South Forks of the Shenandoah River. North Fork of the Shenandoah River Photo Credit: Elizabeth Craig   STEP/TASK ROLE TIMELINE Formulate a mission statement. During this first step you would need to draft a 1–2 sentence statement committing to protect, restore, and advocate for the ecological integrity of the North and South Forks of the Shenandoah River. The focus sh...

  While several wonderful non-profits partner with the National Park Service to care for Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park, I’ve chosen to focus specifically on the Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation (CCBF). As an independent, privately funded non-profit, CCBF does incredible work protecting over 350 acres of historic battlefield land, running hands-on living history programs, and keeping the area's rich history alive through their museum and community events.          Photo Credit: Elizabeth Craig

  Taxonomy and Classification: Monarda didyma (Bee Balm) Photo Credit: (“Monarda | Wildflower, Bee Balm, Mint Family,” 1998) 1. Kingdom: Plantae Monarda didyma belongs to this broad kingdom because it synthesizes its own food through photosynthesis using chlorophyll, builds its cells with rigid cellulose walls, and anchors itself as an autotrophic flowering land plant (Smeriglio et al., 2023). 2. Phylum: Tracheophyta (Vascular Plants) As a vascular plant, Monarda didyma relies on specialized internal transport tissues allowing it to grow upright stalks up to three feet tall in damp woodland habitats (Wagner-Reiss, 2021). 3. Class: Magnoliopsida (Dicots / Flowering Plants) Monarda didyma falls under this traditional class of dicotyledonous angiosperms because its seeds germinate with two embryonic leaves (cotyledons) and its floral structures display net-veined foliage (Davidson, 2007). 4. Order: Lamiales This order unites Monarda didyma with related flowering pl...