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...

  Seek by iNaturalist - Photo: (iNaturalist, 2023)   Seek is a straightforward, image-recognition tool for identifying plants, insects, and animals in the field. Unlike most apps that require you to upload a photo and wait for a result, Seek uses your camera to perform real-time identification directly on your screen. When you point your camera at plants, trees, fungi, insects, birds, mammals, or amphibians, the app’s interface displays a taxonomic bar that fills in as it gains confidence. It moves from general classifications (e.g., "Flowering Plants") down to the specific Genus or Species.   Benefits ·         Efficiency: Because processing happens locally on your device, you receive immediate feedback without having to clutter your phone’s gallery with test photos. ·         Privacy: The app is functional without a login or account registration. It does not require you to share loca...

  At Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park in Virginia, park rangers and conservationists face a multi-front battle against aggressive invasive species that threaten the region’s rich natural and historical landscapes. On land, destructive feral hogs tear up the historic battlefields and native ecosystems with their rooting behavior, while dangerous plants like the toxic giant hogweed present a physical hazard to unsuspecting visitors due to its skin-blistering sap. The park’s forests are also under heavy siege: the emerald ash borer continues to decimate the native ash tree population, and the invasive tree-of-heaven rapidly spreads, actively crowding out native flora. This rapidly multiplying tree unfortunately serves as the preferred host plant for the spotted lanternfly, a sap-sucking insect that severely threatens local agriculture and vineyards. Meanwhile, the park's waterways are not spared from disruption, as the highly predatory northern snakehead fish dom...

  NOAA: Climate at a Glance City Mapping   The above picture is from the “Climate at a Glance” web search and mapping tool. The area of Middletown, VA has limited data most likely due to the fact that it is a very small town with very little infrastructure or anything of significance which would require constant weather monitoring. After search through the site and several of the service offered, I realized the in-depth library of various file types which can be used with other design and GIS software. I was previously unaware that this much data is available for public access and use. NOAA: U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access In addition to the previous dot mapping, this data from the “U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access” give a quick look at data like temperature and rainfall over a given period of time within a particular region. Using different search criteria, you can do historical searches for data or search for data which is more local in terms of timelines.   ...

  Photo Credit:  (United States Department of Agriculture, 2018) Throughout my experience with the WSS, I learned some new features I was not previously aware of. The things I found most interesting was the ability to export the data in several different ways so that it can be incorporated into other software applications. One application I learned to use earlier this semester is Arc GIS. The layer data and tables produced on the WSS can be imported to systems like Arc GIS to compare data and see a better environmentally complete picture of the area. In addition to exporting the data to another program, the ability to import files into the WSS is an amazing feature. The two-way flow of data provides the best opportunity to regulators and other stakeholders to increase transparency and collaboration. Resources United States Department of Agriculture. (2018). Web Soil Survey . USDA; United States Department of Agriculture. https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/WebSoilSurv...

  This aerial perspective captures an 8.01-acre conservation easement situated in the Back Creek Magisterial District, positioned just on the outskirts of the historic Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park in Middletown ( Land Preservation , 2021). (Photo Credit: Land Preservation, 2021)   This ArcGIS data layer displays the network of active conservation easements surrounding Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. By visualizing parcels like the 8.01-acre tract in Middletown's Back Creek Magisterial District, this map illustrates how spatial data tracks public-private partnerships aimed at keeping historic battlefields and rural viewsheds safe from commercial development.   (Photo Credit: Land Preservation)     Resources Land Preservation . (2021, October 26). ArcGIS StoryMaps; Esri. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/de7ccf6c35a541d4b5681ec221879226  

  While widely celebrated for its rich human history, spanning from early American Indian occupation through the monumental 1864 Civil War battle, Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park also safeguards a deeply interconnected biological legacy rooted in the Shenandoah Valley (Middletown & Us, n.d.; Foundation Document Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park Virginia , 2018). Spanning 3,708 acres of diverse habitats, including the Shenandoah River, limestone uplands, and unique cave and karst systems, the park’s ecological landscape has long been shaped by human agricultural use and development ( Foundation Document Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park Virginia , 2018; Condition of Selected Natural Resources at Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park: 2024 Assessment (U.S. National Park Service) , 2024). Today, a dedicated partnership between the National Park Service and community organizations is actively working to r...

 For a long time, if you had asked me to define biodiversity, I probably would have given you a pretty simple, textbook answer: an ecologically balanced ecosystem . But looking back, my real understanding didn't come from a page, it was shaped by a childhood spent constantly on the move. Growing up shifting between different corners of the States and later living in South America, my life became a beautiful patchwork of landscapes. My truest constants were always found outdoors, like spending golden summers in Pennsylvania and Florida exploring different family farms and washing off the afternoon heat by swimming in muddy creeks. Witnessing how vibrant and interconnected life was, whether in a quiet backyard stream or a bustling South American city, sparked a deep love for travel and a genuine awe for the natural world. Through those journeys, my perspective shifted. I came to realize that biodiversity is so much more than a static backdrop; it’s the vast, living variety of life on...

  In the coming months I will be focusing on exploring the ways Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park are conserving and preserving biodiversity within the soil through the use of pre-civil war era farming techniques as opposed to methods post industrial revolution and on ward. The area of study includes The Belle Grove Plantation hold 283 acres with Cedar Creek Battlefields in compassing the remaining 3,429 acres for a total of 3,712 acres. The original plantation consisted of 7,500 acres with bits begin sold off a various point due to budget and maintenance constraints. The goal with this target site is to   engage with park staff and other community members to learn about the rich biodiversity throughout the park with its rolling hills, dense forested hedgerows, and wetlands. Through conversations and learning experiences hosted by the park and other community groups, an opportunity to learn about the cultural and ecological preservation taking place seems id...

 

   

 Originally a native species of China, the tree of heaven ( Ailanthus altissima ) is a rapidly growing deciduous tree that has earned a reputation as one of the most problematic invasive species across North America  (The Nature Conservancy, 2020) . Its success as an invader stems from its ability to proliferate quickly, produce numerous seeds, and tolerate a wide range of environmental stressors, including pollution and poor soils, allowing it to colonize disturbed and natural areas alike.

 

 

 

  Watershed Curriculum Development An Introduction to Watersheds Grade Level(s): K-2 By: Elizabeth TJ Craig   ·         Learning Objective(s) - Students will begin to explore features and characteristics of watershed habitats. Students will begin to describe Virginia's natural resources, including its waterways, and begin to explore the concept of a watershed.    ·        Lesson: o    Items needed: Large Post-it paper, markers, new word for word wall made and ready, student science journals o    New Science Word Wall word: Watershed (Quick definition: A watershed is an area of land where all the rain and snowmelt drain into a common water body, like a river, lake, or ocean.) o    Gather students on the carpet and begin the lesson by asking students some of the following questions §   Does anyone know or has anyone heard of a “watershed” befo...