Wick Fary affixes labels to identify each individual plant. Photo by Rob Beaton
On February 19, Rob Beaton and Wick Fary joined members of the Rivanna Chapter and American Chestnut Foundation staff and volunteers at the Virginia Department of Forestry Crimora Nursery, to plant some 800 stratified chestnut seeds.
The Virginia Chapter of TACF maintains a greenhouse at the nursery, where select hand-pollinated seedlings are grown for a year before transplanting to trial growing plots at Lesesne State Forest State Forest and elsewhere in the state.
Under the supervision of Cassie Stark, Director of Science Implementation for TACF, we prepared growing media and filled pots, nestled pre-stratified seeds below the surface in 12-inch deep pots, and–the hardest and most critical part!–affixed labels to tags that identify the parents of each new tree.
Seeds are sourced from TACF-monitored individuals from throughout the historic range of the tree, with the goal of breeding an ideal combination of blight and other pathogen resistance along with typical species traits that will be stable across generations when reintroduced to less controlled environments.
The Veterans Garden of Augusta County is building a garden where veterans grow food, connect with one another, and find healing. Located in Augusta County, Virginia, the Veterans Garden of Augusta is growing based on input from local veterans, who want a space not only for gardening, but also for learning new things such as beekeeping, mushroom cultivation, and food preservation. In response, partnerships have been formed to create a garden focused on connection, education, and peace, with new areas for growing food, caring for bees, and learning about mushrooms and food preservation.
To learn more or to support their mission, visit their website at veteransgardenofaugusta.org.
Rob Beaton, Newsletter and Website Committee Chair
Elaine Smith and Peggy Plass enjoying the presentation. Photo by Cheryl Shull.
On Friday, November 14, four members of the Headwaters Master Naturalists visited Project Owlnet’s local research station at Highland Retreat Camp. This station is one of many located throughout Canada and the United States that work to track owl migration.
Bird banding is a widely used method for collecting data on avian species, involving attaching a small plastic or metal band to a bird’s leg, which allows for individual identification during future observations at different times and locations.
Ben Spory leads a dedicated team of volunteers several times a week from mid-October through November to retrieve Northern Saw-Whet Owls from a mist net located on the ridge above the station. The owls are then weighed, measured, and banded as needed. Researchers determine the birds’ ages by placing them under a black light with their wings outstretched. Young birds show a pigment in their wings that glows pink under the light, while birds older than four years no longer display this pigment.
Ben and the other researchers provided an informative and inspiring presentation. There was also discussion about the possibility of Master Naturalist involvement next year as volunteers for the program.
The group looking at various beds of sandstone with a few thin coal seams in the Price formation. Photo by Malcolm.
On Thursday, November 13, a beautiful fall day, two other HMN members and three friends joined me in Stokesville for a tour of notable rock outcrops in the Stokesville, North River Gorge, and Staunton Dam areas. The tour focused on the two most common rock formations in the North River Ranger District of the George Washington National Forest, as well as the four mountain-building events that created the high source lands to the east and the extensive erosion that shaped the Blue Ridge, Shenandoah Valley, and Allegheny regions over millions of years.
Our first stop was at North River Gap in Stokesville, where we observed a large outcrop of the Price (Pocono) formation. This early Mississippian-aged (about 380 million years ago) sequence of sandstones, conglomerates, and dark shales is the youngest formation in the Shenandoah Mountain area. It was deposited after the Acadian Orogeny, filling a basin created by the collision of Baltica and Avalon plates. This formation originated from a broad alluvial plain and delta, with river channels indicated by quartz pebble conglomerates, and features fossil impressions of tree branches and bark. The history of Stokesville as a boom town around 1900 was linked to attempts to mine coal and later logging, which ultimately led to its decline within about a decade.
Our second stop was just a third of a mile away at the Wild Oak Trail parking lot, where we discussed the region’s geologic history using display boards, maps, and typical rocks from Shenandoah Mountain’s three main formations. We then hiked a two-mile round trip into North River Gorge, walking along the old logging railroad grade, where I pointed out where the builders had to blast through hard sandstone. Along the trail, we observed a prominent exposure of soft shales and thin-bedded sandstone, likely formed in wetlands near a floodplain. Near the overlook, we enjoyed a broad view of North River Gorge while having lunch.
The third stop, about five miles upriver near North River Campground, featured an outcrop of the older Late Devonian Hampshire Formation, characterized by reddish-brown sandstones, shales, and mudrock. This formation developed in a broad inland sea far from the ancient North American west coast, with features indicating small stream flows that periodically reversed, similar to landscapes we see today.
Although we were running late, everyone chose to make one more stop near Staunton Dam, where we explored the tunnel built through Lookout Mountain in the 1920s to supply water to Staunton during a crisis. This federally protected land was selected for its clean, reliable water source, ensuring safe drinking water for generations.
The outing provided five hours of continuing education credits for HMN members, and all participants—trail workers, a retired USFS silviculturist, and fellow naturalists—enjoyed the day, making new friends and learning about our local geology. It was a wonderful example of what Master Naturalists are all about.
Malcolm Cameron, HMN Cohort 3
Just above the overlook of North River Gorge, Gary Flynn and Bill Howe walking up from the sandstone outcrop. Photo by Malcolm.
From the Lookout Mountain Trail overlook, we enjoyed lunch with views of sandstone and quartzite cliffs along North River Gorge. In the distance are Trimble Mountain (right) and Elkhorn Mountain (left). Photo by Larry Ragland.
Lora Steiner conquers an invasive. Photo by Cheryl Shull.
Work continues on removing invasive plants from the Natural Chimneys Wildlife Trail. On November 14th, Lora Steiner, Wick Fary, Art Fovargue, and Cheryl Shull helped clear a large stand of Chinese privet from one section of the trail. There is still much work ahead, but these Headwaters Master Naturalists remain committed to restoring native habitats and promoting conservation on this important public land.
If you’d like to join our team, please contact Cheryl Shull at cherylshull@yahoo.com.
Cheryl Shull, Volunteer Service Projects Committee Chair
