Field Trip to Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve
Date/Time
Saturday, September 18, 2021
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Location
Haymarket Walmart Parking Lot
Categories
Join PWWS/VNPS member and local naturalist Janis Stone and the staff at Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) Preserve at Bull Run Mountains for a hike around their biodiversity hotspot – an area typically closed to visitation by the general public.
Known as the Preserve’s Jackson Hollow section, this special hollow holds Catharpin Creek which runs right through two steep ridges. This unique geological layout made it perfect for the creation of a man-made lake that was the central feature of a hunting and fishing recreation facility operated here through the 1950s-1970s. Though in 1972, Hurricane Agnes destroyed the dam, drained the lake, and washed out its campgrounds.
Now permanently protected as part of the state-designated Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, the site holds a diverse mosaic of xeric, mesic, and hydric flora that creates a lush habitat for local fauna. It is also the site of VOF’s Research Outpost and an experimental brook trout reintroduction project. This site is a botanist’s delight and is truly one of the wildest habitats one could find within an hour of our nation’s capital.
Please wear proper field gear, and footwear capable of traversing wet muddy sections, and be prepared for ticks/chiggers. There is a bathroom on site, but please bring water and any needed snacks, as this site isn’t near any other accommodations.
We will meet at the Haymarket Walmart parking lot: 6530 Trading Sq, Haymarket, VA.