Department of Conservation and Recreation
Conserve. Protect. Enjoy.
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Due to the expected impact of the winter storm, all Virginia State Park overnight facilities will be closed from Friday, Jan. 23 through Sunday, Jan. 25. This decision is based on the forecast for unsafe conditions and potential power outages. For updates click here.
Media inquiries: Please contact Dave Neudeck, dave.neudeck@dcr.virginia.gov, 804-786-5053.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: April 12, 2018
Contact:
The Cedars Natural Area Preserve and Powell River Appreciation Days: May 4 and 5
The Department of Conservation and Recreation, The Nature Conservancy and the Friends of the Cedars invite the public to participate in field trips and learn about unique and delicate habitats of the Cedars Natural Area Preserve and the Powell River.
Appreciation Days kicks off with expert-led field trips to several of the preserve’s special features. Participants will see rare plants, Surgener Cave, Daniel Boone Natural Bridge and the Powell River. The night will wrap up with dinner and presentations on the plants of the Cedars and cave wildlife. Space is limited, and registration for dinner is required.
Appreciation Days will conclude on Saturday with presentations from DCR’s partners at The Nature Conservancy, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, and lunch time remarks from Virginia Del. Terry Kilgore. There will also be an optional afternoon field trip to see ongoing habitat restoration efforts and karst features of the Cedars.
The preserve is in Lee County which is at the southwest tip of Virginia and is a biodiversity hotspot filled with karst features, rare cave dwelling animals and rare plants. The preserve encompasses 2,024 acres of mostly karst terrain where thin soils develop over easily dissolved limestone bedrock. This area tends to be rolling, rocky and rugged and full of sinkholes, caves and sinking streams.
The Powell River flows through Lee County before heading into Tennessee and is home to rare and endangered freshwater mussels and fish. As the river flows through a significant karst region, it is particularly susceptible to runoff pollution. Surface and ground water commonly intermix in such regions. Soil, chemicals and bacteria entering through a sinkhole or spilled onto the ground in a karst area can rapidly flow into groundwater. Water and any pollution it carries quickly flow in underground streams along hard-to-determine paths that can end up in the Powell River.
For more information about locations and registration, visit: www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/other/natural-heritage-registration.
For field trip descriptions and agendas, visit: www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/natural-area-preserves/news-thecedars.
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