Shared by Elizabeth Roach, as Guest Blogger.

As members of a Resource Crew for AmeriCorps VSCC (Virginia Service and Conservation Corps) we travel throughout District 6, in Southwestern Virginia. The following *haikus are about the Virginia State Parks we serve at most often.

Trail Maintenance

Trails require yearly maintenance to prevent erosion from water and overuse. Ways to funnel water off the trail includes, rolling grade dips, nicks, grade reversals, and de-berming. The goal of every trail is to increase its substantivity to allow for year-round use without having to fix constant issues. 

Pony Fencing

Grayson Highlands State Park and the surrounding Mount Rogers Recreational Area, controlled by the United States Forest Service, use barbed wire to manage where the semi-feral pony herds go. The management of the herds are to prevent property damage for the state and federal facilitates and guest safety. 

Prescribed Burns

Virginia State Parks use prescribed burns to manage some of their specialized management areas. For example, a burn is used as a natural way to remove invasive plant species, lessen fuel loads, and to promote native and fire-adaptive species. In many of the southwestern parks a focus it the creation of habitat for pollinator species, such as Monarch Butterflies. 

Invasive Species Management/ Goose Oiling 

Sometimes animals can be invasive as well. In some of our parks, Canada geese are a problem. They are a migratory species, but some try to establish permanent residence in the parks and can cause hygiene issues and harass guests. To fight this, we “oil and agitate” goose eggs. The oil prevents oxygen from entering the eggs, but because they are still intact, the mother geese do not realize their eggs are compromised and so do not lay more.

Invasive species are plants or animals brought in from other places, either intentionally or accidentally. They are problematic because they often do not have natural predators, and spread quickly, often outcompeting their native counterparts. There are different strategies for managing invasive plants, but because many have very deep roots and resprout even larger when cut, herbicide is sometimes the most reasonable strategy. The state of Virginia has several safety regulations for applying herbicides, all of which we follow carefully. 

Sometimes animals can be invasive as well. In some of our parks, Canada geese are a problem. They are a migratory species, but some try to establish permeant residence in the parks and can cause hygiene issues and harass guests. To fight this, we “oil and agitate” goose eggs. The oil prevents oxygen from entering the eggs, but because they are still intact, the mother geese do not realize their eggs are compromised and so do not lay more.

Grayson Highlands State Park

Grayson Highlands State Park is in Grayson County, Virginia. Our projects at this park focused on prescribed burns, trail maintenance, and boundary fencing for the park’s pony herds.

Hungry Mother State Park

Hungry Mother State Park has a variety of amenities including Hemlock Haven Conference Center and Hungry Mother Beach which offers paddle boards, canoes, and kayak rentals. 

New River State Park

New River State Park is a 57-mile long park that follows an abandoned railroad right-of-way, that passes through four counties and the City of Galax. There are several entrances to the park as it passes through Grayson, Carroll, Wythe, and Pulaski counties. The trail is on a gentle slope and is perfect for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. 

Natural Tunnel State Park

Natural Tunnel State Park is in Scott County, which is about 13 miles from Gate City, Virginia and 20 miles north of Kingsport, Tennessee. The main feature of the park is the Natural Tunnel. The tunnel is over 950 feet long, 10 stories high, and is carved through a limestone ridge over thousands of years. Lover’s Leap is a trail at the park that is based off a popular legend about a Cherokee maiden and a Shawnee warrior. The two young lovers had been forbidden to marry by their respective tribes, decided to jumped to their deaths from the highest pinnacle above the Tunnel, so they could be together. 

To learn more about each park visit the Department of Conservation and Recreation website here and search the park’s name.

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Definition of haiku:

noun

1. a Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five, traditionally evoking images of the natural world.

   • a poem in English written in the form of a haiku.

Editor's note: We're happy to highlight a different Virginia Service and Conservation Corps service member or team and their experience serving in Virginia State Parks.

This is another in a series of articles from AmeriCorps members serving in our Virginia Service and Conservation Corps. Members have been asked to share how they were called to service and what they are experiencing.

You may also enjoy: 

• Tales from the Trails: AmeriCorps
• Taking Risks to Learn New Things: AmeriCorps
• The Virginia Service and Conservation Corps Experience: James River
• Spend Your Summer Outdoors: A Full Experience

To find out about our AmeriCorps programs, check them out here.