Altona Marsh (Jefferson County)
This marl marsh is located about 1 mile west of Charles
Town in Jefferson County. It is mostly managed by the WV Chapter -
TNC. TNC has been given conservation
easements by two of the three primary landowners (Henry Davenport and Jim
Lehrer). Marcus Brothers housing development company owns the remainder of the marsh.
Altona-Piedmont is a botanical jewel that contains 15 rare
plant species known
from 5 or fewer West Virginia
locations. Twelve species occur only in marl wetlands. Marl
is soft calcium carbonate material that forms in some limestone areas and is
mixed with clay and organic materials.
Altona-Piedmont consists of 94 acres of marl marsh, open swamps and
thickets and is located on Evitts run at an average elevation of 515 feet. The marsh is bisected by tracks of the CSX
Railroad.
Access to Altona-Piedmont Marsh is a narrow dirt road on
the north side of WV Route 51. A short
distance out the road is the Washington Chapel ruins that
are a tourist/historical attraction.
Parking is limited to 2 vehicles.
The CSX Railroad is another 1100 yards or so north of the ruins and the
marsh is immediately to the east (downstream).
The marl marsh consists of swamp forests, shrubby thickets, and open
herbaceous and grass-like plants.
Selected birds you’ll see and hear ( in
proper season and habitat ):
Great Blue Heron
Mallard
Wood Duck
American Black Duck
Virginia Rail
Sora
Wilson’s Snipe
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper
Eastern Screech-Owl
Barred Owl
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Willow
Flycatcher
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Common Yellowthroat Warbler
Fox Sparrow
Lincoln’s
Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Rusty Blackbird
Sleepy Creek WMA (Berkeley County)
Located approximately six miles southeast of Berkeley Springs and eleven
miles west of Martinsburg, travelers may use state Routes 8/2 (Highland Ridge)
and 13/5 (Greenwood Road) in Morgan County or state Route 7/9 (Jones Springs
and Shanghai) in Berkeley County. Oak-hickory forest covers 3,500 acres while Virginia
pine-oak forest blankets the majority of the area. Sleepy Creek is primarily
managed for deer, turkey, grouse, squirrel and raccoon, with wild turkey the
featured game species. Sleepy Creek
Lake, 205 acres, contains an
already good but still developing sport fishery for largemouth bass, bluegill
and crappie. Boat launching facilities are situated at the dam spillway and
near the midpoint of the lake. The area also has a rifle range. Seventy-five
camping sites are available and trailers over 17 feet are not recommended due
to the graveled roads. Water and vault toilets are available and a nominal
camping fee is charged. Owned by WVDNR.
Selected birds you’ll see and hear ( in
proper season and habitat ):
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Ruffed Grouse
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Eastern Screech-Owl
Barred Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Brown Thrasher
Wood Thrush
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
27+ species of Warblers
Scarlet Tanager
Cranesville
Swamp (Preston County)
This famous wetland complex lies within the Allegheny
Mountains on the Maryland-West Virginia line at 39deg.31' North
and at a mean elevation of 2560 ft (780 meters) asl.
Precipitation is of the order of 50 inches (130 cm) a year with some falling as
150 inches (380 cm) of snow.[1] In the
1870s the wetland covered more than 1600 acres (650 hectares) but it has now
fallen in area to less than 800 acres (320 hectares). It is divided into north
and south tracts of which 300 acres (120 hectares)belong
to The Nature Conservancy.
In terms of geological structure the area falls in a breached anticline
with acore of Mississippian Pocono formation and a rimming Greenbrier Limestone
(WestVirginia Geologic and Economic Survey, 1968). Much of the complex lies abovethe limestone and so poses a challenge of
interpreting the diverse ecologicaltypes in terms of ground and surface water
movement. In general the west sideof the complex appears to be the most acid
while the east side is more underthe influence of the limestone.
Records indicate that before it was degraded by logging and other
destructiveland uses, this wetland was nearer to a true swamp than at present,
withextensive stands of Spruce, Hemlock, White Pine and Eastern Larch (Larixlaricina).
It is likely that both the decrease in area and amount offorest are a consequence of general deforestation not only of the
wetland butalso of the surrounding watershed. This degradation
is still showing itseffects, although in some respects the recovery is
occurring under moreenlightened management. The centerpiece species here is
Eastern Larch because,as far as is known, Cranesville
is the southernmost station on Earth for thisspecies. Another case in point is
the boreal herb Buckbean, which was firstdiscovered here in 1905 (Strausbaugh
and Core, 1977), but has apparently diedout since then. The same appears to
have happened to Harneds Clintonia(Clintonia
allegheniensis), a Central Appalachian endemic once foundhere.
The original forest of the bordering upland was probably
Hemlock-WhitePine-northern hardwood with an admixture of Red Spruce. Today this
forest isstill badly degraded and consists in part of alien Norway Spruce and Red Pineplantations. However there are also
recovering stands of Black Cherry, WhitePine, Hemlock, Red Maple, Black Locust
and other hardwoods. Characteristicallyof the Alleghenies, Black Cherry does
particularly well, growing straight, talland of good form. It is clear that
this enveloping forest is important to thecontinuing stability of the system
and its recovery and expansion would be ofgreat benefit and could even result
in the return of extirpated species.
Selected birds you’ll see and hear ( in
proper season and habitat ):
Ruffed Grouse
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Black-capped Chickadee
Golden-winged Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Canaan
Valley (Tucker County)
Sitting high in the Allegheny mountains in eastern Tucker County is a unique and beautiful area known as Canaan Valley, fourteen miles long and five miles wide. It the highest valley of its size east of the Rocky Mountains, with an average elevation of 3,200 feet
above sea level. The high altitude and
cool, moist climate have created a unique wetland and northern forest treasure
in Canaan Valley.
In 1994, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife purchased
land establishing Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge to maintain the
ecological diversity of the valley for future generations. Predominantly shrub
swamps and bogs, Canaan Valley's 6,700 acres of freshwater wetland area is the largest in
central and southern Appalachia. The valley's extensive ecosystem was specifically
identified as a priority for protection at the federal level under the
Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986. In recognition of the valley's
distinctive attributes, the Secretary of the Interior designated a portion of Canaan Valley a National Natural Landmark in 1974. The valley was
praised for its grandeur and magnificence and compared to Yosemite and Yellowstone
valleys.
The valley supports many unusual and rare plants, not only
for West Virginia, but for the Eastern
United States. Forty different wetland and upland plant
communities support more than 580 species of plants. In turn, the diversity of
plants and habitats support an equally varied wildlife — more than 290 species
of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. The valley provides
nationally recognized seasonal habitat for migrating woodcock and other
migratory birds. The endangered Virginia
northern flying squirrel and the threatened Cheat
Mountain salamander also find haven
at the refuge.
Selected birds you’ll see and hear ( in
proper season and habitat ):
Alder
Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Winter Wren
Hermit Thrush
Black-capped Chickadee
Golden-winged Warbler
Clay-colored Sparrow
Henslow’s Sparrow (at
nearby Fairfax Stone)
Savannah Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Bobolink
Pine Siskin
Evening Grosbeak
Cranberry Glades Wilderness (Pocahantas County)
Cranberry Wilderness is the largest USFS Wilderness east of
the Mississippi. This 35,864 acre
Wilderness is bounded on the west by an additional 26,000 acres known as the
Cranberry Backcountry. On the east, the Wilderness is bounded by the Highlands
Scenic Highway - once envisioned as being an
extended highway crossing the high mountains of the Allegheny backbone of West
Virginia. Two scenic rivers pass through the area -
the Williams River
(and more specifically, the middle fork of the Williams
River which originates in the
Wilderness) and the Cranberry. The latter is a favorite fishing local for
hundreds of fishermen. Seven three-sided Adirondak shelters are located along
the Cranberry River
and are available on a first come, first served basis. On any given weekend of
the year, they are heavily used.
One of the most unusual features
in the region is the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area, a 750 acre bog located at
the southern tip of the Wilderness - the largest in West Virginia. Bogs are acidic welands more comonly
found in the northern areas of this country and in Canada. The ground in a bog is spongy and
consists largely of partially decayed plant material known as peat. Because of its unique conditions, some unusual plants grown in
bogs, including carnivorous or insect-eating plants. These plants and
others were pushed south when glaciers covered the northern hemisphere. When
the glaciers retreated, the bog became an island ecosystem and the southern-
most point in North
America where
some of these life forms are found. A half-mile boardwalk trail leads you into
this unique area, and guided tours are also available from the Cranberry Visitor Center located just to the south.
The entire backcountry, like
virtually all of the East Coast of the United States, was clearcut by timber companies at the
turn of the century. The entire area, as is typical of most of the mountainous
regions of West
Virginia,
is criss-crossed with old railroad grades. In the 1970's, large coal deposits
were identified, and for a while, it seemed that Cranberry might become West Virginia's largest strip mine. Fortunately, in
the 1980's a portion of the backcountry was set aside as a Federally-designated
Wilderness which brought protection from man-made intrusions. However, with the
good came the bad. The Federal designation brought many new visitors to the
area to enjoy this unique area, and it's not as secluded as it once used to be.
Selected birds you’ll see
and hear ( in proper season and habitat ):
Black-billed
Cuckoo
Barred Owl
Alder
Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Least
Flycatcher
Golden-crowned
Kinglet
Winter Wren
Veery
Hermit
Thrush
Black-capped
Chickadee
Red-breasted
Nuthatch
Yellow-throated
Vireo
Blue-headed
Vireo
Chestnut-sided
Warbler
Magnolia
Warbler
Black-throated
Blue Warbler
Black-throated
Green Warbler
Northern
Waterthrush
Mourning
Warbler
Canada Warbler
Red
Crossbill (at the Visitor Center)
Dolly Sods Wilderness Area (Grant/Tucker Counties)
Dolly Sods is an area of high elevation wind-swept plains on the
Allegheny Plateau. At elevations of 2,600 to over 4,000 feet, the area has
extensive flat rocky plains, upland bogs, beaver ponds, and sweeping vistas.
The plant life and climate on this high plateau resembles northern Canada,
and many species found here are near their southernmost range.
The 10,215 acre wilderness was designated by Congress in 1975 and is
located in West Virginia's Tucker
and Randolph counties. The high plains area was once covered with 7 to 9 feet
of humus. This humus layer was formed under a red spruce/hemlock forest - a
forest where the average tree was four feet in diameter. Sadly, these
once stately giants were felled during the timber rush of the late 1800's. Hot
fires in the logging slash burned the area extensively and destroyed the
fertile humus layer. In the inhospitable climate and present rocky soil of
Dolly Sods, red spruce now struggle to attain 12" in diameter. (A story
and pictures of this logging effort can be read in PATC's article about What happened to the virgin forests of West Virginia </history/archive/virg_fst.html>.)
About the time the slash fires raged, local farmers burned the plains to
create grazing land or "sods". The pioneer Dahle family used the sods
for grazing about the turn of the century. Their German name became the present
"Dolly" of Dolly Sods. The Civilian Conservation Corps planted red
pine and other conifers in the area in the 1930's and assisted with the
construction of Forest Road 75, now the main access into the Wilderness area.
In 1993, the Nature Conservancy purchased a large tract of land just
north of the Wilderness Area from Quintana Corporation, a Texas
oil company. This key purchase dramatically expanded the high plains region,
following in a rough arc from Bear Church Rock to the north-western tip of the
present Wilderness located near Cabin
Mountain. The property has been
turned over to the USFS in two donations. It is unclear at this time whether
the property will be officially incorporated into the Dolly Sods Wilderness
proper, or remain simply as additional USFS acreage.
Selected birds you’ll see and hear ( in
proper season and habitat ):
Raptor
migration in Fall (10+ species)
Winter Wren
Veery
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Swainson’s Thrush
Philadelphia
Vireo
Tennessee Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
The Remaining Virgin Forest ( from a write up of
Andy Hiltz ) http://www.patc.net/history/archive/virg_fst.html
Surprisingly, through hook or
crook, not every last acre of virgin timber was logged in West Virginia. There are two areas where the original
forest stands tall and proud, and both can be easily visited by automobile.
Granted these areas are small, but each has an interesting story to tell.
Gaudineer Knob (Randolph County)
The first is the Monongahela National Forest Gaudineer Knob Scenic Area
located roughly roughly four miles north of Durbin, West Virginia on Route 250. How this area was
"accidentally" spared is best described in Maurice Brook's beautifully
written book, The Appalachians, available for secure on-line purchase
through PATC's online store:
"Some
years before the Civil War a speculating land company bought a tract of 69,000
acres on the slope of Shavers
Mountain.
Their tract fronted for about seven miles along the eastern side of the
mountain. To survey and mark their holdings, the company hired a crew of men
who must have found rough going in this wilderness. The crew did a good job,
but its chief forgot one thing - the fact that a compass needle points to
magnetic, not true north. In this area, the angle of declination is about four
degrees, a significant source of error on a seven-mile front."
"An experienced Virginia surveyor, in checking the data,
discovered the error, but said nothing about it. Presently however when the
sale was being concluded and the deeds recorded, he brought the error to light,
and under a sort of "doctrine of vacancy", claimed the wedge of land
left by a corrected survey. His title was established, and he and his heirs
found themselves owner of a seven-mile strip of forest, aggregating almost 900
acres. While timber above and below the wedge was cut, this narrow holding was
undisturbed."
The 130-acre Gaudineer Knob
Scenic Area tract was eventually purchased at the insistence of former
Monongahela National Forest Supervisor Arthur Wood, who believed that future
generations should know what an Appalachian spruce stand was like. I have had the
pleasure of visiting this area more than once, and you should too. There is
feeling in this small stand of huge trees hidden in the midst of the West Virginia mountains that
you can not experience anywhere else in the State.
Selected birds you’ll see
and hear ( in proper season and habitat ):
Golden-crowned
Kinglet
Winter Wren
Veery
Hermit
Thrush
Red-breasted
Nuthatch
Dark-eyed
Junco
Purple Finch
Red Crosbill
Cathedral State Park (Preston County)
The second area that missed the
bite of the lumberman's saw can be found at Cathedral
State Park. The Park encompasses an ancient hemlock
forest of majestic proportions - trees up to 90 feet in height and 21 feet in
circumference form cloisters in the park. Throughout the woods, the hemlock is
the climax species. The park has the distinction of containing the largest
hemlock tree in the state.
The woods were preserved because
of the love each owner had for this unique area. The land was eventually
purchased in 1922 by Mr. Branson Haas, a workman for the Brookside Hotel (which
is no longer standing on the site). He sold the woods to the State of West Virginia in 1942 with the stipulation that it
remain untouched by ax or saw. On October 6, 1966, Cathedral State Park was entered into the National Registry
for Natural History Landmarks, and in 1983 was recognized by the Society of
American Forestry in its National Natural Areas Program.
Cathedral State Park is small - just 133 acres - but large
enough to get a sense of what the majestic Allegheny forests must have been
like before the discovery of man. You can find the park in Preston County on U.S. Route 50, just west of the
western Maryland state line. As luck would have it, you
can also download a trail map from this page. (PC users can download a
selp-expanding "Zip-compressed" version of the TRAIL MAP 559K. If
you're a MacIntosh user, you'll need to download the Stuffit Expander
first, then download this non-executable ZIP FILE (543K).
The zip file contains a TIF image of the map at a resolution suitable for
printing.)
Selected birds you’ll see
and hear ( in proper season and habitat ):
Magnolia
Warbler
Black-throated
Blue Warbler
Canada Warbler
Out of the 10,000,000 acres of virgin forest that existed
in the State of West
Virginia
before 1750, only these 263 acres remain.
Seneca Rocks (Pendelton County)
Purchased by the federal
government in 1969, Seneca Rocks is one of the best-known landmarks in West Virginia. These rocks have long been noted as a
scenic attraction and are popular with rock climbers. The rocks are a
magnificent formation rising nearly 900 feet above the North Fork River. Eastern West Virginia contains many such formations of the
white/gray Tuscarora quartzite. Seneca Rocks and nearby Champe Rocks are among
the most imposing examples. The quartzite is approximately 250 feet thick and
is located primarily on exposed ridges as caprock or exposed crags. Five
hundred fifty million years ago a vast mountain range was located where the Atlantic Coast is today. Rivers and streams gradually
wore the mountains down carrying pebbles, sand and silt westward, dropping them
into a sea on the area now called West Virginia. For millions of years material was
washed into the sea and settled into layers on the sea floor. About 440 million
years ago, the weight of the accumulated layers compacted and cemented the
sediment into rock. The Tuscarora sandstone is one of these layers. About 275
million years ago, the earth began to buckle, gradually forming the Appalachian Mountains. As the ocean was slowly destroyed, the
underlying rock uplifted and folded creating hills and valleys. Tuscarora
sandstone was tougher than the layers and eroded more slowly, eventually
leaving the top of Seneca Rocks standing above the surrounding area.
Man has apparently been a
visitor to the area around Seneca Rocks for a long time. Some evidence suggests
that the primitive Indians of the Archaic Era may have camped at the mouth of
nearby Seneca Creek. The famous Seneca Trail followed the Potomac River, allowing the Algonquin, Tuscarora, and Seneca Indian tribes to trade
and make war.
The first European settlers
in the region appeared about 1746. At that time, West Virginia (or western Virginia as it was then) was the edge of the
great wilderness. Slowly the area was settled, disturbed by the events of the
American Revolution and the Civil War, which pitted brother against brother in
these border counties. It is unknown who
the first person was to climb Seneca Rocks. Undoubtedly Indians scaled the
rocks prior to European settlers reaching the area, but there is no record of
their ascents. The historic ascent of Paul Brandt, Don Hubbard, and Sam Moore
in 1939, found an inscription of "D.B. Sept. 16, 1908." This has been attributed to a
surveyor named Bittenger who was known to be working in the area. The
documented climbing history of the rocks began in 1935 with a roped ascent of
the North Peak by Paul Brandt and Florence Perry. In
the 1930s and 40s only a few climbers, mostly from the D.C. and Pittsburgh areas, attempted to climb Seneca Rocks.
In 1943-44 the U.S. Army used the rocks to train mountain troops for action in
the Apennines. Evidence of their climbing activities
can still be found on the rocks. Due to the hardness of the Tuscarora sandstone
formation, and the degree of climbing difficulty, Seneca Rocks offers rock
climbers a unique opportunity found nowhere else in the east. There are over
375 major mapped climbing routes, varying in degree from the easiest (5.0) to
the most difficult (5.12).Only trained and experienced rock climbers should
attempt to scale the rocks. There are two climbing schools located in the
communities of Seneca Rocks and nearby Riverton who train prospective climbers
in beginning and advanced rock climbing. The school in Riverton also offers a
climber's rescue course.
Selected birds you’ll see
and hear ( in proper season and habitat ):
Belted
Kingfisher
Blue-gray
Gnatcatcher
Yellow-throated
Vireo
Blue-headed
Vireo
Warbling
Vireo
Red-eyed
Vireo
Yellow-throated
Warbler
Cerulean
Warbler
Worm-eating
Warbler
Canada Warbler
Cooper’s Rock State Forest (Preston County)
Coopers Rock State Forest gets its name from a legend about a
fugitive who hid from the law near what is now the overlook. A cooper by trade,
he resumed making barrels at his new mountain hideout, selling them to people
in nearby communities. He lived and worked in the forest for many years. During
the Depression, between 1936 and 1942, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
built numerous structures in the forest, often using durable American chestnut
wood from trees that succumbed to a blight that nearly wiped out the species.
Eleven of these structures, including the rustic picnic shelters near the
overlook, have been included on the National Register of Historic Places.
Coopers Rock State Forest is 13 miles east of Morgantown and 8 miles west of Bruceton Mills. Its
12,713 acres are bisected by Interstate 68. Although the forest serves as a
recreation and preservation area, it has a wider range of uses. West Virginia's state forests also serve as areas of
publicly owned land for forestry research, timber management, and watershed and
wildlife protection. The side north of Interstate 68, known as the WVU Forest, makes up the forest management area
leased by the West Virginia University Division of Forestry for forestry
research, teaching, and demonstration. To the south of I-68 is the main
recreation area. Bands of rockcliffs line the Cheat River Gorge and provide
numerous overlooks. The centerpiece among these is the main overlook, which
furnishes a panorama of the gorge and distant horizons. A maze of enormous
boulders and cliffs fascinates hikers, and the trails are especially lovely in
June when the rhododendron and mountain laurel are in bloom. Several trails
wind through forest valleys and over ridges, and a number of creeks beckon the
explorer. Glade Run is damned to form a 6-acre pond that is regularly stocked
with trout. The observant hiker can hear and sometimes see squirrels,
chipmunks, hawks, owls, turkeys, turkey vulture, songbirds, fox and deer
throughout the forest.
Selected birds you’ll see
and hear ( in proper season and habitat ):
Black-capped
Chickadee
Blue-headed
Vireo
Black-throated
Blue Warbler
Black-throated
Green Warbler
Black-and-white
Warbler
Worm-eating
Warbler
Ovenbird
Hooded
Warbler
Rose-breasted
Grosbeak
Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory (Monroe County, WV)
The tower dated to 1956 when the
state built it to use as a fire lookout. In 1972, it was abandoned when planes
took over the job of spotting fires. The Handlan Chapter, Brooks Bird Club,
along with hawk watchers in Monroe County, took over its maintenance and upkeep.
By this time, neglect and vandalism had taken its toll and the tower was in
disrepair. Through a grant from the West Virginia Non-Game Wildlife Fund,
materials were obtained in 1984 to strengthen the building's floor, reroof it,
repair the deck around it, and paint it. A set of steps was erected to
facilitate tower access. The Thomas Jefferson National Forest, under George Martin, District Ranger,
furnished plastic panes to replace the broken glass. The Forest Service, Monroe County citizens and individuals, as well as
Handlan Chapter people, provided the muscle to hand carry the materials from
the road to the tower ... a one-mile trek. Major supervisions to rebuild came
from George Koch and George Hurley of the Handlan Chapter. George Flouer
coordinated much of the effort from his home in Union, W. Va. Others making major contributions
included Bob and Sally Alm and Marg Flouer of Union; Gary Bert of Waiteville; Ken Anderson
of Charleston; and the Monroe County Ruritan Clubbers.
In all, over 150 party hours were required to complete the repairs.
Prior to the tower, hawk
watchers sat on the bare rocks to tally the raptors. Earliest records start in
1952 when watchers from Charleston, Huntington, and Monroe County, principally, provided the vanguard of
the fall jaunt to the mountain. Drs. Edeburn of Marshall University and Bibby of Concord College annually
led groups of students to the mountain to tally the raptors. A group from the
Handlan Chapter spent at least one weekend there annually. With the erection of
the tower, attendance increased rapidly to several hundred daily visitors
during mid-September. Several watchers, including George
Hurley and George Flouer, have censused on the mountain almost every year since
1952.
Visitors to the site, named the
Hanging Rock Raptor Migration Observatory, in addition to helping with the count,
are told about bird migration and the value of raptors. Groups of students and
other organizations visit the area as well. Conducted tours from Pipestem and Moncove Lake State Parks visit the tower. Other visitors include
students and faculty from Virginia Tech and State University.
The trail to the tower has
identification signs on many of the shrubs and plants. This is a project headed
by Ken Anderson with major help given by Bob Alm and George Flouer. Records of
the raptors counted are published by the Hawk Migration Association of North
America and The Brooks Bird Club.
The US Forest Service acquired
the tower and surrounding land in 1983, and both were incorporated into the
adjoining Jefferson National Forest.
Selected birds you’ll see
and hear ( in proper season and habitat ):
Raptors
during migration (Aug-Nov
Migrating
warblers