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Wildlife preserve continues to grow

October 23, 2009 12:58 pm

By RUSTY DENNEN

There's a nature preserve near Fredericksburg as large as the region's four Civil War battlefields combined.

Yet the 13-year-old Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge--two dozen parcels totaling about 8,500 acres along 65 miles of the river below Fredericksburg--is still relatively unknown.

Refuge Manager Joseph McCauley is trying to change that as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service continues to acquire land and conservation easements toward its goal of 20,000 acres. The refuge is the newest of four that constitute the Eastern Virginia Rivers National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

"We did have a good amount of support coming in. People realize what a special place the Rappahannock River is, especially those who live and grew up here," said McCauley, who has been in charge of the refuge since it opened.

He acknowledges that some landowners were skeptical initially, thinking the government would use eminent domain to obtain land (it doesn't, only acquiring land or easements from willing sellers) and that it would hasten the loss of agricultural land along the river.

A group of Northern Neck farmers in 2003 raised concerns about the latter point, adding that refuge lands were becoming havens for crop-devouring deer.

McCauley said he's sensitive to those issues while keeping the larger goal of the refuge front and center. Farmers, he said, often come to the point where they opt for preservation rather than selling their land to developers.

"There were some challenges getting people to believe what we're saying, and we've done what we said we're going to do."

He added, "When we first got here people were saying that we're just locking up the land" without opening any public-use areas.

Now there's fishing, hunting, canoe and kayak launch areas, an education center and trails on some parcels, with more on the way. Some tracts are closed to public use.

"We have six priority uses: environmental education, fishing and hunting, interpretation, wildlife observation and nature photography," he said. "We now offer [access] opportunities for all six priorities."

CRITICAL CHOICE

McCauley said that before any land was acquired, biologists studied the watershed to identify the most valuable areas for wildlife, habitat and natural resources.

The refuge's first property, in 1996, was the 1,112-acre Tayloe tract on Cat Point Creek in Richmond County, donated by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Next came the 41-acre Styer tract and 365-acre Toby's Point tract in King George County in 1998-99.

In April 1999, it bought the 974-acre Wilna parcel in Richmond County, which included a large 1800s-era farmhouse that became the refuge headquarters. The house is undergoing renovations, so refuge offices have been moved temporarily to a building in Warsaw.

Over the next decade, the refuge purchased land and conservation easements on another 20 tracts, from north of Port Royal to the southern tip of Richmond County. Money comes from conservation agencies such as the Trust for Public Land, the Conservation Fund and grants.

"We rely on the patience and understanding of landowners to stick with us, and that's where our partners come in," McCauley said. "The Trust for Public Land and the Conservation Fund have helped us enormously to bridge the span from a willing seller and agreed-upon price" to funding.

The trust expects to close soon on nearly 500 acres along Farnham Creek in Richmond County. McCauley said negotiations are active on other parcels.

In some of the transactions, land trusts have stepped in as interim holders of the parcels until the refuge can get the funding.

The smallest tract in the refuge, six acres, is in Richmond County. The Tayloe tract is the largest. There is land in seven counties--King George, Caroline, Westmoreland, Richmond, Lancaster, Essex and Middlesex.

VALUABLE HABITAT

That the refuge parcels are not contiguous is deliberate.

"There's valuable habitat spread out along the river. Different pieces are valuable for different species," McCauley said.

For example, waterfowl prefer big marshes; geese feed on upland fields. Bald eagles congregate along forested ridges and bluffs. When the refuge was first proposed, biologists were looking for "natural resource concentration" areas. The staff is working on a draft conservation plan that is up for public review.

Landowner Mark Winters was drawn to the refuge for several reasons.

He set up a conservation easement on about 140 acres in Richmond County known as Sexton Hill. He's creating a second easement on a larger, adjacent tract.

He got the idea from the nearby Menokin Foundation, which created a conservation easement with the refuge on 500 acres nearby.

"I said hmm, this is a good way to generate income and to preserve and protect the land" said Winters, who inherited the property and lives in Maryland. "I've been going down there since I was a kid. I've fished and hunted all my life, and I felt the urge to put back a little something."

Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, has been a supporter of the refuge and helped secure funds to bring in land along Cat Point Creek.

"The whole Cat Point Creek watershed is one of the most diverse in the state," said Wittman, who years ago was among founders of the Cat Point Creek Watershed Committee.

"We did a lot of different projects--counting beaver dams and finding ways to improve fish passage. We did a lot of work there," said Wittman, who did his share of hunting and fishing on the creek.

"You can push in a canoe and go down the whole watershed. It's pretty much unspoiled."

BEST-KEPT SECRET

In September, Wittman backed the purchase of easements on 1,246 acres on Cat Point Creek with $3.5 million in grants and matching donations. He is a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, Migratory Bird Committee and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force.

"It's one of the best-kept secrets around," Wittman said of the refuge. "There's an amazing amount of diversity there."

Of the 8,500 acres, almost 1,700 are in conservation easements that permanently restrict most types of development.

The refuge has an annual operating budget of about $820,000. But with money tight, it relies heavily on volunteers to help with maintenance, construction and other tasks.

"The refuge is understaffed, and they have this huge mission of things they need to do," said Ann Graziano, president of the five-year-old Rappahannock Wildlife Refuge Friends group, which has about 80 members. Her husband, Frank, is treasurer.

"We've got people giving 20 to 30 hours a week" in volunteer services, she said. "My husband mows grass at two spots three times a week."

The friends spent a lot of time recently on the Hutchinson tract, 727 acres on Mount Landing Creek in Essex County. They built kiosks and a pavilion, and helped the Boy Scouts build trails. They planted a garden at Wilna, installed signs and had volunteers working at other sites.

"As a group we have projects, like a canoe and kayak ramp" and trails at Hutchinson, and obtaining grants for interpretive brochures, Graziano said.

She said word is getting out about the refuge, though some of the parcels are remote. About 125 people showed up for an open house at Hutchinson in May.

The Grazianos live adjacent to Wilna. When their neighbor who owned the land died, it went to the refuge.

That piqued their interest, and they attended an organizational meeting for the friends group, she said.

"We would rather be involved in their mission than on the sidelines. We know that property is always going to be preserved."

Rusty Dennen: 540/374-5431
Email: rdennen@freelancestar.com