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Friday, January 1, 2021
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Watershed Threats- Recreation
Pughs Run experiences threats related primarily to grazing livestock, agricultural runoff from chemicals used on crops as well as livestock waste. One threat that continues to affect watersheds around the world is recreation. Although Pughs Run doesn't experience recreational activity-related issues, it drains into the Shenandoah River, which is a watershed that has a lot of recreational activities occurring on/in it throughout the year.
The Shenandoah River is known as a hotspot for canoeing, tubing and kayaking enthusiasts. Recreational activities of this nature occur on both the North and South Fork of the Shenandoah River, however the biggest difference between the two is that the South Fork is commercialized and the North Fork is primarily private land.
As a result of the high amount of foot traffic that occurs on the Shenandoah, there tends to be a noticeable amount of pollution in terms of trash and other debris. There are river cleanup projects that some 4-H Clubs in the area perform as part of their yearly service projects, but unfortunately that usually isn't enough. Any time I go kayaking, I try to collect any debris that I see floating around and properly dispose of it once I'm back at home. I have a few friends with river property that take wonderful care of their banks, but not everyone does as great of a job as those property owners.
Another issue with recreational activities is soil erosion on the banks of the Shenandoah River. Soil erosion can occur from landowners removing trees and shrubs to create picnic areas, "put in" and "take out" points for canoes and kayaks, and sometimes simply for aesthetics to have a view of the river from their house. Soil erosion is negative for the environment because wildlife and aquatic life in the rivers lose natural habitat as well as shade from the sun. When shade is removed, it heats up the water, causing issues with the aquatic environment. It then becomes difficult for fish, frogs, etc. to reproduce successfully, meaning that they move to cooler areas which creates algea growth in their previously inhabited environment.
The Shenandoah River is known as a hotspot for canoeing, tubing and kayaking enthusiasts. Recreational activities of this nature occur on both the North and South Fork of the Shenandoah River, however the biggest difference between the two is that the South Fork is commercialized and the North Fork is primarily private land.
As a result of the high amount of foot traffic that occurs on the Shenandoah, there tends to be a noticeable amount of pollution in terms of trash and other debris. There are river cleanup projects that some 4-H Clubs in the area perform as part of their yearly service projects, but unfortunately that usually isn't enough. Any time I go kayaking, I try to collect any debris that I see floating around and properly dispose of it once I'm back at home. I have a few friends with river property that take wonderful care of their banks, but not everyone does as great of a job as those property owners.
Another issue with recreational activities is soil erosion on the banks of the Shenandoah River. Soil erosion can occur from landowners removing trees and shrubs to create picnic areas, "put in" and "take out" points for canoes and kayaks, and sometimes simply for aesthetics to have a view of the river from their house. Soil erosion is negative for the environment because wildlife and aquatic life in the rivers lose natural habitat as well as shade from the sun. When shade is removed, it heats up the water, causing issues with the aquatic environment. It then becomes difficult for fish, frogs, etc. to reproduce successfully, meaning that they move to cooler areas which creates algea growth in their previously inhabited environment.
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Dendrology
This powerpoint presentation includes tree and shrub identification for the Pughs Run watershed in Shenandoah County. I took a few of the pictures on a 500-acre farm down the road from where I live. There were a number of different trees and shrubs surrounding the stream, but I only took pictures of the ones that I could positively identify.
This particular farm is involved in cost-share projects with the Lord Fairfax Soil and Water Conservation District (LFSWCD). The landowner has decided to fence out the stream from access to cattle to preserve the health of the watershed and it's ecosystem by providing a riparian buffer. Pughs Run winds through a majority of the pastures that the cattle are rotated through. At this time, the cattle have access to about 45%-50% of the stream.
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Pughs Run
Pughs Run is a perennial stream that runs through a significant amount of forest on its way down the mountain from its point of origin. Once the stream enters the western portion of the Shenandoah Valley, it primarily runs through farmland. The farmland consists of both pastures for grazing livestock and land for crops.
There are certain programs offered by the state of Virginia (and other states as well, but for the purpose of this project we will focus only on Virginia) to create riparian buffers. Examples of these programs are called Best Management Practices (BMP) and are implemented by Conservation Districts in cooperation with producers in the area. Pughs Run is within the Lord Fairfax Soil and Water Conservation District (LFSWCD) and has been fenced out in certain areas to create riparian buffers. Riparian buffers help repair stream banks, filter nutrients from pastures and cropland and provide natural habitat to native flora and fauna. LFSWCD requires buffer starting from the stream's edge and continuing out toward the farmland of 35-feet.
Multiple springs and drainage's contribute to the creation of this meandering stream. Although there are no significant tributaries, there are certainly a couple of small springs that drain into Pughs Run before it enters the Shenandoah River. The Shenandoah Valley is known for a large amount of natural springs due to the limestone topography and relatively high water table.
There are certain programs offered by the state of Virginia (and other states as well, but for the purpose of this project we will focus only on Virginia) to create riparian buffers. Examples of these programs are called Best Management Practices (BMP) and are implemented by Conservation Districts in cooperation with producers in the area. Pughs Run is within the Lord Fairfax Soil and Water Conservation District (LFSWCD) and has been fenced out in certain areas to create riparian buffers. Riparian buffers help repair stream banks, filter nutrients from pastures and cropland and provide natural habitat to native flora and fauna. LFSWCD requires buffer starting from the stream's edge and continuing out toward the farmland of 35-feet.
Multiple springs and drainage's contribute to the creation of this meandering stream. Although there are no significant tributaries, there are certainly a couple of small springs that drain into Pughs Run before it enters the Shenandoah River. The Shenandoah Valley is known for a large amount of natural springs due to the limestone topography and relatively high water table.
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