The Nature Conservancy
Mission: “To conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.” (TNC)
Vision: “A world where the diversity of life thrives, and people act to conserve nature for its own sake and its ability to fulfill our needs and enrich our lives” (TNC)
Born out of a void in organized ecological efforts in the 1950s United States, the Nature Conservancy pursues its mission through extensive land acquisitions and conservation easements globally. Teams of ecologists, botanists, biologists etc. collaborate on regional and landscape specific conservation programming. There are on the ground operations in over 80 countries, with a presence in all 50 of the United States. In Virginia, specifically, priority landscapes include the Chesapeake Bay, Allegheny Highlands and Pinelands. The Virginia Pinelands program operates within the watershed of the Blackwater River to protect the ancient cypress swamps and its associated pine savannas. This part of Virginia is the northernmost extent of the range for both the Longleaf Pine forests and Bald Cypress swamps. Conservation of these habitat types ensures access to critical habitat for endangered species and continued cultural relationships. (TNC, n.d.)
Piney Grove Preserve
Savanna in bloom at Piney Grove (Clontz, n.d.)
Piney Grove is over 3000 acres in Sussex County, VA and its conservation priorities are the protection and restoration of SE Virginia’s historic pine savanna ecosystems. The longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) once dominated an estimated 90 million acres across the SE United States prior to European colonization. Its qualities as a forestry product were invaluable to early trade and resulted in the extensive harvesting regimes that reduced its population significantly. By 1840 there were no longer reports of longleaf pine export products, indicating an exhausted resource. Additional causes include: feral hog damage, removal of fire from the landscape and habitat loss to agriculture (USDA, n.d.).
One of the endangered species that depend on the longleaf pine habitat is the red cockaded woodpecker (RCW). In 2001, restoration efforts began by releasing RCW from the Carolinas into Piney Grove to supplement the waning local population of only two breeding pairs. Over the past 20 years, conservation work has been successful enough to stabilize the population of RCW in Piney Grove enough to support populations at neighboring wildlife management areas (TNC, n.d.). As of October of 2024 the RCW was downlisted from endangered to threatened, reflecting the powerful effects of ecosystem scale restoration (USFWS, 2024).
Resources
Meyers, R. (n.d.) Longleaf Pine in Virginia: History, Ecology and Restoration. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved November 15, 2024. https://www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/llp_myers.pdf
The Nature Conservancy. (n.d.) The Virginia Pinelands Program. The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved October 5, 2024. https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/virginia/stories-in-virginia/virginia-pinelands-program/
The Nature Conservancy. (n.d.) Piney Grove Preserve. The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved October 5, 2024. https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/piney-grove-preserve/
United States Fish and Wildlife Services. (2024). Downlisting of the Red Cockaded Woodpecker from Endangered to Threatened. United States Fish and Wildlife Services. Retrieved November 15, 2024. https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2024-10/downlisting-red-cockaded-woodpecker-endangered-threatened