86: Zooming In

 S T U A R T S  D R A F T, V A    

   

   I switch my camera to up-close mode and zoom in on a hairy turd.  I’m curious to know what predator dropped this pile.  I suppose there’s a Facebook group to help, so later today I’ll post the picture to that gang for confirmation.  I’ve poked similar groups for ID help with birds, mushrooms, trees, dragonflies, and creepy insects, so I’m confident there’s an online turd-specialist out there. 

So, what leads a man to find interest in excrement?  It’s kind of a long story…

First, this 100 x 60 quest of collecting Nature Conservancy (TNC) properties is an antidote to a life otherwise spent in an office, so with openings on the calendar, I start planning additions to the collection.  The main strategy in finding collectibles is dual-searching - pairing “The Nature Conservancy” with “xyz property” to see if there’s a connection.  In today’s case, searching Cowbane and TNC matched well.  Cowbane Natural Area Preserve is a state-owned, sensitive ecological environment which actually encompasses TNC’s smaller South River Preserve.  Both properties are jointly managed by the two organizations. 

Second, securing access is necessary.  Neither property is open to the public, but by asking nicely and citing a history of engagement with TNC and the state’s conservation division, I easily garnered access which even included a sharing of the locked gate’s hidden location and security code. 

Third, accumulating master naturalist volunteer hours is worked in.  As a state-trained naturalist, I’m required to volunteer 40 hours a year.  For much of that, I turn to the antidotal outdoor activity of wildlife mapping – identifying what species exist on a Virginia property.  Hence, here I am zooming in on animal scat. 

Where that turd is lying is atop a fire road on this preserve that represents what the Shenandoah Valley used to look like – a prairie where buffalo roamed.   More specifically, the 160-acres here protect a remnant wet prairie - land that has remained undisturbed for eons.  Most of the valley has been tilled, grazed, or developed, but here at Cowbane, it’s pristinely authentic.

With permission to visit the property also came a strong plea – step only on the fire roads so as not to disturb the sensitive species that need this unique environment to thrive.  Endangered smooth coneflowers and spotted turtles, two watch-listed freshwater mussels, plus several other rare species call Cowbane home.  Hard as it is for me to stay within the lines, I do.  Even during the dormancy of winter, trampling the undisturbed environment carries risks. 

A few roads dead-end at stream crossings a bit too squishy to pass through without muck boots.   In effect, cutting off corners of the property and leaving unsolved mysteries at Cowbane.  The silver lining though is the chance to study the ethereal flowing waters’ interaction with algae, surface skimmers, and whatever else lurks within. 

At the far western edge, which is accessible by fire road, I pause to rest along the banks of the South River under perhaps the largest Sycamore tree on this protected property.  Motion and colors startle animals, so I hide still in the Sycamore’s shadow in hopes of luring in unique wildlife sightings to map.  Only the usual critters appear though.  Nonetheless, the prolonged stillness brings a deeper connection to this place.  The gurgle of the river.  The call of crows.  The whistling breezes.  The tapping of woodpeckers.  The trickle of springs.  A cacophony that represents the undisturbed history of this land that provides critical habitat for rare and endangered species… and opportunities for office workers like me to find joy zooming in on turds.

PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING TO THE NATURE CONSERVANCY BY CLICKING HERE.