Short Hills Wetlands and Purgatory Mountain
The Shenandoah Valley Conservancy successfully acquired funding to support the purchase of a 788-acre conservation easement over 788 acres on Virginia’s Short Hills Mountain. The property will be protected in perpetuity via a conservation easement granted to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. The Property is an exceptional conservation opportunity, with 656 acres of high-quality forest, dozens of springs, the headwaters of Cedar Creek, and a 100-acre wetland complex. A haven of diversity, this now conserved property contains multiple natural heritage resources, including Virginia's largest and best example of a globally vulnerable and state imperiled plant species; a globally imperiled seepage swamp community; two and a half miles of designated Brook Trout stream; prime habitat for the golden winged warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera, Tier 1); and headwaters that are a state recognized conservation site. The Property’s 656 acres of forests have an “Outstanding” Forest Conservation Value, with many trees estimated to be hundreds of years old. This is supported by the estimated 3.9 million board feet of timber on the Property, indicating a long period of growth with little impact from harvest. The easement prohibits commercial timber harvest for the long-term protection of forests and their ability to sequester carbon, maintain critical habitat, and sustain regional biodiversity. The success of this project is an important victory for conservation.