Department of Conservation and Recreation
Conserve. Protect. Enjoy.
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Virginia’s working farms and forests, battlefields and other historic sites, natural areas, parks and rivers are critical to its economy, culture and quality of life. In 1999, the assembly and governor established the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation (VLCF) to fund protection of these resources. The interactive map below depicts VLCF-grant projects funded since 2000.
| Name: | Poor Mountain Natural Area Preserve - Northeast Addition (FY22) |
|---|---|
| Category: | Natural Area Preservation |
| Grant Round: | FY22 |
| Acres: | 78.00 |
| Locality: | Roanoke County |
| Management Agency: | Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation |
| Owner: | State |
| ConserveVirginia: | Natural Habitat & Ecosystem Diversity, Protected Landscapes Resilience |
| Amount Awarded: | $236,847.00 |
| Applicant: | Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation - Natural Heritage Program |
| Latitude: | 37.246641 |
| Longitude: | -80.082722 |
| Description: | DCR’s Natural Heritage Division utilized a VLCF grant to acquire a 78-acre tract to improve the resiliency of Poor Mountain Natural Area Preserve in Roanoke County. These acres, which support intact forest in a mapped ecological core, a headwater stream/tributary of the Roanoke River, a drinking water spring used for several generations, and a viewshed observed from Salem and southwest Roanoke and users of the Appalachian Trail, were highly vulnerable to development. The existing pine-oak heath habitat is prone to high-intensity natural fires that are difficult to control, so minimizing wildland-urban interface here will provide multiple benefits to people and natural resources. The tract supports a globally imperiled species known as Pirate Bush (Buckleya distichophylla) and facilitates protection of the world’s largest population of this rare species. In addition, the tract provides significant buffer and creates a management boundary along a portion of the preserve. |
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