Shenandoah National Park
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| Shenandoah | |
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Missing image Map_of_USA_Locator_Shenandoah.png image:Map_of_USA_Locator_Shenandoah.png | |
| Designation | National Park |
| Location | West Central Virginia, United States |
| Nearest cities | Front Royal, Virginia, Luray, Virginia, Waynesboro, Virginia |
| Coordinates | Template:Coor dm |
| Area | 199,017 acres 80,539 ha |
| Visitation | 1,511,016 (2002) |
| Date of establishment | Authorized May 22, 1926, established December 26, 1935 |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| IUCN category | II (National Park) |
Shenandoah National Park encompasses part of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Piedmont region of Virginia. The national park is long and narrow, with the broad Shenandoah River and valley on the west side, and the rolling hills of the Virginia Piedmont on the east. Almost 40 % of the land area (79,579 acres or 322 km²) has been designated as Wilderness and is protected as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. The highest peak is Hawksbill Mountain at 4,051 feet (1,235 m).
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Attractions
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The park is best known for the Skyline Drive, a 105 mile (169 km) road that runs the entire length of the park along the ridge of the mountains. The drive is particularly popular in the fall when the leaves are changing colors. 101 miles (162 km) of the Appalachian Trail are also in the park. In total, there are over 500 miles (800 km) of trails within the park. There is also horseback riding, camping, bicycling, and many waterfalls.
Biology
The climate of the park is typical eastern mid-Atlantic woodland and only the highest points of the mountains show much change or alteration of typical flora and fauna species as might be found at sea level. On southwestern faces of some of the southernmost hillsides pine predominates and there is also the occasional prickly pear cactus which grows naturally. In contrast, some of the northeastern aspects are most likely to have small but dense stands of moisture loving Hemlocks and mosses in abundance. Other commonly found plants include oak, hickory, chestnut, maple, tulip poplar, mountain laurel, milkweed, daisies, and many species of ferns. The once predominant American Chestnut tree was brought to extinction inadvertently by a fungus known as the Chestnut blight during the 1930's. Though the American Chestnut tree continues to grow in the park, it does not reach maturity and dies back before it can reproduce. Various species of Oaks superseded the Chestnuts and became the dominant tree species. Gypsy moth infestations beginning in the early 1990's began to erode the dominance of the oak forests as the moths would primarily consume the leaves of oak trees. Though the Gypsy moths seem to have abated some, they continue to affect the forest and have destroyed almost 10 percent of the oak groves.
- Mammals include Whitetailed deer, black bear, bobcat, raccoon, skunk, opossum, groundhog, gray fox, and eastern cottontail rabbit. Though unsubstantiated, there have some reported sightings of mountain lion in remote areas of the park.
- Over 200 species of birds make their home in the park for at least part of the year. About thirty live in the park year round, including barred owls, Carolina chickadees, Red-tailed Hawks, and wild turkeys. The Peregrine Falcon was reintroduced into the park in the mid 1990's and by the end of the 20th century there were numerous nesting pairs in the park.
- Thirty-two species of fish have been documented in the park, including brook trout, longnose and blacknose dance, and the bluehead chub.
Waterfalls
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Missing image Rose_river_falls_20030906_145007_1.jpg Rose River falls Missing image Jones_run_falls_20050520_152218_1.jpg Jones Run falls |
History
Shenandoah was authorized in 1926 and fully established on December 26, 1935. Prior to being a park, much of the area was farmland and there are still remnants of old farms in several places. The state of Virginia slowly acquired the land from landowners and then gave it to the U.S. Government provided it would be designated a National Park.
In the creation of the park and the Skyline Drive, a number of families and entire communities were required to vacate portions of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Many residents in the 500 homes in eight affected counties of Virginia were vehemently opposed to losing their homes and communities. Most of the families removed came from Madison County, Page County, and Rappahannock County.
The development of the park and the Skyline Drive created badly needed jobs for many Virginians during the Great Depression. Nearly 90% of the inhabitants worked the land for a living. Many worked in the apple orchards in the valley and in areas near the eastern slopes. The work to create the National Park and the Skyline Drive began following a terrible drought in 1930 which destroyed the crops of many families in the area who farmed in the mountainous terrain, as well as many of the apple orchards were they worked picking crops. Nevertheless, it remains a fact that they were displaced, often against their will, and even for a very few who managed to stay, their communities were lost. A little-known fact is that, while some families were removed by force, a few others (who mostly had also become difficult to deal with) were allowed to stay after their properties were acquired, living in the park until nature took its course and they gradually died. The last to die was Annie Lee Bradley Shenk who died in 1979 at age 92. Most of the people displaced left their homes quietly. According to the Virginia Historical Society, eighty-five-year-old Hezekiah Lam explained, "I ain't so crazy about leavin' these hills but I never believed in bein' ag'in (against) the Government. I signed everythin' they asked me." [1] (http://www.vahistory.org/shenandoah.html) The lost communities and homes were a price paid for one of the country's most beautiful National Parks and scenic roadways.
U.S. President Herbert Hoover selected a spot on the Rapidan River for what would become a 164 acre (664,000 m²) presidential retreat, Camp Hoover.
See also
External links
- Official site: Shenandoah National Park (http://www.nps.gov/shen/)
- NASA Earth Observatory pages on Shenandoah National Park: [2] (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16293), [3] (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=11275)
- Photos of Shenandoah National Park - Terra Galleria (http://www.terragalleria.com/parks/np.shenandoah.html)