Welcome to Old Rag Chapter
Serving the Virginia counties of Culpeper, Rappahannock, Madison, Greene,
and the western portions of Fauquier and Orange
Montpelier's Working Woods Walk
by Adam Downing with foreword by Pat Temples, 2012-04-02
Members of the Old Rag and
Central Rappahannock Chapters of Master Naturalists have spent over a year
creating a Working Woods Walk at Montpelier.
In the group there are now a number of knowledgeable leaders. One of the project goals has been to create a
script covering the important features of the woods that can be shared with other
Master Naturalists who are interested in becoming guides. Additionally, one of ORMN’s own members, Joy
Andrews, created a Smart Phone app that allows visitors to learn about fifteen
different trees on the property and to connect to the Virginia Tech website for
more in-depth information. This is cutting edge technology in the world of
naturalist activities, as well as on historic properties in Virginia. The first Working Woods Walk of 2012 will be
held on Sunday, April 15 at 2pm, and MN can receive advanced training hours for
participating. Please read the excellent
press release written by Adam Downing of the Madison Extension Service.
CONTACT:
Adam K. Downing, Extension Agent
Forestry & Natural Resources - Northern District
Virginia
Cooperative Extension, Madison
County
War Memorial Building, 2nd floor, Main St.
P.O. Box
10; Madison,
VA 22727
Phone: (540)948.6881
Fax: (540)948.6883
E-mail: adowning@vt.edu
Confluence of the Constitution, Trees & Technology
The vision of forest sustainability, as imagined by
President James Madison from his Montpelier Estate, stood in contrast to the
wanton resource extraction he observed in the early 1800’s. Today, those same forests have not only
recovered and are sustainability managed but now also boast the Commonwealth’s
first Smart Phone Tree ID Trail.
Montpelier’s “Working Woods Walk” guides visitors through
part of the “Big Woods” to a loop trail that explores various conservation
management practices based on today’s best forest science. A new element of the
walk features a technology enhanced Tree ID experience using common smart phone
technology. According to Adam Downing, a
forester with Virginia Cooperative Extension, “This is the first ID trail using
QR codes in Virginia that I know of.” QR
codes are a sort of three dimensional barcode embedded with additional
information.
Virginia Master Naturalists worked with resource
professionals from Virginia Cooperative Extension and Montpelier to assess the
technology, develop content and locate representative tree specimens. “Anyone with
a smart phone can access additional information about the tree’s historical use
and a link to Virginia Tech’s Tree ID Website,” according to Joy Andrews, who
led the project and is a Certified Master Naturalist from the Old Rag
Chapter. Others can enjoy the trail with
limited visual impact from ID signage that doesn’t distract.
The public is invited to explore the “Working Woods” at
James Madison’s Montpelier for the first Working Woods Walk of 2012 slated for Sunday,
April 15, at 2:00. The two hour tour
will start at the visitor’s center and proceed with a short walk through
Montpelier’s “Big Woods” to a newer loop trail that explores various
conservation management practices based on today’s best forest science. Discover how “Working Woods” work for you by participating in a
Master Naturalist led tour of Montpelier’s Working Woods. Regular entry fees
apply.
Montpelier’s “Working Woods” is
a cooperative project by: The Montpelier Foundation, Virginia Master
Naturalists, Virginia Cooperative Extension, The Society of American Foresters,
Virginia Department of Forestry, the Ballyshannon Fund, Virginia’s Sustainable
Forestry Initiative Implementation Committee, Virginia Tech’s College of
Natural Resources and Environment as partners in Virginia’s LEAF (Link to
Education About Forestry) program.
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Old Rag Mountain in summer and winter.
Left photo ©Carl Zitzmann; right photo ©Pam Owen |
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