The Wetlands

 The Wetlands

Located in Richmond, Virginia

The site I will be focusing my research on this semester is known as "The Wetlands" and it is located along the James River in Richmond, Virginia. The Wetlands are managed as part of the James River Parks system, and its primary purpose is to provide habitat to local wildlife (namely migratory bird populations) and to provide outdoor recreational opportunities to visitors. The site offers a variety of hiking/biking trails and a boat ramp, which makes this a popular spot for visitors. However, Richmond locals will know that this spot is a bit different than parks such as Pony Pasture or Belle Isle, as it receives much less visitation and is generally cleaner in terms of pollution. 

I chose this location to research due to its importance as a biodiversity island in Richmond. This site is unique as it provides a variety of habitats for local wildlife in the Richmond area, including a pond, grasslands, hardwood forests, and riparian habitat, despite its relatively small geographic footprint. Because of the variety of features available to wildlife here, it's a popular place to birdwatch and it has been known to provide temporary refuge to migratory birds, especially waterfowl. Therefore, I believe the conservation and further productive management of this site is very important and I will continue to explore the value of this site through my research this semester.

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The Wetlands: Mapped using ArcGIS Online

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   The Wetlands: Boundaries and Habitats This map was created by me using an ArcGIS online polygon sketch, which I often find to be a useful tool in outlining properties/watersheds.  This map above outlines the boundary of The Wetlands park in Richmond Virginia. The dark green layer is a forested wetland habitat, the light green is an emergent wetland or grassland habitat, and the blue layer is a freshwater pond habitat. The entire site, based on my sketch, is about 45 acres of habitat which is protected under a conservation easement. The Wetlands: National Wetlands Inventory Layer This map was created by merging an NWI layer with my previous outline of The Wetlands boundaries. The map above shows the National Wetlands Inventory layer adopted from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. From this layer, I found there to be three different primary wetland habitats: Forested Wetland, Emergent Wetland, and Freshwater Pond. The green layer overlapping the NWI layer is the boundar...
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