Contributed by Charlene Uhl, VMN-Old Rag Chapter
Virginia has more Civil War battlefields – over 450 – than any other state. Cedar Mountain Battlefield outside of Culpeper is one of these historic battlefields. These battlefields have been preserved to ensure that future generations would know about the valor of the soldiers that fought here, and the importance of their efforts would be preserved and shared with the general public. Cedar Mountain Battlefield has added another goal: to restore the land of the battlefield to its natural habitat and encourage people to visit, become informed about the battle that occurred here, and to appreciate and appreciate the important role this land can serve in supporting nature.
Cedar Mountain Battlefield (CMB) is among the many battlefields supported by the American Battlefield Trust. It also supported by the Cedar Mountain Battlefield Foundation. In October 2024 the State of Virginia provided $3.9 million of State funding to protect the Civil War Battlefields. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation has the responsibility to work with the battlefields and oversee the use of these funds. This will support CMB’s interest to use its property for educational purposes by its own staff and community organizations such as Old Rag Master Naturalists to engage others interested in resource management, conservation and education.
The Old Rag Master Naturalists chapter has established a partnership with CMB to support its long-term commitment to remove invasive plants and plant and promote native vegetation in their place. The battlefield encompasses over 200 hundred acres that includes fields, woodlands and a small pond. The opportunity to create vernal pools is being explored.
Our common goal is to restore the natural habitat to increase pollinators, native insects, birds and other animals. Given the large acreage in open fields, there will be a focus on improving habitat for nesting birds in these fields. In our first few months of partnering with Cedar Mountain Battlefield, ORMN has installed a bluebird trail that include 8 boxes and a CMB volunteer has expressed interest in helping to monitor these boxes next year. We also plan on installing a kestrel box later this year.
ORMN volunteers have worked with CMB to begin to removing invasive plants as well as and conducting the October Big Day bird count, which engaged CMB volunteers, ORMN members, and interested citizens.
ORMN’s partnership with Cedar Mountain Battlefield is an example of how other Master Naturalists chapters could work with other Civil War battlefields around the State to promote native habitat restoration and use this “sacred ground” to educate people about both history and nature.