Conservation
“This forest drains directly into the Shenandoah River, feeds water into the Chesapeake Bay, and contributes to the health of the regional landscape. It is a landscape important to wildlife as well as humans, and helps moderate drought, flooding, rising temperatures, and other threats associated with climate change.”
~ from the RRC Forest Stewardship Plan.
Our goals are to protect and preserve the land, nurture a thriving, resilient, diverse ecosystem, enhance the capacity of the land to sequester carbon, improve wildlife habitat, and support watershed health.
VOLUNTEER
We humans can have a positive impact on nature. We can take time to honor earth’s gifts by giving back as much as we receive. On volunteer days, we work together building reciprocity with nature and community with each other.
With the help of volunteers, we have planted native trees and shrubs, done riparian restoration work by the big waterfall, built stream crossings, installed erosion prevention measures on trails, and removed countless invasive species.
Please provide us your contact information to be informed about voluteer opportunities by clicking the button below.
To view upcoming volunteer opportunity see our calender by clicking below:
FOREST STEWARDSHIP PLAN
In 2015, the Rolling Ridge Conservancy commissioned a Forest Stewardship Plan to assess the health and well-being of the land and provide recommendations for responsible care and mitigation against increasing environmental stresses. A brief overview of the 114-page document highlights some of the issues and recommendations.
REGENERATIVE FOREST MANAGEMENT
In 2024 Rolling RIdge Conservancy worked with a forester to selectively timber portions of our woods to mimic natural disturbances like a forest fire or severe windstorm.
Healthy ecosystems benefit from disturbances that introduce diversity of tree age, species and habitat.
Our selective timbering favors the regeneration of oaks as a foundational tree for the functioning of this eastern forest.
Over time, look for improved health of the overall forest including its understory, forest floor, and wildlife habitat.
STRATEGIC VISION
Priorities listed in our 2022-2027 Strategic Vision document that pertain to conservation goals:
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Hire a land steward to monitor the health and needs of the forest, soil, waterways, and wildlife; coordinate and mobilize volunteers to implement conservation practices and tasks; maintain trails and boundaries; monitor land for safety and respectful use and work with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Clark County to monitor easements.
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Implement selective, honorable timber harvesting practices to open canopy areas, improve wildlife habitat, and build resilience.
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Create a land stewardship guide for partner organizations, residents, and volunteers.
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Evaluate existing trail system to ensure that no trails cross vulnerable wilderness areas and create new trails where appropriate
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Renew, revise, and update conservation easements to consolidate protections, strengthen defensibility, and reflect partner organization transitions.
NATURAL HISTORY
Anna Hess spent a year from the end of August 2001 to the end of August 2002 at Rolling Ridge inventorying the plants and animals found on the property. Her summary of that year of fieldwork is a valuable insight into the natural history of Rolling Ridge Conservancy.
Rolling Ridge Conservancy plans to conduct further surveys of the flora and fauna here. We hope to show how this land has been returning to the mountain woodland that nature provides us.
PAST PROJECTS
