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Abstract

The Dragon Run watershed encompasses 140 square miles and is home to many flora and fauna species. The brackish (containing a mixture of seawater and fresh water) water stream is fed by underground springs, surface runoff, and numerous feeding swamps. [1] In a study of 232 rivers and streams in the Chesapeake Bay, the Nature Conservancy and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation found the Dragon Run to rank second in terms of ecological significance. [2] Efforts are being made to preserve the Dragon Run, including Governor Tim Kaine’s large purchase of land in order to maintain and protect the Run’s original state.

History of the Dragon Run

The earliest record of the Dragon Run is by Captain John Smith in 1607. While on his way to meet with the Powhatan and Pocahontas, he crossed the stream and marked it on a map. Later, many settlers came from England to settle in Virginia. Some settled in the Dragon Run watershed and ancestors of those original settlers still own land there today. The first time the area was noted as “Dragon Swamp” was in 1673 by cartographer Augustine Herman. It is believed that the Pamunkeys used the swamp as a hiding spot during Bacon's Rebellion. John Clayton (botanist), studied the area in 1773 and found over 800 species of native plant species and discovered 2 new species; Claytonia virginica and Osmunda claytoniana. The John Clayton Herbarium can still be found in London’s Natural History Museum, including plants from the Dragon Run. During the Civil War, County Clerk P.T. Woodward reportedly prevented important Confederate documents from falling into Union hands by hiding them on an island in the Dragon Run. More recently, brothers James V. Morgan and Harvey B. Morgan have taken a stand in perserving the Run by organizing the Friends of the Dragon Run. James Morgan took the lead in preservation by buying out some of the land and building canoe trails for people to explore. [3]

Location



Dragon Run Swamp is located in four counties in the Virginia Middle Peninsula encompassing a total of 140 square miles (90,000 acres). These counties are Essex County, Virginia, King and Queen County, Virginia, Middlesex County, Virginia, and Gloucester County, Virginia. The Dragon Run flows into the Piankatank River. . [4]

Flora and Fauna



The Dragon Run Swamp is home to many fish species. At the top of the Dragon Run where the river is nothing but a stream surrounded by swamps and marshes one can expect to find chain pickerel, warmouth sunfish, bowfin, redbreast sunfish, and white catfish. Once past the beaver dams and logjams one will being to approach the lower part of the Dragon run. This area is filled with migratory fish that only come into the area in the spring to spawn such as American shad, hickory shad, alewife herring, blueback herring, and striped bass. Other fish that reside in the lower reaches of the Dragon are channel catfish, white catfish, chain pickerel, largemouth bass, several varieties of sunfish, yellow perch, and white perch. [5] The Dragon Run also houses rookeries for egrets and herons. [6] Beavers, white tail deer, otters, muskrats, raccoons, wood ducks, bald eagles, ospreys, hawks, herons, owls, Prothonotary Warbler all call the Dragon Run home.

The Dragon run is also abundant with beautiful flora. This masterpiece created by nature boasts violets ( Viola (plant)), turtlehead, mountain laurel, wild Iris (plant) , cardinal flowers ( Lobelia cardinalis), royal ferns ( Osmunda regalis), pawpaw, shad bushes ( Amelanchier), wild plum, mistletoe, old man’s beard ( Usnea), bullhead lilies, pickerel weeds ( Pontederia), wild rice, duck potatos ( Sagittaria), and cattails. The swamp is a heavily timbered area with pumpkin ash, gum, sycamore, river birch, red maple, dogwood, and huge bald cypress trees adorning every twist and turn the river takes.

Preserving the Dragon Run

Many efforts have been put into place to preserve and protect the Dragon Run watershed. Under Governor Tim Kaine, Virginia and The Nature Conservancy purchased 4,188-acres of the Dragon Run in order to conserve it and protect its wildlife. Preservation must be a collective effort in order for the Dragon Run to remian a natural conservatory to be enjoyed by many in the coming decades.


Friends of the Dragon run

Friends of the Dragon Run are local citizens who donate money and time to help preserve the natural state of the swamp. They have purchased a 203-acre tract of the swampland and works to manage the area and keep its natural beauty. Through example, the organization hopes to protect and preserve the watershed for public enjoyment and education. Friends of the Dragon Run emphasize practices including the use of no-till farming, filter strips, reforestation, contour plowing, and sensitive timbering techniques in and around the Dragon Run.

References

  1. ^ "Virginia’s Most Pristine Water Body." Web. 30 Oct. 2009. < http://virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/dragonrun.html>.
  2. ^ Landon, Carolyne D. "The Dragon Run Story." Landonstudios home. The Nature Conservancy 2007. Web. 30 Oct. 2009. < http://www.landonstudios.com/The_Dragon_Run_Story.html>.
  3. ^ Landon, Carolyne D. "The Dragon Run Story." Landonstudios home. The Nature Conservancy 2007. Web. 30 Oct. 2009. < http://www.landonstudios.com/The_Dragon_Run_Story.html>.
  4. ^ "Virginia’s Most Pristine Water Body." Web. 30 Oct. 2009. < http://virginiaplaces.org/watersheds/dragonrun.html>.
  5. ^ "Dragon Run / Piankatank River." Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. 2009. Web. 02 Nov. 2009. < http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/waterbodies/display.asp?id=168>.
  6. ^ http://www.mppdc.com/dragon/docs/StateofDragon_brochure.pdf
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