Be Mindful of Our Gifts

Our National Parks are indeed a treasure, and to have two within a short drive from Washington  DC is truly a gift of Nature! Just 75 miles west of DC lies Shenandoah National Park, a sprawling 20,000 acres of protected land and only 15 miles outside the city limits sits Great Falls National Park, 800 forested acres that is home to a huge population of native Virginian fauna and flora.

Great Falls from the Virginia Side of the Potomac River

Great Falls is steeped in history and abundant in beauty.  There is evidence that the area has been populated by humans for over 12,000 years. Great Falls was a place to trade and fish, an area known for commerce and recreation. Algonquin names for the river meant "great trading place" or "place where people trade."

As the Potomac River gains speed and rushes over a series of steep, jagged rocks, a landscape of incredible beauty and power is created. As millions of gallons of water flow through  narrow Mather Gorge a playground for kayakers and a feeding spot  for over 150 different species of birds emerges.

  

Whitetail deer, fox, box turtles, squirrels, coyotes, bats, and chipmunks also call this place home. A wide variety of plants, including several rare species, thrives in this environment.

The Potomac River and the unique geological features have shaped the land at Great Falls for millennia. Floods regularly occur along this stretch of the river, taking away soils and plants and depositing new silt and seeds to take their place. Unfortunately, the floods and rushing water flowing to the Chesapeake Bay from the river's source at Fairfax Stone, West Virginia, also carry a fair amount of trash and litter. While exploring  a remote side trail during a recent hike I came upon a deposit, probably left after Hurricane Sandy. Among the shells, smooth rocks and beautiful driftwood which the river had left behind were heaps of trash, plastic bottles and broken glass. It broke my heart to see Nature's perfection despoiled by the garbage we'd created. Most of the trash was recyclable, but instead, had found its way into the river and left behind to mar the beauty of this beautiful place. We are each a thread in the interdependent web of life. Be mindful of how your actions have consequences. Resolve to take more care in protecting our planet.  Remember, we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.