Welcome to Widewater!

I have selected Widewater  to study the biodiversity for a multitude of reasons.

Widewater State Park in Stafford, Virginia and is a peninsula located at the confluence of Aquia Creek and the Potomac River.  Widewater was acquired by Virginia State Parks from Dominion Power in 2006, but recently the money was approved to begin to develop the park.  For the last 10 years the park has sat relatively quiet.  Myself and a few Law Enforcement Rangers on patrol were some of the few who would visit to park.

The site was occupied hundreds of years ago by the Native Americans who lived on and near the peninsula utilizing its excellent hunting and fishing.  Later the land was settled by many notable families such as the Lee’s and the Brent’s (who the point of Widewater is named after).  Widewater was a crucial defense and port location for the Confederates and later during the early 20^th century the Aquia creek was a booming fishing industry.  Presidents such as Teddy Roosevelt and other affluent people often visited the site from DC looking for exceptional waterfowl hunting.  In the early 1960’s a small community of approximately 100 homes is settled on one of the beaches.

In more recent history, Widewater has been subject to poaching both on land and water, illegal timber harvest, and damage from ATVs and dirt bikes.  However, its not all bad since much of that activity has declined since State Parks owned the property.  I have worked to remove Ailanthus altissima from the park in the last couple of years and I am working of other agencies to contract an aerial spray of Phragmites australis.  In 2016 I launched the first every managed deer hunt in the park and I am expanding on that program this year.   I have gotten reports of bears and have seen tracks from bobcats within the park.  The variety of wildlife at Widewater is rich and despite the repeated damage from man over the centuries some endangered plants and rare ecotypes have managed to survive.  Coastal Depression Swamps still persist in areas of the park in spite of development and cutting of timber.

My first visit to Widewater I spotted a Leucistic Crow which seemed to appear every time I returned.  The image of that crow stuck with me and I became enthralled with the park.  The variety of wildlife and presence of endangered fauna keeps my passion fueled.  I feel that with an new undeveloped park I have the opportunity to have these wonderful things saved from development all while watching to see how wildlife adapts and invasives may spread with the development and growing presence of park visitors.