Government Island Champion Passes

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Several days ago, a good friend of Government Island, Rex Scouten, passed away.  Rex had a long and distinguished career as a secret service agent in the Truman administration.  Later he was Chief Usher of the White House and finished his career as White House Curator.  He served ten presidents.  In 1992, when Jane Conner discovered that Government Island would be divided into housing lots, she went Mr. Scouten at the White House to ask for assistance.  He said he would do everything possible to help preserve the historical isle.  After several visits to the island, he had the Stafford Board of Supervisors and County Administrator for lunch at the White House.  In 1998, the supervisors purchased the isle.  Rex headed the Government Island Committee which determined how to make the island a low impact park to share with the nation.  Rex and his wife returned to Stafford to participate in the opening of Government Island Park in 2010.  He spoke at Aquia Church for the park’s dedication and was pleased that Stafford saw fit to preserve this nationally significant historic site.

This is a picture of Rex going out to the island years ago before the current bridges were built.  Sometimes he even had to go over by balancing on a log.

Working on Island Begins

Last month it was mentioned that the planner of Washington D.C, Pierre L’Enfant, purchased the island for the U.S. Government.  After he bought the isle, he traveled to Philadelphia.  In the winter he wrote his assistant, Issac Roberdeau, and ordered that he:  “….repair immediately to Acquia [sic] Creek to see the qurries [sic] there belonging to the public – to have barracks erected thereon for twenty men on each of these quarries, on the island purchased from Mr. George Brent and on that rented from Mr. John Gibson of Dumphries (Today we still don’t know where Mr. Gibson’s quarry was located.  Evidently it was on Aquia Creek and very close to the island, as a canal was dug connecting the two facilities)  ….The exporting of stone must be begun at once on both quarries; they must be opened at once all around the island…”  Can you imagine how busy it must have been on the island? 

L’Enfant never returned to the island, because The Commissioners in D.C. told him that he was no longer needed. He became a lonely, poor man.  He was described as, “Daily through the city stalks the picture of famine, L’’Enfant and his dog…”   Today 200 years later, L’Enfant’s name graces streets, squares, and buildings paying homage to this creative city planner.  However, L’Enfant went to his grave never receiving recognition or adequate pay for his accomplishments.         J. Conner, historian

First Day Hike

Happy New Year!  Did you get out for a First Day Hike?  If not, you have 364 more chances to get outside and experience a bit of nature.  The rain did not materialize, so off we went for a short walk at Government Island.  Crossing over the bridge at the beginning of the walk, I couldn't help but notice all the trash that has built up.  Will have to get something done about that.  It is a perfect time for a park clean-up.  The plants are dormant, and the snakes and frogs are resting during the cold weather.  You may have noticed that the grasses look all trodden down.  True, some of it is caused by the wildlife, most likely the deer.  However, some grasses remain upright when they dry and others naturally lie down flat.  When summer brings a new crop of grasses, that topic will be the subject of a future entry.

 

With this entry I would like to point out some of the vines that are easy to spot when the forest is bare of foliage.  The most obvious vine is poison ivy , a member of the cashew family.  It grows abundantly along the path, mostly in the first section.  All parts of poison ivy can cause allergic reactions to the majority of humans.  It is an allergen, not a poison.  Most birds and mammals are not affected by the urushiol, the oil that causes the allergic reaction.  Poison ivy climbs straight up the tree; it does not spiral like honeysuckle.  Mature plants can grow up 75 feet along a tree trunk.  Look for the hairy vine; that's poison ivy.  Don't touch; don't eat; don't burn.





This is a great time to view wild grape that grows in Virginia forests.  There are plenty of interesting specimens at Government Island.  It is easy to ID with its shreddy, brownish-gray bark.  Think "Tarzan" and you'll spot wild grape.  Grape uses tendrils to climb along tree trunks, but then it hangs and twists and loops. But don't look for the grapes.  They were eaten months ago by the wildlife!

If you want to see berries, look for the greenbrier.  It is the vine that maintains green stems through the winter.  It is a tough, woody vine with thorns and blue-black berries.  Many varieties of birds eat the berries and use the greenbrier thickets for nesting and protection from predators.  While beneficial for the birds, greenbrier can be a parasitic problem when it smothers other plants and blocks out the sunlight.

Speaking of blocking sunlight...one more vine that can be easily seen near the parking lot bridge is the highly invasive mile-a-minute vine.  It has very intriguing leaf shapes and rather attractive berries, but it is a scourge where ever it grows.  Right now it is dead yet still smothering the native vegetation.  See what I mean.  And it has nasty little stickers on the vine.
I also noticed that the beavers have been busy with new trees gnawed down out near the marsh overlook. One tree either didn't taste right or the beavers got spooked.  It was damaged but still standing


On the way out of the park, I spotted this insect cocoon, or whatever it is.  Haven't seen one like this before.  Time to get the book out and see what it is.



Until next time, enjoy the woods in winter whether at Government Island or any of the other great parks available in your area.  Resolve to get outside more in 2013.

Maria C., Virginia Master Naturalist

Winter Walk in the woods

Now that winter is officially with us that does not mean that there is little to see when you go to Government Island.  A cold day is a great time to get a good look at a side of nature that is usually hidden by leaves and greenery. Even after having foot surgery I took a nice walk and recorded some winter treats to share on this site.  This is a good time to remind readers that a large portion of the walk at GI is handicap accessible.  So bundle up and let's go into the winter woods!

When the leaves have dropped it is a good time to discover what has been hiding behind the foliage. Nests of all kinds are suddenly in plain sight. But not only birds build their homes in the bushes and trees. Insects also create places to deposit the next generation.

I have been told that this insect casing (above) is most likely that of a praying mantis.  I have seen several  handsome specimens of praying mantis in this area, so maybe my sources are correct.

While we are looking for signs of insects, galls are easy to spot in the winter. Galls are created by insects in search of food or as protected places for development between stages of life.  In the fields around the parking lot you can find many examples of goldenrod galls.  Further along into the island, if you turn right onto the mulched path, there is an infestation of oak galls. These grow on, you guessed it, oak trees.  There are many oak seedlings along the path. Many of them have clusters of oak galls.

Not a gall, but easily seen in the winter, you might spot some black knot fungus on a cherry tree.  Not a good thing to see.  Once the fungus attacks a cherry tree, the wood is no longer of any value.  Speaking of cherry trees...as you walk into the park, look for the 2 large downed cherry trees on the right and another on the left side of the path. July's derecho took these beauties down. What a shame.  They were lovely trees.

Winter is great time to observe the various types of fungi that grow in the forest.  This tree is covered with a shelf fungus.  You'll often see it on downed, dead trees, but it also grows on what might look like a healthy tree.  A tree with shelf fungus is not a healthy tree!  The fungus emerges from inside the tree signalling that the processes of decay have already started.  Look carefully.  Shelf fungus grow parallel to the ground. If an infested tree falls over, the shelf fungus will slowly re-orientate itself until it is again parallel to the ground.

 There is still a little green to be seen in the winter woods.  The mountain laurel bushes are evergreens.  Make sure you come back in late spring to enjoy the flowers.  Red cedar stays green.  Not my favorite tree, but the birds need the cover and eat the berries.  Another touch of green can be found in the honeysuckle vines.  Another "not my favorite" plant.  Look and see how the honeysuckle wraps itself round young trees, strangling them.

One more thing to look for in the winter woods is berries.  Many have already been eaten by the birds and critters, but look, you'll see a few. Along the bridge near the parking lot I found a new, for me, example of a winter berry.  They are yellow, about the size of a cherry tomato. But DON'T eat them.  They are the fruit of the horse nettle and are poisonous.

 This is enough for now.  Please don't let the 'drabness' of the winter woods keep you from enjoying their beauty. It is just a different type of beauty. Guided walks will resume in February when my foot is healed. Until then, enjoy the blog and enjoy the winter woods.
P.S....learn more about nature at the website for Virginia Master Naturalists.  Or visit us on Facebook on the Central Rappahannock Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalists site.
Thanks, Maria C., VA Master Naturalist

Purchasing the Island

In 1791, George Washington was asked by Congress to appoint three Commissioners to oversee the building of the nation’s new federal city and buildings.  After they were appointed, they, along with Washington, chose Pierre L’Enfant to explore the lands around the Potomac River to see if they could find stone suitable for the construction of the Capitol and President’s House.  They did not want to use stone from Europe, but rather use stone indigenous to the new United States of America. 

Pierre L’Enfant visited Brent’s Island in Stafford, I believe, at the encouragement of George Washington.  (George had used the stone from the island for his steps at Mount Vernon, as he was very familiar with the island since he grew up here.)  In December, 121 years ago, L’Enfant purchased the island for 1,800 pounds or $5,400.  He was purchasing it for the U.S. Government. 
                                           Jane C., historian