NATURE NOTE – Number 93                                                            May 28, 2024

Introduction:

Summer camp is not far off.  Last year I wrote a NATURE NOTE (Number 65) about getting “nature ready” for summer camp.  All that info still applies if your unit is planning on going to camp this summer.  This NN is going to focus on some specific nature things you might find this summer by…

Our Current Topic:  Looking for nature at Camp Powhatan

Just observing these things and having your scouts see them and maybe make lists of what they see, will help satisfy some requirements for several nature merit badges.  At least it exposes them to nature. This is certainly not a complete list, and there will many things there to be seen that I have not included below, but maybe use this list to go looking for these specific things at Powhatan AND point them out to your scouts.  Print this NN and stuff it to your back pack for use at camp.  See if you can find:

Birds: Phoebes are those small olive-drab birds found nesting under the porches of several buildings.  They are early arrivals in this area, and should be easy to see.  Watch for their wagging tail. Chipping sparrows are the little brown and white birds on the ground with a rusty red stripe on their head.  Whippoorwills are unlikely to be seen, but easy to hear in the middle of the night.  And listen for owls.  Another little bird easy to find at CP is the Blue-grey gnatcatcher.  It looks like a miniature mocking bird with a long tail, dark eye, and grey and white color pattern.  Most people have never heard of it, but you can find it. It’ll be in the woods prowling around looking for insects in the trees.  Other easy-to-find, brightly colored birds at camp are Bluebirds, Goldfinches, and Indigo Buntings.  Keep looking up.  Hawks, probably Broad-wing or Red-tailed are the most common, along with vultures.  The small birds darting over the lake are some type of swallow.  Use your field guide that you packed.  I have a list of birds I have seen on the reservation over many years if anyone would want a copy.  Also check out NATURE NOTES #5, #67, and #70 for more info on birds.

Snakes and reptiles:  Oh yeah, lots of snakes.  Black snakes, Timber rattlers, Copperheads, and others.  For many, camp will probably be the only opportunity for scouts to see these, especially the rattlesnakes and Copperheads, so take CAUTIOUS advantage to see these if you get the chance.  And as I mentioned last year, a quick class on recognizing the venomous snakes is probably a wise thing to do before you leave home.  Use the internet for pictures.  Lizards, both the Brown fence lizard and the Five-lined Skink, are easy to find at camp. 

Mammals:  Deer, including fawns should be easy.  Bear, well, maybe, if you have good luck, or bad luck, depending.  Squirrels, rabbits, mice, moles, bats, maybe raccoons, skunks, possums, are all there.  Keep your eyes open.  No known sightings of Bigfoot, but…

Trees:  There are lots.  If you don’t want to get into identifying all of them, just point out the many different species and the diversity of the leaves, bark, shape, seeds, etc.  MAKE THEM AWARE!  Again, taking a tree field guide might give you an opportunity to wander off from the scouts and see what you can find.  You might need a little alone-time by Thursday. 

Wild flowers:  Lots of them also, but much easier to overlook. So make a point to find them.  Look carefully.  Several years ago, a friend of mine spent several summer days at Ottari looking for wildflowers.  Her final count was 91 different species.  I suspect Powhatan is equal hunting ground.  If you want a list of the Ottari ones, let me know.

Insects:  Luna moths, Polyphemus moths, Praying mantis, walking sticks, are all possibilities at camp, and they will all bring a little excitement to most scouts.  Other insects might be easier to find, like dragon flies along the lake, bag worms in trees, mosquitos, various bees, butterflies, etc.  Don’t try to identify them all, just note the diversity.

The sky:  Make a point to look up into the darkness.  Many places don’t allow sky gazing as well as the isolation of the reservation.  Most places have too many lights that interfere, so use this opportunity to teach a little navigation skills using the North Star and the Big Dipper as well as find a few of the constellations that many scouts have not been introduced to.  Teach them.

The Max Creek watershed:  CP provides a great opportunity to point out a watershed (See NN #12).  The camp sets in a bowl, surrounded by easy to see mountains.  All of these mountains drain into Max Creek that runs through camp, fills the lake, and then follows the road out of camp on the way to Claytor Lake, the New River, and eventually the Gulf of Mexico.  Traveling this camp road gives the opportunity to see the stream at several locations.

The location of the reservation:  Go on the internet and look for a satellite view of Pulaski County.  In the southeast corner, south of Dublin you will see a large green patch that stands out over the more open agriculture areas.  That’s the Blue Ridge Scout Reservation – all 13,000 acres of it.  This is a gem.  If you have a topo map or want to pull up contour lines on-line, see how the reservation fits into the Blue Ridge Mountains that surround the area.  (See NN # 53)

Rocks:  mostly sandstone, but note the shale bank on the left side of the road coming into camp.  

Opportunities:  For nature, Camp Powhatan and the reservation are almost endless.  Take advantage of this.  It surpasses most any other area your scouts will find.  Encourage them to take a nature merit badge or two.  Keep nature in front of them.  It’s there;  you just need to point it out to them.

Good luck at camp this summer.  Use it to find nature.

Bob Garst

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.