Environment/Nature Archives - Clarke Monthly https://clarkeva.com/category/environment/ Serving Clarke County, Va., and the surrounding area Tue, 27 Aug 2024 15:13:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://clarkeva.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cropped-Clarke-Nameplate-32x32.png Environment/Nature Archives - Clarke Monthly https://clarkeva.com/category/environment/ 32 32 Shenandoah Valley natural area restoration efforts expand https://clarkeva.com/2024/03/02/shenandoah-valley-natural-area-restoration-efforts-expand/ Sun, 03 Mar 2024 01:47:51 +0000 https://clarkeva.com/?p=3584 Protection for rare sinkhole ponds, wetlands funded by natural resources damage settlement More than 35 acres have recently been added to two Virginia natural area preserves in Augusta County as part of a long-term, multimillion-dollar effort to restore the South Fork Shenandoah River watershed contaminated by mercury decades ago.   The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, […]

The post Shenandoah Valley natural area restoration efforts expand appeared first on Clarke Monthly.

]]> Robins Everywhere https://clarkeva.com/2024/03/02/robins-everywhere/ Sun, 03 Mar 2024 01:24:24 +0000 https://clarkeva.com/?p=3574 Story and illustration by Doug Pifer Each morning during mid-February, robin songs echo from the woods behind the barn. Flocks of them stream overhead. Dozens of robins fly back and forth between the sycamores and the banks of the creek. On sunny afternoons robins forage in scattered groups in the mowed field across the road. […]

The post Robins Everywhere appeared first on Clarke Monthly.

]]> Is Pay For Outcomes Feasible? https://clarkeva.com/2024/01/31/is-pay-for-outcomes-feasible/ Thu, 01 Feb 2024 01:36:36 +0000 https://clarkeva.com/?p=3517 The post Is Pay For Outcomes Feasible? appeared first on Clarke Monthly.

]]> Hammer-Headed Flatworms Have Been Here A Long Time https://clarkeva.com/2023/09/16/hammer-headed-flatworms-have-been-here-a-long-time/ Sat, 16 Sep 2023 23:11:43 +0000 https://clarkeva.com/?p=3368 By Doug Pifer I was about to open the front gate when I spied a small worm crawling across my muddy tire track. Its golden color made me go back for a second look. Surprisingly, the front end of the worm resembled a hammerhead shark. As I returned with my cell phone to take a […]

The post Hammer-Headed Flatworms Have Been Here A Long Time appeared first on Clarke Monthly.

]]> Why are ratepayers footing the bill for Virginia’s data center buildout? https://clarkeva.com/2023/09/16/why-are-ratepayers-footing-the-bill-for-virginias-data-center-buildout/ Sat, 16 Sep 2023 23:09:20 +0000 https://clarkeva.com/?p=3366 By Ivy Main Virginia’s embrace of the data center industry produced new fallout this spring when Dominion Energy Virginia released its latest Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). With data center growth the “key driver,” Dominion projects a massive increase in the demand for electricity. As a result, the utility claims the state-mandated transition to clean energy […]

The post Why are ratepayers footing the bill for Virginia’s data center buildout? appeared first on Clarke Monthly.

]]> Glass Recycling is Back Thanks to One Person Who Volunteered https://clarkeva.com/2022/06/15/glass-recycling-is-back-thanks-to-one-person-who-volunteered/ Wed, 15 Jun 2022 23:43:40 +0000 https://clarkeva.com/?p=3216 By Cathy Kuehner  Thanks to one county resident who is passionate about recycling and reusing material rather than adding it to landfills, other residents can now drop off glass for recycling at the Clarke County Convenience Center on Quarry Road(Route 612). Christi McMullen, who lives in the northeast part of the county near the facility […]

The post Glass Recycling is Back Thanks to One Person Who Volunteered appeared first on Clarke Monthly.

]]> The Bradford Pear Story https://clarkeva.com/2022/02/16/the-bradford-pear-story/ Wed, 16 Feb 2022 15:51:24 +0000 https://clarkeva.com/?p=3030 Story and illustration by Doug Pifer It sounded like springtime in December. Three dozen robins were singing and scolding on Christmas morning. They had gathered to feed on the fruits of Bradford pear, an ornamental tree that was the darling of landscapers thirty years ago and is now black listed by many gardeners and nature […]

The post The Bradford Pear Story appeared first on Clarke Monthly.

]]> Conservation Groups Meet At Cool Spring https://clarkeva.com/2019/07/11/brcajune20/ Thu, 11 Jul 2019 14:10:36 +0000 https://clarkeva.com/?p=2503 Nearly 30 area conservation groups and land trusts met June 20 at Shenandoah University’s Cool Spring Campus for a summit of the Blue Ridge Conservation Alliance. They gathered to explore more cooperation and collaboration to protect what is considered one of the most threatened mountain landscapes in the Eastern Seaboard, the Blue Ridge and surrounding […]

The post Conservation Groups Meet At Cool Spring appeared first on Clarke Monthly.

]]> Working Toward A Green & Prosperous Future For The Shenandoah https://clarkeva.com/2019/06/15/green-and-prosperous/ Sat, 15 Jun 2019 14:55:57 +0000 https://clarkeva.com/?p=2523 What comes to mind when you think about what makes the Shenandoah watershed so special? What images do you conjure when you imagine the river? That’s what dozens of people gathered to discuss at three meetings and three public forums this spring. Hosted by Shenandoah Riverkeeper Mark Frondorf and the Potomac Riverkeeper Network, the Green […]

The post Working Toward A Green & Prosperous Future For The Shenandoah appeared first on Clarke Monthly.

]]>