Virginia's Potomac-Shenandoah Watershed

 Hi everyone! Today, I am going into some of the features of the Potomac-Shenandoah Watershed including the geological features, land use features, and one of the conservation agencies working to protect the watershed and the people living in and around it.  Check it all out here:  The Potomac-Shenandoah Watershed and its Features!

Hello everyone! Today, I am narrowing my research to a smaller section and then an even smaller section of the Potomac-Shenandoah Watershed. This is because I am mapping watershed delineations and the Potomac-Shenandoah Watershed is extremely large so it is difficult to adequately map delineations with that large of an area and create something that audiences can easily interpret. In the embedded PowerPoint slides you will find information on both the Potomac Watershed as well as information on a particular stream within this watershed called Turkey Run. There is also a delineation map of the Potomac Watershed that was created by the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB) as well as a delineation map that was created by me for the Turkey Run Stream which drains directly into the Potomac River!  Check it out here:  Turkey Run Stream Delineation

 Today, we are going to begin a preliminary study of the different tree species that you might find if you are wandering through a natural area within the Potomac-Shenandoah Watershed. In a few weeks, we will continue this study and be doing a much deeper dive into these species and how they benefit the watershed.  This watershed is large enough that it encompasses many different ecoregions which offers it a immense diversity in the tree species that it can support. Some areas of the watershed support old-growth forests, some support mixed hardwood forests, and some support floodplain forests. Some of the more common species you might see on a what through a park in this watershed will include a variety of oak species such as chestnut oaks, white oaks, and red oaks. In addition, you might also see Beech trees, Tulip Poplars, Hickories, Ash trees, Red Maples, Flowering Dogwoods, and even Pawpaw trees in some areas. In the floodplain forests, you are more likely to see Sycamores...

 Today on the study of Virginia's Potomac-Shenandoah watershed, I will be talking about why I chose to study this watershed and why it's special to me.  One of the first reasons that I looked at watersheds within Virginia is because I've lived in Virginia my whole life. The watersheds found around the Commonwealth are familiar to me in some ways but I knew I wanted to learn more about one, in particular, that I grew up next to. As I grew up in Northern Virginia, I was surrounded by the Potomac-Shenandoah watershed and I was constantly hearing about how this watershed, as well as several others in Virginia, drained into the greater Chesapeake Bay watershed. I also grew up learning just how important it was to conserve and protect these watersheds but I can't remember hearing about why they are so important.  With this study, I hope to answer that myself. I am excited to learn more about this watershed and what kind of biodiversity it offers and how it continues to the gr...