![](media/image1.wmf){width="0.28125in" height="0.375in"}**Evidence of
Change**

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.2715277777777776in"
height="2.8958333333333335in"}The loop trail ends back at the picnic
ground where you started. What evidence have you seen of changes in the
landscape and waters since colonial times when the Washingtons lived and
farmed in the area?

It's usually easier to prevent changes that damage the Chesapeake Bay
than to fix them once they've happened. Decisions we make today might
cause problems we are unaware of now, for the ecosystem in the future.

![](media/image3.jpeg){width="2.8958333333333335in"
height="1.882638888888889in"}

What kinds of issues do you think we need to be concerned with? George
Washington was greatly concerned about the natural resources where he
lived and farmed in this area of Virginia. What do you think he would
think about the way we care for the Bay today? Years from now, what do
you think your great great grandchildren will think about today's land
use?

![](media/image4.jpeg){width="2.329861111111111in"
height="3.495833333333333in"}

As you enjoy the grounds of George Washington Birthplace National
Monument, think about how you can follow George Washington's example of
improving the way we live and use the land and water to be good
**stewards:** people who care.

![](media/image5.jpeg){width="2.7708333333333335in"
height="2.082638888888889in"}

![](media/image6.jpeg){width="2.7708333333333335in"
height="2.0833333333333335in"}**Self-Guided Nature Trail Hike**

**As You Begin**

The loop trail begins at the wayside sign across the picnic ground
parking lot from the restrooms. It will return you back to the picnic
ground where you started. Enjoy your explorations, but please limit your
groups to no more than 10, to keep within Leave No Trace guidelines.

![](media/image7.png){width="2.875in" height="2.157638888888889in"}

You are in **George Washington Birthplace National Monument**, a unit of
the National Park Service. The nature trail winds through several
**habitats** near the plantation grounds that George roamed as a
youngster. The park protects about 525 acres of land and water today,
only a portion of the area his father owned when young George lived
nearby. Please leave resources as they are found so that others can
enjoy the same discoveries.

![](media/image8.jpeg){width="2.5208333333333335in"
height="1.6881944444444446in"}

**The Landscape Changes Over Time**

What the colonists did 200-300 years ago when George Washington lived
here still impacts the landscape we see today. How do you think the
landscape has changed in this spot since the Washingtons' time? (Hint:
Think about erosion, vegetation, types of animals.)

![](media/image9.jpeg){width="2.6458333333333335in"
height="1.7673611111111112in"}

![](media/image11.jpeg){width="1.9909722222222221in"
height="2.6458333333333335in"}As you walk, you may see native **Holly
trees** with their spiny broad evergreen leaves, the tall,
craggy-barked, long-needled **Loblolly Pines** towering overhead, and
jagged **Sweet Gum** tree seed balls. Beware of **Poison Ivy**: you'll
remember the itch from its shiny three-leaved plants or vines. These are
all plants the Washingtons would have known.

![](media/image12.jpeg){width="1.9993055555555554in"
height="1.9215277777777777in"}

![](media/image13.jpeg){width="1.4354166666666666in"
height="1.5951388888888889in"}

![](media/image14.jpeg){width="2.0833333333333335in"
height="2.7708333333333335in"}**First and Foremost a Farmer**

Climb the small rise in the trail, and look for ditches that the trail
crosses. These are the **colonists' drainage ditches**. The area around
you was cleared **tobacco** or **corn fields** in George's time. The
original forest had already been cut. How big in diameter are the trees
here today?

Most of these trees are only about 60-100 years old. That's when the
fields were abandoned and the forest started growing back. The
Washingtons, like their neighbors, used ditches to drain water from
their fields. Into where do you think the water drained? (hint: what
creek, leading to what river, leading to what Bay?) How do you think
this system of field drainage changed the **Chesapeake Bay**?

![](media/image15.png){width="4.875in"
height="3.6493055555555554in"}George's family's survival impacted
today's ecosystem, and today's Chesapeake.

Like their neighbors, his family used the best methods they knew at the
time, but their practices in working the land and living here had both
good and bad effects on the environment.

![](media/image16.jpeg){width="3.625in" height="2.3944444444444444in"}

Look for signs of erosion along the banks ahead. Erosion can be caused
by natural phenomena such as storms and tides, or human causes such as
the ways we use the land.

Do you think the Washingtons dealt with erosion here? George's later
changes in farming practices suggest he became aware of the problem of
erosion, but that it was not yet a serious concern for people of his
time.

What happens here can change the Bay in other, more positive ways, too.
Through conservation and education, the park tells the story of George
Washington as a young man and his concern with the natural resources.
The park is working on projects to restore submerged aquatic vegetation
and oyster reefs in Popes Creek, to restore native land grasses that
reduce runoff, and to stabilize the shoreline.

![](media/image17.jpeg){width="2.4458333333333333in"
height="1.6340277777777779in"}

![](media/image18.jpeg){width="2.4208333333333334in"
height="1.6208333333333333in"}

**Erosion Then and Now**

![](media/image19.jpeg){width="2.4458333333333333in"
height="1.6354166666666667in"}George Washington's family created a life
here. His first home was just across the water to your right. In the
fall and winter, you can't help but notice the great flocks of **Canada
Geese**, **Tundra Swans**, and other waterfowl that migrate to these
waters as they have done for thousands of years. George's family would
have seen **muskrats**, **river otters**, **raccoons,** and **fish,**
and like those we see here today.

![](media/image20.jpeg){width="2.2958333333333334in" height="2.01875in"}

![](media/image21.jpeg){width="3.2708333333333335in" height="1.79375in"}

Colonists impacted these lands and waters in many ways. Change is not
always bad, however. By the time George was grown up and owned Mount
Vernon, he had changed his mind about how farming should be done.

![](media/image22.jpeg){width="2.2708333333333335in"
height="1.7819444444444446in"}George experimented with new ways of
planting and tilling the soil that were better for the crops, land, and
environment. He and **Thomas Jefferson** shared agricultural ideas and
results. In fact, George became an example for others on farming
practices that helped conserve the soil. What effect do you think his
new ideas had on runoff and the Bay?

![](media/image23.jpeg){width="2.3958333333333335in"
height="2.0659722222222223in"}

**Change Caused By Natural Forces**

As you reach the road, remember to check for traffic before crossing.
Perhaps you'll see the **White-tail Deer** and their fawns, **wild
turkeys**, or **Snapping Turtles** in this area.

![](media/image24.jpeg){width="2.036111111111111in"
height="2.3784722222222223in"}Do you see any **fallen trees**? Their
hollow, decaying cavities create homes for some animals and insects, and
food for others. Take a good look at a stump or fallen tree to see if
you can see any of these critters. Some of the downed trees in this area
were blown over in **hurricanes**, which have been happening naturally
for eons.

Do you think the Washingtons knew when storms were coming? How do you
think they might have prepared for storms? How might hurricanes have
changed the Bay that the Washingtons knew?

![](media/image25.jpeg){width="2.276388888888889in"
height="3.7708333333333335in"}

**The Local Incubator**

The marsh to your right is a tidal **saltwater marsh**. See if you can
spy the tall, reed-like **cattails** with their oblong velvety brown
seedheads, or the **Red-winged Blackbirds** that nest here. **Great Blue
Herons** like to fish in the quiet waters.

Marshes are an agent of another natural change process: the change from
baby to adult. Marshes act like an incubator for many critters, just
like the Chesapeake Bay does. The water is warmer and shallower than the
Potomac River, so marshes make a good place for babies of many species
to grow.

![](media/image26.jpeg){width="2.972916666666667in"
height="2.972916666666667in"}

![](media/image27.jpeg){width="2.0708333333333333in"
height="1.5569444444444445in"}

What kinds of sea critters do you think might need a shallow marsh to
grow up in? (Hint: Think about kinds of shellfish and fish.)

![](media/image28.jpeg){width="2.2708333333333335in"
height="1.5166666666666666in"}**Erosion** and **runoff** from early
methods of colonial farming could bury the **underwater seagrass** and
**oyster beds** with sediment. **Blue Crabs, mussels,** and other
species depend on seagrass for places to hide.

How do you think this sediment affected the numbers and kinds of fish
and sea critters found in the area? What could be changed to prevent
such erosion and runoff?

Our Chesapeake Bay today is a direct result of how people have used the
lands and waters since the colonists' time, with our own habits added to
the change. Runoff from fertilizers and pesticides on modern lawns can
also change the waters for the worse by causing too many nutrients in
the water: that kills seagrasses, too.

**Popes Creek: Enduring Yet Ever-Changing**

The open water ahead is **Popes Creek**, which runs into the **Potomac
River** nearby. Keep an eye out for the **American Bald Eagles** and
**Great Horned Owls** that frequent the area: you can bet they'll be
watching you.

![](media/image31.jpeg){width="2.1666666666666665in"
height="2.1666666666666665in"}

The creek is only about 4 feet deep today. When the Washingtons lived
across the creek, it may have been slightly deeper. What do you think
causes waterways to change? Why do you think what happens here changes
the Chesapeake Bay? (Hint: Are we upstream or downstream from the Bay?)