Country Zest & Style Holiday 2019 Edition

Page 35

The Orange County Hounds Conservation Foundation recently hosted a trail ride leaving from Muster Lane Farm. This is to support the mission of the foundation to promote conservation and preservation of open space and an appreciation of field sports.

The Natural Order and Open Space

I

By Marcia Woolman

n order for nature to thrive, it needs a natural setting, what we create with open space and conservation easements. Given the space and time to follow its natural course, land will heal itself, water will remain clean, and wildlife habitat and wildlife will thrive. Land will heal itself by proliferating new growth. Fallow fields carbon dioxide from the air. The roots will grow deep and soak up heavy rains before a field turns to mud and fill the local streams with sediment that kills the small invertebrates providing food to all kinds of fish and little creatures at the bottom of our food chain. Insects and bugs are food for all the wild creatures that then become food for larger animals that have access to them. Yes, fields that are out of sight or along the streams are priceless in their importance in developing a balance in nature. The same principles apply to all fields that are healthy. And how to keep them healthy? Proper annual or semi-annual seeding helps maintain a well-rooted carpet of food. These time-managed fields feed the livestock-for enjoyment and the ones we use for health and vitality. Pastures where fencerows and wetlands are mowed around or, better yet, fenced off, allow them to return to their natural or fallow field value. Those areas, when lying beside mowed and valuable pasture land, turn into a sanctuary for wildlife and further protection for streams as they control run-off and flooding. They also allow the growth of native trees that will sprout up and provide shade eventually and become homes for more little creatures and some larger ones like raccoons, possums, and squirrels. Woodlands are another part of the natural puzzle that exists on the land we choose to protect as open space. And open space is more than open fields; it’s the composite of a natural, whole, landscape that’s a balanced natural habitat. This is what we know as our countryside. Young trees provide food for birds and deer. And for balance, we also need older woods that have an abundance of dead trees. They hollow out with age and become castles for squirrels, raccoons, opossums, pileated woodpeckers, and many others. The old tree, when it finally falls, turns into soil that’s enriched by the fungi that has grown on and in it. That tree gives back everything it took up from the earth and returned it enhanced. Decaying trees are an integral part of balanced, natural, open-space lands. Woodlands are home to a cotillion of diverse wildlife who use it for food, shelter, and security. Trail cutting is a wonderful use of the land for our enjoyment, and lets in sunlight to promotes a web of life as they wind through the forest. They create more food and more diversity. It’s up to us now to take charge of creating more open space so our children and grandchildren can enjoy what we have had and now plan to protect. I once saw an old sign dangling from a fence while fishing in Idaho some thirty years ago. “Fishermen welcome!” it read. “Please leave it like you find it. We are only stewards for our time here. We are taking care of it for the Lord.”

Country ZEST & Style | Holiday 2019

35


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Articles inside

Cup of Coffee - An Admirable Act of Pure Steeplechasing Sportsmanship

4min
page 62

Sporting Pursuits

3min
pages 60-61

It's a Fabulous New Day for Upperville Horse Show

3min
pages 58-59

Perspectives on Childhood, Education and Parenting

2min
page 56

Vineyard View - A Sommelier's Story at a Historic Location

3min
pages 54-55

A Christmas Concert

1min
page 53

Keeping a Year End List and Checking it Twice

2min
page 52

Archwood Green Barns Winter Market Goes Through Dec. 22

2min
page 51

A Hunting They Will Stay (In Middleburg)

2min
page 50

For Gomer Pyles, the Planet is a Playground

2min
page 48

Property Writes - Smitten Farm Lane

2min
pages 46-47

A Middleburg-centric Crew Unlike Any Other

2min
page 44

Saying Goodbye to a Middleburg Gem

2min
page 43

That Old-Timer Music Offers a Happy Place

3min
page 40

A Small Town Mayor with a Big Time Vision

3min
page 39

Garden Club's Going Green

2min
page 38

American Legion Marching Toward a Bright Future

2min
page 36

The Natural Order and Open Space

2min
page 35

At Nick's Market in Marshall, There's Something For Everyone

2min
page 34

Celebrations

3min
page 30

Style

2min
page 29

Cantankerous to the End, and a Great Friend

4min
pages 26-27

Serving it All Up

2min
page 25

A Christmas Wish List

2min
page 24

Conservation Easements Benefit Everyone

2min
page 22

An Aging Antidote: Just Move It!

2min
page 20

Salamander Has a Five-Star Rating, and GM

3min
page 18

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum!

2min
pages 16-17

Someone's in the Kitchen With ...

3min
page 14

Dangerous Blind Bombing Set Stage for D-Day

3min
pages 1-13

Sporting Pursuits

1min
page 11

Country Zest

1min
page 9

Holiday Happenings

2min
page 8

For Wayne Gibbens, It's Been a Lifetime of Good Works

3min
page 6

Unique Artist Seizes an Opportunity

3min
page 5

Middleburg Just Loves a Parade

2min
page 3
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