Douthat State Park Celebrated Earth Day

Local schools were invited to participate in Douthat State Park’s Twelfth Annual Earth Day Celebration which was held on Friday, April 16, 2010.

A group of tenth graders from Bath County High School and a homeschooler from Crozet participated in this year’s event.

Master Naturalist volunteers John Stanley Stahelek, Keith Carson and David Kirk did a presentation on Douthat State Park’s vernal pool, which is a pool of water filled by rain water or runoffs and stem with life such as amphibians.

Students took inventory of the vernal pool, collected and released different species, and took different measurements of the pool itself.

After lunch the students worked on a stewardship project which consisted of removing debris from the vernal pool and planting trees to shade the vernal pool.  The students planted three red bud trees and one red cedar.

In 2009 Virginia State Parks were part of a contest by Odwalla for winning money to buy trees for the State Parks.  Virginia State Parks finished second in the internet voting and was awarded $23,577.  This money is going towards 33 state parks for tree planting during the parks Earth Day Celebration.

For general park information go to www.virginiastateparks.gov, contact the park office at 540-862-8100 or e-mail Douthat State Park at Douthat@dcr.virginia.gov.  Douthat is located at 14239 Douthat State Park Road, Millboro, Va. 24460. 

Overnight reservations can also be made by calling 1-800-933-PARK (7275) or by booking on line.