At Home in an Ecotone

At Mason Neck State Park and the nearby Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, nearly 3,000 acres of protected open space preserve an ecotone where hardwood forests and fresh water streams gradually transition to marshes, salt water, and sandy beaches, creating rich habitat that supports species from adjoining ecosystems. Forest trees among wetland grasses and tidal systems provide food, cover, and nesting areas for wildlife, while raptors and wading birds hunt in creeks, marshes, and bays and use mature forest trees for shelter and habitation. Migrating birds winter in the protected marshlands and nearby open waters, and other birds arrive in the warmer months to breed and raise young in deep streamside forests. When development threatened Mason Neck in the 1960s, Elizabeth Hartwell, remembered as the Eagle Lady, led tireless efforts to preserve its natural environment and won support from the public and policy makers despite opposition and derision.

Mason Neck, Virginia · United States