Exploring

But the ubiquitous reed is not the only species that is out of sync within the swamp. Animals great and small have their own set of problems. “Fire ants have few natural predators here and can affect all ground-living critters, lizards, insects and mammals,” explains Schwab. “There are lots of threatened species. Some plants are just rare, like the Virginia liste trillium. It’s not impacted by invasives; it’s just rare.”

There are also several native animals that have landed themselves on the state endangered list: “The Great Dismal Swamp shrew, timber rattlesnake, the big-eared bat. All warm fuzzies; things you want to wrap your arms around,” Schwab laughs. But the refuge has had its successes. The swamp is the only place where populations are steady or increasing. Despite changes, van Eerden believes much of the romance of the swamp remains. “The refuge has true forest habitat conditions. There are no edge effects or edge impacts affecting species. The size of the refuge allows it to be a tremendous storehouse of biodiversity. Not only great diversity, but abundant population.”

 Urban hopes his Dover Farm will become another one of the swamp’s success stories. He and his colleagues have already seen some black bears, hawks and snakes on the site. “All of the animals are already here,” he says. “We just want them to reproduce and expand. Eventually, there will be woodpeckers when trees die and rot out. Pretty soon this place will be overrun with deer and bear.

“We have big plans to replicate this 10 more times in the next two years. It’s going to take a few more years to recoup our investment here,” Urban adds as he proudly surveys the land. The highest distinction Urban and EIP want for the land is for it to not be distinct at all, but a seamless, reed-less addition to the green island.

“In 10 or 15 years,” says Urban, “we want it to look like the rest of the refuge, so you can’t tell where one stops and the other begins.” •