This week I began a new position with Virginia Natural Heritage--focusing the land management skills I've learned these last few years on protecting, creating, and most importantly restoring habitat for rare and endangered plants and animals in Virginia. So why does land need "restoring" and not just protecting? For the same reason an infected wound needs to be treated medically. The untreated infection robs the body of resources and weakens it, making it more susceptible to further infection. Left untreated, the infection can result in greater damage than the initial wound caused, and even ultimately death. For Virginia's landscapes, these infections include things like invasive species introductions and fire exclusion from fire-adapted ecosystems. When these issues are left untreated, they reduce good, healthy habitat for living things (including us!), making it harder to live well, or in some cases at all. Without a safe and healthy habitat, many creatures simply disappear. So what can we do about it? This is where restoration comes in--we can control the spread of invasive species and remove current infestations to make room for planting native species, we can conduct prescribed burns to promote the organisms that need fire to thrive, we can monitor the species diversity along rivers as a measure of healthy habitat, and many more specific actions in support of caring for the land. Restoration doesn't always have to be a big orchestrated action, either--simple things like picking up trash when you're hiking, buying and using fewer single-use plastics, and advocating (especially locally) for responsible and reasonable land use are things anyone and everyone can do! I am excited to share more as I learn more--and grateful for the chance to continue serving the landscape in the adventure of my life. (More art is coming soon, too!) #nature #landmanagement #restoration #notart https://www.instagram.com/p/ChNakPqOfyn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=