Partnership Leads to Conservation Project on Greenbrier Valley Farm

The NRCS WHIP program is included in a cost-sharing and conservation planning partnership to manage a Greenbrier County farm. The 1,000-acre beef farm includes sinkholes, limestone outcrops, and creeks that disappear underground--making it evident that below is an extensive cave system. The partnership includes The Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Farm Service Agency, the West Virginia Division of Forestry, and the Division of Natural Resources.

“Almost 30 globally rare species, a couple of which exist nowhere else, are known to live beneath the ground in the Greenbrier Valley.The landowner wanted to work with us to conserve wildlife species—especially rare species inhabiting the cave system beneath her land—and keep the farm productive,” said Beth Wheatley, The Nature Conservancy’s Greenbrier Valley project manager.

Because preventing groundwater contamination from entering the caves was deemed to be a top priority, three miles of high-tensile solar-powered electric fence was installed to exclude cattle from the farm’s sinking creeks, cave openings and sinkholes.

A West Virginia Public Broadcasting radio story on April 7, 2005 included an interview with Tom Vance, Acting Assistant State Conservationist for the South Area.  Tom  talked about dividing the land into grazing units which increase land productivity. “It enables farmers to rotate animals back and forth to better utilize the pasture and improves the quality of the pasture. Normally it helps to improve the carrying capacity by putting more animals on the farm.”

A multiflora rose eradication effort was launched to improve habitat around the streams, sinkholes and cave entrances.

Volunteers are planting 1,000 native tree species, including alder, dogwood and pin oaks, to help stabilize the sinking creeks banks and provide habitat for birds.

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