Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 16, 1995 TAG: 9507170023
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: D-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DEBBIE MESSINA LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium
The tranquil silence of this protected habitat, tucked away in the northeast corner of the state's most populated city, is broken only by the occasional rhythmic knocking of a woodpecker or melodic call of a songbird.
This is nature's paradise. It's also the most popular state park in Virginia.
Seashore State Park and Natural Area, which is undergoing a name change to First Landing State Park, occupies an oasis of 2,900 acres sandwiched between intensely developed areas of Virginia Beach.
Long before a concrete wall of high rises rimmed the resort strip, before cottages dotted every open parcel at the North End, and neighborhoods and strip shopping centers sprang up along the Chesapeake Bay, the state knew there was something special about Seashore and took steps to preserve it.
That was nearly 60 years ago. Thirty years ago, the U.S. Interior Department recognized it as a Registered Natural Landmark, an honorary designation.
The park's 1.2 million annual visitors - triple the numbers of any other state park - hike and bike along wooded trails, camp among the sand dunes and frolic on the beaches. You can expect to be turned away at the gates on a nice weekend if you don't arrive early enough to find one of 450 parking spaces for daytime visitors.
``It's like being in the wilderness,'' said Bill Magnusson, a Norfolk restaurant manager who recently visited the park for the first time. ``It's like you're out in the country, but in the city. It's amazing, especially knowing what the nearby strip looks like.''
Helen Qammar of Akron, Ohio, has traveled hundreds of miles nearly every summer for 32 years to camp at Seashore.
``It's not like they've got the world's most modern facilities, because they don't,'' she said, doling out M&Ms to her 4-year-old and 11/2-year-old boys in front of the camp store. ``But it's so beautiful here. They've got a little bit of everything.''
Despite its high usage and proximity to intense development, Seashore has managed to maintain its pristine qualities.
``We're known for our natural beauty, abundance and diversity,'' said Fred Hazelwood IV, park manager.
The park boasts one of the most diverse plant and animal communities on the East Coast because it sits on a natural border where northern and southern species mingle.
The park's Spanish moss, an endangered species in Virginia, represents the last big stand this far north.
The park is the northern limit for several species of water snakes and the southern limit for the endangered scarlet king snake. American beach grass reaches its southernmost point here. And the live oaks that grow among the dunes grow no farther north.
A bio-inventory conducted in 1990 revealed that there are 600 species of plants in the park. Plus, there are 37 rare or threatened species of plants and animals.
Seashore also is the only place in the universe that you can find a pin-head-sized bug that has been officially named the ``Virginia Beach bug.''
Traversing the park from end to end, you can experience a variety of terrain, from the sandy shores along the Chesapeake Bay, to hilly sand dunes, to dunal swales with cypress pools, to maritime forests, to marshes rich in green bamboo along Broad Bay.
The highest natural points in southeast Virginia can be found among Seashore's ancient sand dunes that reach about 75 feet. Thousands of years ago, these dunes were built up by the wind and waves of the Chesapeake Bay.
These natural wonders can be taken in by hiking the 19 miles of trails Seashore has to offer. Only one, the six-mile Cape Henry trail, is open to bikers.
``We're preserving Virginia's unique natural history, and our recreational opportunities are being preserved as well,'' Hazelwood said.
``Experiencing nature is getting to be an unnatural experience for people,'' he said. ``We don't have a relationship to the natural world like we used to when most people lived on farms.''
The more people are exposed to and educated about our environment, Hazelwood believes, the better stewards they will be of the land and its resources.
``We focus our attention on how to help visitors use the area responsibly,'' he said. ``We share with them a conservation ethic - not just what to do but why we do it.''
But the state has sometimes been criticized for allowing too much visitation and for altering the landscape to accommodate people. The critics fear people will stress the natural resource.
``There's a mutual existence,'' said Vickie Shufer, a noted local naturalist. ``Even though there's a lot of visitation, the natural environment is still able to survive.''
by CNB