Cleveland Barrens Protected

Cleveland Barrens Natural Area Preserve

Virginia's Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and The Nature Conservancy hosted a ceremony on October 30, 2000 to announce the acquisition of a 501-acre natural area near the town of Cleveland in Russell County. Cleveland Barrens, the Commonwealth's 30th natural area preserve, will protect four significant limestone barrens—habitat for more than a dozen rare plants—on steep slopes overlooking the Clinch River. The Conservancy will transfer the property to DCR to be managed by its Natural Heritage Program.

"Protecting these rare barrens communities means that we also are providing a protective buffer above our Cleveland Island Preserve, one of the finest remaining sites on the Clinch River for endangered freshwater mussels," said Bill Kittrell, director of The Nature Conservancy's Clinch Valley Program.

The Conservancy purchased the land from the Mosteller family of South Carolina. Appalachia-based Mullican Lumber Company owned the rights to the timber, which it had planned to harvest. However, when approached regarding the site's potential as a natural area, Mullican agreed to sell its interests to the Conservancy. The costs for Cleveland Barrens totaled $409,500.

"DCR is a proud participant in partnerships such as this one that result in specific, critical conservation of Virginia's natural heritage resources," said DCR Director David G. Brickley.

Cleveland Barrens consists of several forested knobs cut by deep hollows and perennial streams, which feed into the Clinch River. Water quality and aquatic habitat in the river could be seriously impaired by poor land-use practices on the property, especially since these slopes loom directly above the Conservancy's mussel preserve. Protecting Cleveland Barrens as a state natural area eliminates this threat permanently.

Dotting these precariously-steep slopes are natural, prairie-like openings known as limestone barrens, a community type that is globally rare. While inhospitable to most tree species, these arid barrens harbor more than a dozen rare plants, including Great Plains ladies' tresses, prostrate blue violet, and hairy rockcress.

According to Chris Ludwig, Chief Biologist for DCR Natural Heritage, Cleveland Barrens boasts the largest such opening in Virginia, covering seven acres. Big and little bluestem grasses dominate these barrens, along with "scattered, gnarled old drought-stressed red cedar," added Ludwig.

To date, two rare invertebrates have been documented at Cleveland Barrens. The olympia marble butterfly is a spring flyer whose young feed exclusively on rockcress foliage. The Cherokee clubtail, a dragonfly found only along streams open to sunlight, patrols a creek in Tank Hollow, near the preserve's eastern end.

"We like working with The Nature Conservancy because of their cooperative approach," said Terry Porter, Mullican's Virginia Area Forestry Manager. "The timber on the property would have been a valuable resource for our company. But given the type of site, the rare species, and the proximity to the Clinch River, we felt that working with the Conservancy and Natural Heritage to create a new state preserve would result in the greatest benefits for everyone."

The 1992 voter-approved Park and Natural Areas Bond has provided funding for many of the 17,000 acres within the State Natural Area Preserve System, including Cleveland Barrens. The bond funds are expected to run out by the end of this year.