The subject of my term paper for the Introduction to Ecology class that I recently completed is Huntley Meadows Park. The paper is a little long on data and short on analysis, but I’m happy with it. From the introduction:
Huntley Meadows Park comprises approximately 1,425 acres (577ha) of freshwater wetland and surrounding forest in southern Fairfax County, Virginia. Managed by the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA), it is the County’s largest park, and features the largest (70+ acres, 28+ ha) non-tidal marsh in the area. Bounded by housing subdivisions to the north, east, and south, and government installations to the west and southwest, the Park is an island of blue and green prized by casual strollers and scientific specialists alike. It is particularly valued by naturalists for the unique diversityof the habitat to be found there, especially considering its urban/suburban surroundings. Guidebook writers and editors like Scott Weidensaul [Weidensaul92] and David W. Johnston [Johnston97] have singled out the Park for special attention, noting that its mix of woods and water makes it a popular spot for Big Day birders; Weidensaul calls the Park’s very existence “utterly improbable,” encroached on as it is by the busy traffic corridors of U.S. 1 and Interstates 95 and 495. The main entrance to Huntley Meadows Park is only three miles from the Huntington terminus of Metro’s Yellow Line, and hence the Park is a short trip from anywhere in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.