NATURE / OUTDOORS
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8/1/07
Harrison Island - Part 2 Potomac
River Montgomery County, MD
Mark Burchick
Harrison Island II
Potomac
River, Montgomery County, MD
Teasel (Dipsacus
sylvestris).
Harrison Island
proper is 400-acres
and the private
ownership includes a
second, much smaller
island
(background-right).
This photo is from
the island looking
toward Virginia.
The main river is
off to the right and
looking upstream,
you can see both
Whites Ferry and
Sugarloaf Mountain.
Balls Bluff
battlefield is
immediately
downstream on the
Virginia side.
Joe and I
replenished the
several feeders and
mineral lick
stations on the
island. He has
numerous cameras
set-up to document
herd health and has
established
sanctuary plots to
reduce the pressure
of deer to swim the
river.
Approximately
20-acres are in
sunflower for the
purpose of dove
management and
hunting. Dove,
waterfowl, deer and
turkey abound.
Swamp rose mallow
(Hibiscus palustris)
and rice cutgrass
were common along
the shoreline,
quickly leading up
to paw paw slopes,
then onto the
riparian flats of
hackberry and
boxelder.
The lowest part of
the island contained
vast sweeps of
dense-flowered
smartweed (Polygonum
densiflorum)
the widest-leaved,
most 'robust' water
tolerant of the
annual smartweeds.
Duck food deluxe.
Many, many acres are
in switchgrass and
warm-season grass
mix. Joe is
intending to
intensively manage
fox and introduce
upland game birds,
including bobwhite
quail. The
deer browse line is
obvious.
We have lots
of locations within
the 400-acre
tract for both
wetland and forest
mitigation
opportunity.
This is the
'double-brick' (two
layers thick) house
built in the 1850's.
The family who built
this had children
that went to school
daily in Leesburg,
crossing the river
twice daily.
The ground level of
the floor has river
mud on it, and Joe
said that the second
story is within the
100-year floodplain.
Only the hunting
lodge is on higher
ground.
8/1/07
