Alexander Berger Memorial Sanctuary

Get Involved: Preserve Volunteer Program

Virginia's Preserve Volunteer Community Program provides a vital service to help us maintain and monitor our public preserves across the state.

How can you get involved?

• Community Members—become involved with a preserve without committing time to stewardship work. Receive periodic updates about the preserve and special events.
• Preserve Stewards—visit Alexander Berger at least 4 times a year to assess trail and preserve conditions and perform basic trail maintenance by removing fallen branches and overgrown vegetation.
• Preserve Leaders—demonstrated commitment to the preserve and willingness to take on additional responsibilities like managing communication & scheduling, leading workdays and guiding naturalist hikes.

Please contact vapreservestewards@tnc.org to receive further information.

Download the Alexander Berger Volunteer Program handbook to learn more.

Conditions

The trails at this preserve are easy to hike.

What to See: Animals

A swamp provides habitat for beavers, muskrat and raccoons. A large, active beaver pond is present on the Rappahannock River portion. Mallards and black ducks pause on the river while great blue herons, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, pileated woodpeckers, flycatchers, indigo buntings and cuckoos frequent or reside on the preserve.

What to See: Plants

The upland portion of the preserve contains a striking diversity of vegetation. The largest trees average about two feet in diameter and 80 feet in height.

The primary species on the flood plain are box elder, sycamore, pin oak, black walnut, black willow, river birch, ash, hackberry, cottonwood, American elm, persimmon, sweet gum, holly, red cedar and alder. The banks of Snow Creek are steep, up to 40 feet. Forest cover is hardwood, with predominant trees being mature tulip poplar and sycamore.

A rhododendron forest (or great laurel), unusual so far south on the coastal plain, grows along the bank of Snow Creek. It is believed to have survived from glacial ages.