[at-l] Manassas Gap Shelter

[jhedrick@caci.com (John Hedrick)]

  A few weeks ago Baltimore Jack posted a thread describing the number
of Copperheads at the Manassas Gap Shelter.  This was a real attention
getting post so I checked with the ATC to understand what, if anything,
was planned to address the problem.

  The PATC  had brought in a herpetologist to examine the shelter site.
The herpetologist observed that the loose, sandy fill dirt previously
excavated from under the shelter and deposited in front of the shelter
provided an ideal habitat for snakes to burrow and breed.  Consequently,
the snakes live in close proximity to the shelter.

  PATC, with approval from the land manager(the G. Richard Thompson
Wildlife Managemant Area) and in coordination with the ATC,  is in the
process of rehabilitating the area to make it less hospitable for the
snakes and rodents.  They have already replaced some of the rotting logs
in the foundation and have removed much of the debris under the shelter
to create more space between the ground and the shelter floor.

  When the weather warms up and the snakes move above ground the plan is
to remove the fill material in front of the shelter and install a deck
so hikers will have an area in which to cook.

  I still like my tent!

  By the way, the spring flow at the shelter is slow, only about 1/4
liter per minute.  This reflects the general condition of springs in the
Northern Virginia area.

So bring plenty of water when you come through this summer.

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