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About the Park
Colonial National Historical Park spans 3,740 hectares of Virginia’s coastal plains. Flanked by the James and York Rivers, which feed into Chesapeake Bay, Colonial includes the historic Jamestown settlement and victorious Revolutionary War site of Yorktown. It is also home to the second highest number of rare, threatened, and endangered species of all National Park Service units in Virginia.
Colonial’s landscape is dominated by pine and hardwood forests, and flows with streams, creeks, and freshwater and brackish ponds. Its coasts are lined with tidal and nontidal wetlands and open fields. As many birds, fish, mammals, aquatic invertebrates, and plants that depend on the park's water sources, a major challenge at Colonial is maintaining water quality. The park is vulnerable and downstream of oil spills, toxic chemicals, erosion, and sedimentation, all of which impact wildlife and habitat. Colonial’s cultural landmarks are also threatened by river shoreline erosion, which has accelerated due to recreational activities.
Our Work with Colonial
Colonial offers visitors unique opportunities to observe diverse land and aquatic life and recreational fishing. To ensure management decisions are effective, the Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network, along with Colonial staff, collects ecological monitoring data on a number of ecosystem vital signs. Learn about our work below.
Monitored here:
Salt Marsh Elevation
Estuarine Water Quality
Forest Health
Weather & Climate
Publications
Source: Data Store Saved Search 5646. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
Last updated: October 3, 2024