Description
Blackwater River Preserve has one of the best remaining examples of an ancient bald cypress forest in the southeast. Biologists estimate that some trees at this preserve exceed 800 years old.
Researchers have used the cypress trees at the preserve to investigate the demise of the original Jamestown colony, which they predate. The trees reveal climate variations over their lifetimes and indicate that a prolonged drought may have affected the colony's survival.
This site was donated to The Nature Conservancy in 1994 by Arthur and Marie Kirk. It was a wonderful opportunity to protect the bald cypress trees.