by Dean Fowler
(Who is Dean Fowler & what else has he written)

As Hurricane Isabel bore down on her target (AKA Virginia), folks prepared as best they could. The Department of Game & Inland Fisheries (DGIF) was no exception. Across the state, Department employees battened down the hatches, most notably at the many wildlife management areas and hatcheries. In addition, once it was virtually certain that Isabel was coming, most Department-owned lakes were lowered to provide space for runoff from the expected torrential rains. This is done to reduce the chances of lakes over-topping their dams, which can severely damage or even breach them. Dam repair and replacement are very expensive, but the loss of a quality fishery that will take years to rebuild is the most frustrating part for a fisheries biologist. Thankfully, Isabel spared most of us from the torrential rains like those produced by Hurricane Floyd (17 inches in Williamsburg where I live). As a result, it caused no significant damage to our dams, but boat ramps weren’t so lucky. The combination of heavy rain, high wind, and the tremendous storm surge caused much damage to some boating and fishing facilities. Thankfully for us freshwater anglers, all of the seriously damaged ramps owned or managed by DGIF are in saltwater. One of these, the Gloucester Point Ramp at the mouth of the York River, was completely destroyed. Isabel blanketed numerous ramps along the tidal rivers with mud, but it only caused closure of one access, Mill Creek on the Rappahannock River in Middlesex County. Aside from the two ramps mentioned, repairs and cleaning of all other ramps was completed by mid-October. Many boat ramps and piers that managed to escape major damage were underwater for several weeks. At the time of this writing, only The City of Emporia ramp on the Meherrin River remained flooded. The most up-to-date status of ramps owned and/or maintained by DGIF can be found on our web site: www.dgif.state.va.us/boating/boat_landing_closures.html

Aside from the loss of trees and electricity, other Department facilities fared well and all are fully operational now. The only DGIF hatchery to sustain damage was King & Queen; its striped bass culture building sustained relatively minor damage. We are thankful that the storm did not hit during hotter weather when hatcheries use electricity to run aerators in their production ponds.

All in all, the Department and its constituents are fortunate, more so than many other outdoor-related facilities, particularly in the eastern part of the state. You may have heard about the damage or complete destruction of numerous saltwater fishing piers, some of which had survived the worst that Mother Nature could throw at them since the 1920’s. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science, one of this state’s premier sources of marine fisheries research, suffered from Isabel’s wrath. A large pier and research building were destroyed, and the storm surge and pounding surf carried away many important frozen samples of blue crabs and other marine life. Some of these were recovered more than a mile away along the Colonial Parkway on the opposite side of the York River. Even if they had survived Isabel’s onslaught, most would have spoiled in the powerless aftermath that lasted for more than a week in many locations.

Many state parks took it on the chin too. Isabel caused damage at 22 of the 34 parks. As of this writing, 5 parks still remain closed. Westmoreland State Park on the Northern Neck was particularly hard hit. It was littered with downed trees and remains closed indefinitely. A boat ramp in Leesylvania State Park that some of you probably use to access the tidal Potomac River was badly damaged and is expected to remain closed until spring. The ramp itself survived, but among other things, the pier was mangled, the gas pumps torn off, and many surrounding trees were downed. For information on the status of specific parks, call The Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Reservation Center at 800-933-PARK or visit their Isabel web page at www.dcr.state.va.us/parks/isabel.htm

Next month I’ll discuss the potential biological implications of storms like Isabel.

Copyright 2003 Dean Fowler All Rights Reserved
FowlerD@dgif.state.va.us