Naked Mountain Natural Area Preserve
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| Naked Mountain Natural Area Preserve | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Location | Nelson County, Virginia |
| Coordinates | 37°45′09″N 78°49′41″W / 37.7525°N 78.828°W[1] |
| Area | 356 acres (1.44 km2) |
| Established | 2006 |
| Owner | Private |
Naked Mountain Natural Area Preserve is a 356-acre (1.44 km2) Natural Area Preserve located in Nelson County, Virginia. The preserve was dedicated in 2006.[2]
It was created to protect an uncommon growth of shooting-stars (Dodecatheon meadia) and a small population of the globally rare Torrey's mountain mint (Pycnanthemum torreyi), which occupy rocky clearings on otherwise forested slopes. The preserve includes an example of a "low-elevation basic outcrop barrens", a rare natural community that grows in dry areas with thin, basic soils and outcrops of amphibolite bedrock. The forests also represent a rare community known as "mountain/piedmont basic woodlands".[2][3]
The preserve is privately owned and protected by a conservation easement held by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).[4] It is not open to the public, although organized field trips may be arranged through the DCR and the property's private owners.[2]
