Dragon Flats Preserve in Virginia | The Nature Conservancy

About Us
Our Science
Where We Work
- Habitats
- Regions
  - Africa
  - Australia
  - Asia and the Pacific
  - Caribbean
  - Central America
  - North America
    - Areas
    - Canada
    - Mexico
    - United States
      - Alabama
      - Alaska
      - Arizona
      - Arkansas
      - California
      - Colorado
      - Connecticut
      - DC/Maryland
      - Delaware
      - Florida
      - Georgia
      - Hawai'i
      - Idaho
      - Illinois
      - Indiana
      - Iowa
      - Kansas
      - Kentucky
      - Louisiana
      - Maine
      - Maryland/DC
      - Massachusetts
      - Michigan
      - Minnesota
      - Mississippi
      - Missouri
      - Montana
      - Nebraska
      - Nevada
      - New Hampshire
      - New Jersey
      - New Mexico
      - New York
      - North Carolina
      - North Dakota
      - Ohio
      - Oklahoma
      - Oregon
      - Pennsylvania
      - Rhode Island
      - South Carolina
      - South Dakota
      - Tennessee
      - Texas
      - Utah
      - Vermont
      - Virginia
        
        Places We Protect
        
        Explore
        
        Newsroom
        
        Volunteer
        
        Field Trips and Events
        
        Contact Us
        
        Ways of Giving
      - Washington
      - West Virginia
      - Wisconsin
      - Wyoming
  - South America
  - Europe
- Urgent Issues
Green Living
News & Features
Photos & Multimedia
Gift and Estate Planning
Search
All Hands on Earth
How We Work

Get Involved:

Virginia

Dragon Flats Preserve

Paddle down Dragon Run Preserve, which protects part of Virginia's most pristine blackwater stream.

Bald cypress trees along the Dragon Run, which meanders for nearly 40 miles before widening to form the Piankatank River,a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. © Byron Jorjordian

About
Photos & Video
Visit
Your Comments

We take our time drifting past Dragon Flats, taking photos, catching up on field notes and just enjoying the sights and sounds of this watery wilderness. © Andy Lacatell/The Nature Conservancy

Open to the Public

Yes

Things To Do

Take a look around and spot some of Dragon Flat's amazing plants and animals. View All

Plan Your Visit

Dragon Flats is open for guided paddle trips. View All

Dragon Flats Preserve, though restricted to visitors, can still be seen and enjoyed by paddling down Dragon Run. Widely considered Virginia's most pristine blackwater stream, Dragon Run meanders for nearly 40 miles through remote portions of four eastern Virginia counties. Near Saluda, the Dragon widens to form the Piankatank River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.

Dragon Flats Preserve features a striking bald cypress swamp where bald eagles and songbirds nest. The preserve follows the waterfront for a mile and a half and helps form a mosaic of connected conservation areas.

In 1976, The Nature Conservancy joined with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to commission a Smithsonian Institute study of 232 rivers and streams in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Dragon Run ranked second in terms of ecological significance.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing

In 2001, the Conservancy established its Chesapeake Rivers Program to work closely with partners such as Virginia’s Department of Forestry and Friends of Dragon Run. Since the landscape program launched, the Conservancy has helped conserve nearly 9,000 acres in the forest block surrounding Dragon Run.

In 2008, the Conservancy transferred more than 1,800 acres to the Virginia Department of Forestry, establishing Dragon Run State Forest. The state forest provides opportunities for sound forestry and public recreation, while protecting water quality in the Dragon and, ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay.

Land conservation along Dragon Run preserves traditional land uses that have endured for at least four centuries. It’s also critical to protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay downstream and its embattled species such as our native oyster.

Photos

Prothonotary warbler (Protonotaria citrea) © Dave Spier

Ride the Dragon

Take a virtual kayaking trip down Dragon Run and experience one of the state’s finest blackwater streams.

The Nature Conservancy and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation believe that restoring our native oyster is the best solution — for citizens, for the oyster industry, and for the Chesapeake Bay. © Hal Brindley

Restoring Native Oysters

See how we're restoring native oysters downstream from Dragon Run in the Piankatank River.

Things To Do

Plants

Bald cypress trees and aquatic plants such as arrow arum, spatterdock and pickerelweed. The preserve hosts at least one state-rare plant, pineland tick-trefoil.

Animals

Bald eagle, prothonotary warbler, blackwater bluet (a state-rare damselfly).

Plan Your Visit

For information about guided paddle trips, contact Friends of Dragon Run.

Download a map of the Dragon Run protected lands (pdf, 336KB).

Directions

Discussion

Have you been to this preserve? Are you thinking of visiting? See what others are saying about their experiences and add your comments below.

Add Your Comments

Time for you to join the discussion. Tell us about your experience at this preserve. What plants and animals did you see? When did you go? You can help others plan their visit when you share your thoughts. And thank you for visiting one of our nature preserves!

Read our guidelines on posting comments