Vandell Preserve at Cumberland Marsh

COVID-19 UPDATE (June 3, 2020)

TNC’s public preserves in Virginia remain open. We ask all visitors to observe our preserve access guidelines and to follow current health and safety precautions, including guidance from the Virginia Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), including maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet from others (social distancing).

Parking may be limited at many of our preserves. If you choose to visit a preserve, if possible, please visit outside of peak times (11 a.m. through 4 p.m.) to reduce overcrowding in parking areas and on trails. If parking areas are full, please plan to return to the preserve another day.

Thank you for helping us in our efforts to protect our visitors’ health and well-being.

Vandell Preserve at Cumberland Marsh is a mixture of freshwater tidal marsh and wooded upland. This preserve provides pristine habitat for wetlands species, migrating waterfowl, and has the world's largest population of the rare sensitive joint-vetch (Aeschynomene virginica), a member of the pea family listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Situated along the Atlantic Flyway, the marsh provides important migratory and wintering habitat for waterfowl.

Why TNC Selected This Site

Purchased in 1993, the preserve protects a pristine marsh habitat on the Pamunkey River, a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.

TNC also monitors the endangered sensitive joint-vetch plant. Part of the preserve consists of working farm, and we are working with a local farmer to use best-management practices on the land. The adjacent Cumberland Hospital for Children also uses the preserve for outdoor rehabilitation programs.