An Albemarle Experience

Borders are lines drawn on a map by people. They are political boundaries, primarily for defense and taxes. When I tell people that the North Landing River and Back Bay in southern Virginia Beach are the northernmost extent of the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuary, they often reply that the Albemarle is in North Carolina. Well, it is. And it is in Virginia. Water, plants and animals don’t seem to acknowledge our borders as they move freely within the region of the Albemarle. The North Landing is especially unique. It rises from groundwater in the swamps and flows as a sluggish, blackwater coastal river south to join the Currituck Sound just over the border in North Carolina. But the water does not just flow south - it flows both ways depending on the wind. Wind tides determine whether the river is high or low.

This region - southern Virginia Beach - is located at the northern range for many southern species and the southern range for many northern species. It is also bordered by the two largest estuaries in the United States - the Chesapeake Bay and the Albemarle-Pamlico. Due to the blending of so many northern and southern species, the biodiversity in the region is exceptional. The region “supports 19 rare natural communities plus 67 plant and 22 animal species rare to Virginia.”

And it’s just so quiet. On an early, cold bluebird day in January in a shallow creek, you are in  another world. A world of dark water, marsh, and bald cypress. A secret place of wood ducks and otters where the only sounds come from the rustling of the marsh grasses in the early morning breeze. Perhaps it’s more of an experience than a place. An Albemarle Experience. 

Schedule your ecotour to explore this environmental wonderland.