Clover Hollow Natural Area Preserve

Clover Hollow Natural Area Preserve
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Map showing the location of Clover Hollow Natural Area Preserve
Location Giles County, Virginia
Coordinates 37°20′31″N 80°27′43″W / 37.3419°N 80.4619°W / 37.3419; -80.4619Coordinates: 37°20′31″N 80°27′43″W / 37.3419°N 80.4619°W / 37.3419; -80.4619[1]
Area 25 acres (0.10 km2)
Established 2005
Governing body Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural_heritage/natural_area_preserves/cloverhollow.shtml

Clover Hollow Natural Area Preserve is a Natural Area Preserve located in Giles County, Virginia. One of the smaller preserves in Virginia at 25 acres (0.10 km2), it nevertheless houses seven rare cave-dwelling invertebrate species, three of which are only known from the county's Sinking Creek Valley. More common species, such as salamanders, crickets, harvestmen, spiders, crayfish, and bats also live in the cave, in streams, riparian mud banks, drip pools, and other communities. Most water in the cave stream comes from forested slopes.[2]

The significance of the preserve was discovered in 1994, when speleologist Dave Hubbard inventoried the cave in response to local concerns; it was in response to these that the state took control of the site in 2005.[2]

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