Discussion has begun to allow horses onto the trails at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve. The Parks and Recreation and Open Space Board will be holding a meeting on March 14 at 5:30 pm at 742 Miller Dr SE, Leesburg, VA 20177 to discuss giving a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors to open the trails at Banshee Reeks to equestrian uses. Loudoun Wildlife acknowledges that there is a need for more equestrian trails, and there is a need to protect more open spaces for wildlife habitats (Banshee Reeks is the only nature preserve) in Loudoun County: solutions should be sought that satisfy both needs. Environmentally sensitive areas, such as those that make up over 50 percent of Banshee Reeks, should be protected, and studies show that environmentally sensitive areas are especially prone to negative impacts from equestrian use. We encourage people to support protecting Banshee Reeks and maintain the regulations defined in the Banshee Reeks Master Plan and Addendum, which specifically prohibits equestrian uses except for under an express, limited scenario.

Photo by Lisa Streckfuss.

In accordance with the Banshee Reeks Master Plan and Addendum, currently the only equestrian trail that is permitted at Banshee Reeks is one along the northern perimeter of the property where there are no environmentally sensitive areas, if and only if an adjacent trail exists outside the property for it to connect to. The recent reopening of Evergreen Mills Hiking and Equestrian Trail included a multi-use trail around the perimeter of the Loudoun County Landfill and adjacent trailhead parking area, which satisfies the adjacent trail requirement and triggered the opening of equestrian access along a trail on the northern perimeter of the nature preserve. However, current discussion about equestrian uses has the potential to open more of the property to horses. At this point, it is unclear which trails are being considered for equestrian uses.

Banshee Reeks was created “exclusively for the purpose of conservation and related limited, non-intrusive education uses.” As Loudoun County’s only nature preserve, preservation and conservation of the wildlife and natural areas should be the top priority. As such, professional subject matter experts such as ecologists and wildlife biologists should be consulted before a recommendation is made to the Board of Supervisors, or the Board of Supervisors makes a final decision on expanding equestrian uses.

According to Virginia Department of Wildlife biologist Jordan Green, “we have found that the installation and use of horse trails at our Wildlife Management Areas is incompatible with the established uses on, and management of, our lands” for these reasons:

• “Horses can be vectors for invasive plant species and often leave behind significant amounts of excrement containing viable seeds. Subsequently, invasive plants disrupt local ecology by displacing native wildlife, invertebrates, and flora leading to decreased ecological function.
• Trail use by horses can have a negative cascading effect, starting with soil compaction and trenching, which increases and concentrates stormwater runoff, leading to erosion, resulting in increased sediment loads in water systems and degradation of soils, ultimately leading to degradation of fish and wildlife and plant communities. This is especially the case for sensitive species.
• Horse excrement can lead to bacteria build up creating water quality issues, impairing aquatic systems and the life that live in them such as aquatic plants, fish, invertebrates and herpetofauna.
• Horses and riders can interfere with other users, disrupting certain activities.”

Additionally, Jordan Green notes that:

• Horseback riding is “considered an inappropriate and incompatible use” on Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Natural Area Preserves which are likely to be the “most comparable state lands to Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve in terms of mission and management.”
• And, that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Potomac National Wildlife Refuge Complex has also outlined “scientifically supported reasons for not permitting horseback riding on the refuge properties.”

If equestrian uses are going to be allowed at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, at a minimum, there should be a thoughtful study of the impacts of potential equestrian uses, and a proposed plan for how to monitor and mitigate impacts before they are allowed.

Please refer to the following resources on the potential impacts of horses in natural areas:

• Letter from Department of Wildlife Resources biologist Jordan Green
• Research Article: Environmental Impacts Associated with Recreational Horse-riding
• Commonwealth of Virginia Natural Area Preserve Management Guidelines
• Letter from Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy Executive Director Michael Myers to the Parks and Recreation and Open Space Board regarding a meeting held to discuss the opening of the trails to horses on February 8, 2023

In addition to the ecological implications, we also have concerns regarding the lack of comprehensive public engagement and public transparency on this issue. To date, little information on the process has been publicly disclosed, information has not been provided in a timely fashion ahead of public meetings, and the format of PROS Board meetings does not allow for thoughtful discussion among all concerned stakeholders.

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