Protecting Our Waterways and Wildlife

Protecting Our Waterways and Wildlife. City of Virginia Beach Department of Parks and Recreation. , Diamondback Terrapin , Pleasure House Point is one of the few areas in our city that is home to the Diamondback Terrapin. Its name is derived from the diamond-shaped growth rings on its top shell, but also the word "terrapin" comes from an Algonquin word for "edible turtles that live in brackish water." As believed to be the only turtle in the world that lives exclusively in brackish water, their habitats include tidal marshes, estuaries and lagoons, but they prefer sandy beaches and dunes. Adult diamondback terrapins mate in the early spring, and clutches of eggs are laid in sand dunes in the early summer., Diamondback Terrapins had been so abundant in the late 1800s that the species was once considered a delicacy to eat as a soup and was harvested almost to extinction. Although most states now have legislation that regulates the collection of Diamondback Terrapins, the major threats currently faces the species include crab trap drowning, habitat destruction, urbanization and coastal development., Migratory Birds , Pleasure House Point provides a refuge for a number of resident birds within the highly developed Chesapeake Bayfront area of Virginia Beach. Pleasure House Point lies between two sites recognized for their global significance to birds , the Outer Banks of North Carolina and the Atlantic shoreline-barrier island system of the Delmarva Peninsula. Located directly south of the Delmarva Peninsula, the property (combined with nearby First Landing State Park) provides this first suitable habitat for migratory bird species funneled into the area across the Chesapeake Bay. Bird diversity is very high during the winter with substantial increases in waterfowl and wading birds to the area, indicating that Pleasure House Point is an important wintering grounds for these species. The site also provides breeding, migrating, and wintering habitat important to the future of several bird species., Thank you for helping us protect this sensitive environment and its wildlife , Pleasure House Point Natural Area is one of the largest undeveloped parcels of land on the Lynnhaven River, and we can all do our part to preserve this beautiful oasis.