Near Paris in Fauquier County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Natural Buffer

Sky Meadows State Park

— Virginia State Parks, Department of Conservation and Recreation —

Natural Buffer Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 24, 2026

1. Natural Buffer Marker

Inscription.
The streamside trees before you are some of the hardest workign plants in the park. In 2009 park staff and volunteers planted over 8,000 native trees consisting of hickory, walnut, beech, poplar, and different species of oak. This barrier of natural vegetation between the pasture and Gap Run, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, is a riparian buffer. This natural barrier keeps agricultural waste from polluting the stream and, ultimately, the Bay and blocking and absorbing animal waste, pesticides, herbicides, sediments, and excessive nutrients. The buffer also provides shelter and food for wildlife. Its shade keeps the water cool, promoting more aquatic life. All park waterways are not protected, but at a cost. Farmland is reduced by 28 acres, decreasing food production. The future holds many of these difficult decisions for us and our farmers.

For all these efforts, Sky Meadows State Park received the 2010 John Marshall Soil and Water Conservation District Award.

[Sidebar:]
Relocation of fence lines separated cattle from their natural drinking source. To resolve this, the Department of Corrections' Agribusiness Program, which manages the park's cattle and haying operations, partnered in this project by installing wells, pipes, and troughs to supply water for the cows.

Erected by Virginia

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

State Parks, Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Horticulture & Forestry • Parks & Recreational Areas • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 2009.

Location. 38° 59.358′ N, 77° 58.188′ W. Marker is near Paris, Virginia, in Fauquier County. It is on Boston Mill Road 0.1 miles south of North Ridge Trail, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1124 Winchester Rd, Markham VA 22643, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area

and in Northern Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 24, 2026

2. Natural Buffer Marker

are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Hadow Trail (within shouting distance of this marker); Boston Mill Road Trail (within shouting distance of this marker); Restoring the American Chestnut (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Snowden Trail (about 600 feet away); a different marker also named Boston Mill Road Trail (approx. 0.2 miles away); Conserving Your Dark Skies (approx. ¼ mile away); Mount Bleak Farm (approx. ¼ mile away); Jackson’s Bivouac (approx. 1½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Paris.

Additional keywords. landscape architecture

Credits. This page was last revised on October 25, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 25, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 25, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.