Meadowview Biological Research Station facts for kids

The Meadowview Biological Research Station is a special group that works to protect nature. It is a non-profit group, which means it uses its money to help its cause, not to make a profit. This station focuses on saving and bringing back rare plants and their homes in wetlands. These wetlands are found along the coast of Maryland and Virginia.

The station started in 1995. Its main goal was to restore rare plants like the yellow pitcher plant (Sarracenia flava) and the purple pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea). They also help other plants that live in these unique wet areas called pitcher plant bogs. Many of these plants had disappeared from their natural homes. By 2007, fewer than 100 yellow pitcher plants were left in just two natural spots in southern Virginia. Meadowview works hard to stop and reverse this loss of important plants and animals.

What Meadowview Has Achieved

Meadowview Biological Research Station has done many great things to help save pitcher plants and other related species.

Protecting Land for Plants

• Meadowview bought a large piece of land in southern Virginia. It is called the Joseph Pines Preserve and is about 101 acres (0.41 square kilometers).
• This preserve is dedicated to protecting the native Virginia longleaf pine and pitcher plant ecosystem.
• They are bringing back 18 different rare plant species to this land. This is part of a bigger plan to restore the entire natural environment.
• So far, Meadowview has protected six groups of native Virginia yellow pitcher plants on its preserve. Four of these groups had disappeared in the ten years before the preserve was created.
• The group also wants to protect all the native Virginia longleaf pine seeds and plants on this property.

Expanding Protected Areas

• In June 2012, Meadowview made the Joseph Pines Preserve even bigger. They added another 131 acres (0.53 square kilometers) to it.
• By September 2014, they added a new Biodiversity Education Center to the preserve. This added 1.5 acres (0.0061 square kilometers) more land.
• This brought the total protected land to 233.5 acres (0.945 square kilometers).

Helping Endangered Plants

• Meadowview has also helped bring back two groups of the mountain sweet pitcher plant (Sarracenia jonesii). This plant is considered endangered by the government.
• They reintroduced these plants to their historic homes in North Carolina.
• This work was supported by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
• The new locations include the Biltmore Estate and Falling Creek Camp for Boys.