Discovery Of Globally Rare Plant Communities

(Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. I rise to congratulate the Prince William Conservation Alliance, the Prince William Wildflower Society, and the Prince William County Park Authority for their discovery of globally rare plant communities at Silver Lake Park. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation confirmed that the diabase flatwoods and a pin oak-white oak upland depression swamp qualify as globally rare or threatened species.

Diabase flatwoods are a rare type of oak-hickory forest that are only found in northern Virginia and central Maryland. It's very rare to find a site such as this, which has not been substantially disturbed by land development or incursion of invasive species.

The rare pin oak-white oak upland depression swamp habitat is characterized by small wetlands with hardwood forests. These environments have often been disturbed by past development.

I applaud local activists in Prince William County in my district, the 11th District of Virginia, for their work to protect these rare plant communities and offer them my full support and congratulations in permanently preserving these important ecological resources.

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