Editing Stuarts Draft, Virginia (section)

== Geography ==
The Stuarts Draft CDP is located in southeast Augusta County on the northwest side of the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]].<ref name=":9">{{Cite journal |last1=Catlett |first1=Clay |last2=Fishburne |first2=Elliott G. |date=January 1928 |title=An Economic and Social Survey of Augusta County |journal=University of Virginia Record Extension Series |volume=12 |issue=7 |pages=24–25}}</ref><ref name=":10" /> It is located in the [[Shenandoah Valley]], part of the valley belt of [[Silurian]] [[limestone]].<ref name=":10" /> The area features a flat valley or cove, regionally called a draft.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":13" /> The soil is rich and fertile, well suited for agricultural purposes.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":9" />

Stuarts Draft is eight miles south of [[Staunton, Virginia|Staunton]] and seven miles southwest of [[Waynesboro, Virginia|Waynesboro]].<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":10" /> According to the 2020 [[United States Census Bureau]], the CDP has a total area of 29.31 square miles (75.9&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>).<ref name=":1" /> This is an increase from 2010 when the area was listed as being 19.82 acres.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /> The CDP includes the [[Christians Creek]] and the [[South River (Virginia)|South River]] watersheds and parts of the Beverley Manor, Riverheads, and the South River magisterial districts.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Tate |first=Leslie C. |title=Stuarts Draft Small Area Plan 2019-2039 |url=https://www.co.augusta.va.us/home/showpublisheddocument/15174/637176337131230000 |access-date=November 28, 2022 |website=Augusta County, Virginia}}</ref> The [[South River (Shenandoah River)|South River]] is a tributary of the [[South Fork Shenandoah River|South Fork of the Shenandoah River]]. Major streams in Stuarts Draft include Barterbrook Branch, Cole's Run, Deep Pond Run, Falling Rock Creek, Folly Mills Creek, Goose Creek, Johns Runs, Loves Run, Pine Run, and Stony Run.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Augusta County Virginia Streams {{!}} Virginia Gazetteer |url=https://virginia.hometownlocator.com/features/physical,class,stream,scfips,51015,startrow,1.cfm |access-date=2022-12-02 |website=virginia.hometownlocator.com}}</ref>

The [[George Washington National Forest]] is at the southern border of Stuarts Draft.<ref name=":2" /> The forests consist primarily of oaks, including white, black, red, post, and chestnut oaks.<ref name=":10" /> Other trees include ash, balsam fir, beech, birch, black maple, black spruce, black walnut, [[cucumber tree]], dogwood, elm, fir, gum, hemlock, hickory, hornbeam, locust, mulberry, persimmon, red cedar, red maple, sugar maple, sumac, sycamore, tulip poplar, umbrella tree ([[magnolia tripetala]]), white cherry, while maple, white pine, and yellow pine.<ref name=":10" /> Some areas include rhododendron and laurel.<ref name=":10" /> Wildlife native to the area include black bear, deer, red fox, porcupine, beaver, hare, rabbit, and weasel.<ref name=":10" /> Perennial streams in the area include native [[brook trout]].<ref name=":20">{{Cite book |url=https://books.googleusercontent.com/books/content?req=AKW5QaeBsCnb1rdvHTclSKeUFQePTBzhfjnUxZ0fQj3pjOZFfTjFxNzZZKE1Lmc72zTB08ANu63C67mE8djYPa7nWqJcI2UxntyxNyRA18rrXLHvGy6iKO-IIX-7U4vZhL911SH_pkK1R2ylhLc_1Ss9EsmK-CnYDwOTo2V-81xvPFAwEVANhnVG3s0wY6CZMVAzDXAASH0U-HC6oV73X0LtoSbNuJB62nMrsaCgawp1hr02qI-ITUEA77chwezxJVMtYieU3SA4gV7Q2c81Z-Vbn-OzBON-iypMTzSuiWlOESdkjji7-ZQ |title=Draft Environmental Statement: Big Levels Unit, George Washington National Forest |date=February 14, 1974 |publisher=George Washington National Forest, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service |edition=Draft |location=Harrisonburg, Virginia |language=en |access-date=November 29, 2022}}</ref> Mineral deposits in the national forest include clay, gravel, iron, manganese, and sand.<ref name=":20" />

Stuarts Draft includes several natural and man-made ponds. Lake Wilda is Green Pond is a naturally occurring high-elevation pond on the Big Levels Ridge.<ref name=":20" /> It is five acres in size during the wet season.<ref name=":20" /> The Virginia Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries constructed the Maple Flats Ponds in the late 1950s to serve migrating waterfowl.<ref name=":20" /> However, this project failed because water levels were too low seasonally.<ref name=":20" /> These ponds are now stocked with [[Bass (fish)|bass]], [[bluegill]], and [[catfish]] for recreational use,<ref name=":20" /> There are naturally occurring sinkhole ponds near the Maple Flats Ponds, including Spring Pond and Twin Ponds that are home to a botanically significant range of plants.<ref name=":20" />

Adjacent to the national forest, [[Shenandoah Acres]] includes a small spring-fed lake. Historically, the property included a [[cranberry bog]], one of the sinkhole ponds in the Maple Flats area. The cranberry bog was well known by botanists as a site for several rare plants and orchids, including the [[Pogonia ophioglossoides|rose pogonia]] and [[Calopogon|grass pink]] orchids. In the journal ''Claytonia'', the botanist Lloyd Carr described the pond as a sea of pink when the orchids were in bloom. However, the bog was destroyed to create Shenandoah Acres, and many of the rare species became [[Local extinction|locally extinct]].<ref>Blacka, Aaron; Couture, Pierre; Coale, Charles et al. (November 2001). "[https://ext.vt.edu/pubs/agritour/310-003/310-003.html Agri-Tourism]". ''Virginia Cooperative Extension''.</ref>

The Stuarts Draft CDP includes agricultural conservation areas and rural conservation areas.<ref name=":2" /> The Cowbane Natural Area Preserve includes {{Convert|147|acre|km2_ha}}1 with calcareous spring marshes, mesic prairies, and wet prairies.<ref name=":2" /> These three landscapes were historically common in the area but were reduced over time by agriculture and development.<ref name=":2" />

=== Climate ===
The summers in Stuarts Draft are warm and humid. Winters in Stuarts Draft are cold and snowy.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |title=Stuarts Draft Climate, Weather By Month, Average Temperature (Virginia, United States) - Weather Spark |url=https://weatherspark.com/y/19631/Average-Weather-in-Stuarts-Draft-Virginia-United-States-Year-Round |access-date=2022-12-02 |website=weatherspark.com |language=en}}</ref> The temperature ranges are from 26&nbsp;°F to 86&nbsp;°F; it is rarely below 11&nbsp;°F or above 93&nbsp;°F.<ref name=":22" />
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
! colspan="14" |Climate data for Stuarts Draft, Virginia
|-
!Month
!Jan
!Feb
!Mar
!Apr
!May
!Jun
!Jul
!Aug
!Sep
!Oct
!Nov
!Dec
!Year
|-
!Average high <ref name=":22" />
|{{Convert|44|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|47|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|56|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|66|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|74|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|82|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|85|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|83|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|77|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|67|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|56|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|47|F|C|abbr=on}}
|
|-
!Daily mean <ref name=":22" />
|{{Convert|34|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|37|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|45|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|55|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|63|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|72|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|75|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|73|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|67|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|56|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|46|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|37|F|C|abbr=on}}
|
|-
!Average low <ref name=":22" />
|{{Convert|27|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|28|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|35|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|44|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|53|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|62|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|65|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|64|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|57|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|46|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|36|F|C|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|30|F|C|abbr=on}}
|
|-
!Average [[precipitation]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stuarts Draft, Virginia Travel Weather Averages |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=271844&cityname=Stuarts-Draft-Virginia-United-States-of-America |access-date=2022-12-02 |website=Weatherbase}}</ref> 
|{{Convert|2.3|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|2.4|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|2.8|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|2.8|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|3.5|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|3.5|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|3.2|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|3.6|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|3.2|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|3.6|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|2.8|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|2.9|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|36.7|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|-
!Average snowfall<ref name=":22" />
|{{Convert|5.9|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|6.8|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|2.8|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|0.1|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|0.0|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|0.0|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|0.0|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|0.0|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|0.0|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|0.0|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|1.0|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|4.6|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|{{Convert|21.2|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|}