Data Centers VS. Northern Virginia Wildlife

Data center development on what once used to be 30+ acres of prime woodland I had access to hunt.

If you have lived in Northern Virginia for the past decade there are two things you can always count on: traffic on I66 and data centers being built just about everywhere. Northern Virginia has the largest concentration of data centers in the world. With 70% of global internet traffic going through the area, 51 million square feet of operating space, and approximately 4,000 megawatts of electricity usage. Which is equivalent to powering 800,000 homes.

As you can imagine with all this construction, comes a loss of habitat in the area. The ecosystem has changed drastically. This is especially true in my hometown of Haymarket, which sits right on the boundary line of “Northern Virginia”. It used to be exactly what you would expect a town called Haymarket to be like. Farms, Small neighborhoods, and two-lane roads. Now I watch as a small piece of property I used to hunt turns into more data center development.

So what happens to all the beautiful Virginia wildlife that would call these wooded areas home? Find new homes of course. I was contacted last year by a local homeowner who knew I was an avid bow hunter and asked if I could hunt Whitetail Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) on her property. As every hunter knows it is particularly strange when a property owner asks you if you can hunt their property and not you ask them. She lives on a 4-acre lot and is an avid gardener. She has sent me pictures of 20+ deer on her small lot, and she’s sick of it. “Kill them all” is what she told me. Now as an active conservationist and wildlife lover at first, that was hard to hear. But with the population of whitetail deer in the area and now our Northern Virginia counties have unlimited doe hunting tags I think “Am I doing worse for the ecosystem by not harvesting as many deer as I can?”

Just last week I read a Facebook post about someone on Bull Run Mountain (Local Mountain neighborhood) who’s dog was attacked in their own backyard by a Black Bear (Ursus Americanus). Now I will say, Black Bears are pretty common on the mountain. But with the more frequent sightings and now animal attacks I find it hard to believe this is a coincidence. Two of my closest friends have some of the few farms left in Haymarket. They both have one common factor. Lots of Coyotes (Canis latrans). If you sit at either of these properties past sunset you will hear multiple packs of Coyotes screaming non-stop. Coyotes now have overrun the last few rural areas. Personally, I think they are the only species that have “profited” from the compact animal life in minimal spaces. Coyotes are eating everything in their path. Deer fawns, Turkey poults, Geese nest, Duck eggs and everything in between.

This is what two local Cattle/Crop farmers and an outdoor enthusiast have to say about the matter.

“Data centers can have a variety of effects on wildlife in northern Virginia. One major impact is the disruption of habitats. The construction of data centers often requires significant land clearing. Which means animals are likely to move elsewhere, like into neighboring housing developments or travel miles to a park or forest. Another concern is water usage. Data centers require a lot of water and may impact aquatic ecosystems.” – Hanger Latham with Greenville Farm Family Campground – Haymarket campgrounds | Good Sam Club

“I mean I’m no expert, but they know they’re safe, the data centers definitely push wildlife out, but I think they all adapt in their own way from birds to squirrels to turkey and deer they find a new place to call home.” – Mitchell Wight with Homeland Farm

“I’d say the animals seem desensitized to human presence nowadays. I walk through the Manassas battlefield every day, and the deer let you approach within five feet without a care in the world. I really think the constant noise from the highways, sprawling parking lots, and the rapid emergence of data centers have taken a toll. These animals have lost vast areas of land, pushing them into smaller, more compact forested areas where human encounters are inevitable. Their fear has diminished in response to reckless development in areas that used to be mature old-growth forests – a safe haven now leveled, erased, and forgotten.” – Owen Spicer with Snailtrailoutoors

There are many different points of view when it comes to data centers in Northern Virginia. For the most part, mostly negative. I could go on about the effect of water quality, ambient temperature fluctuations and so on. Yet there is no question about it. Data centers are drastically changing the ecosystem and devastating the impact of local wildlife. Now they want to put data centers bordering the Civil War Battlefield in Manassas Virginia.

To show your support and stop this you can join the American Battlefield Trust. ‘Digital Gateway’ Threatens to Overwhelm Manassas Battlefield | American Battlefield Trust (battlefields.org) Who are fighting to stop these digital empires from taking over our beautiful landscape.