The Virginia Outdoors Foundation has a new central phone number and mailing address to make reaching staff easier for the public.
The new phone number is 844-863-9800 (or 844-VOF-9800). All staff may be reached through extensions, which may be found on our directory at https://vof.org/contact/staff/.
VOF’s new central mailing address is:
P.O. Box 85073 PMB 38979 Richmond, VA 23285-5073
Landowners with VOF easements should use this address when sending notice of certain activities as required by easement deeds.
Please note that this address is for postal mail only. Shipments via UPS, FedEX, and other freight services should be sent directly to the recipient at his or her preferred shipping address.
In addition, check payments and donations should be sent to our Executive Office at 39 Garrett St., Suite 200, Warrenton, VA 20186. You may also make electronic payments and donations through our secure online payment portal.
As part of its customer service restructuring, VOF will be identifying field staff based on the regions they serve. VOF divides the Commonwealth into five regions, as shown in the map below. Landowners who need to contact staff about a new or existing conservation project or easement in a specific locality may continue to use our Field Staff Locator mapping tool to identify the correct staff.
As preserve specialist here at Bull Run Mountain Natural Area Preserve, people often ask me what my favorite aspect of the job is. My answer is always the same—the variety! I get to wear so many different wonderful hats depending on the needs of the preserve and the visiting fellows who bless us with their expertise. In the six months or so I’ve been here, I’ve had the pleasure of assisting paleontologists, herpetologists, ornithologists, geologists, archaeologists, economists, and more. As someone whose answer to “what do you want to be when you grow up?” changed regularly, this is a dream come true. One job I was recently more than happy to take on for a few short weeks was that of librarian!
Speaking of talented scientists, Nicky Staunton, a local legend in the botanical community, recently gave the preserve an incredible donation of more than 1,300 books. Ranging in topics from wildflowers to ferns, animals to history, and more, this mini-library now has a new home in the Preserve’s Jackson Hollow Research Outpost. Here this impressive collection reflecting Staunton’s diverse areas of interest and expertise will have a new life as reading material for our visiting researchers.
We are still in the process of finalizing the library’s permanent home thanks to volunteer and master wood-worker Redmond Manierre, so stay tuned for pictures and some favorite books! In the meantime, we would like to issue sincere thanks to Nicky Staunton and her daughter Lou for facilitating this amazing donation. We would also like to shout out volunteers Sara Causey and Lorenzo Lee Bean for their assistance in transporting the collection. Finally, a very special thank you to former head of collections for Loudoun County Library System Leah Bromser-Kloeden and her husband Marty (who also happen to be my parents) for their work helping me catalogue this impressive collection!
Me (Taryn) and my mom Leah, a retired librarian
It truly does take a village here at BRMNAP, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.
VOF funding builds on momentum gained from completion of other parts of the project, including a 2019 stream restoration to Black's Run. Photo: Keith Thomas.
It’s a familiar sight for Tom Benevento, founding member of Harrisonburg’s Northend Greenway Steering Committee: walkers and bikers attempting to navigate the difficult intersection at the trailhead. “I see people trying to get to the path right now and it’s not easy. It’s a busy intersection, the road is right there, and you have to cross the railroad tracks. It’s also dangerous for bikes to ride through because it’s all uneven. That’s why I’m super happy that VOF is funding this. It’s going to make a big difference.”
Benevento is talking about the Northend Greenway Connection, a 10’-wide, paved, ADA accessible shared use path that will close a gap between where the greenway currently ends and a new segment slated for construction in 2022. In addition, the funds will pay for improvements to the intersection, including widening, relocation of curb ramps, realignment of crosswalks, and pedestrian signals.
Once completed, the north-south greenway will connect neighborhoods throughout Harrisonburg.
The project will not only complete a vital connection on this segment of the trail, it will also get the city one step closer to the steering committee’s goal: linking all of Harrisonburg’s diverse communities through a north-south trail that parallels a restored segment of Black’s Run. That vision is shared by the city, says Erin Yancey, planning manager at Harrisonburg’s public works department. “The citizen’s group came up with a concept plan, coordinated with staff, started private fundraising that the city was able to use, along with its own funding, to match a state grant. It was a great public-private partnership, but it took some time.
“It’s all to connect neighborhoods to Black’s Run as well as to downtown,” she adds. “There is one neighborhood, Park View, that has no pedestrian or biking paths that extend all the way to the greenway, so right now people parking-lot hop to get to where they need to go. They really need an alternative. There is also a Walgreens at that intersection that people from nearby neighborhoods should be able to walk to.”
The intersection at the railroad tracks will be improved with new crosswalks, pedestrian signals, and widening of the curb. It has been worn down, Yancey says, because tractor-trailers regularly roll over the top.
As the mixed-residential Park View neighborhood benefits from the newly connected trail, so will a university, a retirement community, two low-to-middle income neighborhoods, two mobile home communities, and several Habitat for Humanity housing units. Benevento says, “Harrisonburg is a diverse community with different cultures and socioeconomic levels. We wanted to create a greenway through places that would not normally get one.”
Once completed, Benevento says, the 6.5-mile north-south axis will “hook everything about Harrisonburg together: from the farmers market to the university, the retirement community, downtown, The Court Square Theater, low-income residential communities, trailer communities. It’ll transform the city once it’s all built.”
Yesterday I was made aware of a 10 year old boy with autism who ventured away from his uncle’s home that borders the preserve’s Jackson Hollow section.
The kid left home early afternoon with the family dog, a large mastiff, and ultimately got lost.
Here are two of today’s heroes, seen here smiling, after the child and dog were safely back home as they circled back to tend to one of the search ATV’s (with a now dead battery).
Our Preserve Manager shared that the person ultimately responsible for locating the lost duo was our very own VOF Research Associate and Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History ornithologist, Jacob Saucier (right) – who was staying at the VOF Research Outpost this weekend to record new captures for our ongoing natural sound project.
Stationed right there on site, Jacob was the first on the scene and immediately put his knowledge of the landscape, supersonic hearing, and naturalist tracking skills to use to locate the kid and his dog (by sound!) just a few short hours after the child went missing.
In addition to Jacob, we are so thankful for VOF Stewardship Committee Member and Preserve neighbor, Karl Szlatenyi (left), who immediately dropped what he was doing to help assist in the search.
Finally, the Prince William County police (led by two absolute credits to our community, Lieutenant Shane Ash and Officer Bill Huber) showed up in a huge way. Many officers quickly patroled local roadways, while the adventurous Officer Huber joined Jacob, Karl, and I on foot and helped us cover some incredible distance quickly.
A helicopter team even briefly assisted the search from the air, while the child and his trusty dog friend stuck together through their whole grand misadventure – and made short work of some Doritos and a can of coke before going home a little wet and muddy – but most importantly safe and well.
Thanks again to everyone who came together to ensure yesterday had a happy ending!
Proud to share that the preserve is a part of a wonderful, proactive community
Preserve Manger Joe Villari here. I recently posed near some glorious elm trees where I had the chance to reflect on the difference that 800 acres can make…
Close in size to our South Section at VOF’s Preserve at Bull Run Mountains, NYC’s Central Park is a far cry from our wild NOVA mountainscape.
Unlike our state-designated Natural Area Preserve, this space was designed to offer local (and migratory) humans a variety of natural landscapes and experiences and has done so to great effect since its public opening in 1858.
An undeniable respite from the towering human artifice that dominates city’s landscape.
As a park and not a preserve, human recreational utility is the primary focus of Central Park and is made possible by a collaboration between NYC Parks and Recreation and Central Park Conservancy
This is no easy task, as this space is the most visited urban park in the United states and most filmed location in the world. It sees an estimated 42 million visitors a year!
Such high visitation takes some intensive planning and management to mitigate degradation and keep this space so beautiful and well-maintained.
Although preserves only host an infinitesimal fraction of the annual visitation, many of the land management techniques remain the same.
VOF’s Preserve at Bull Run Mountains is just 1 of 66 of Va’s Natural Area Preserves dedicated through Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation . Our own Preserve contains eleven distinct plant communities that each demand a unique formula of stewardship.
Unlike parks, these are wilder spaces that are intended to provide sanctuary to the unique natuve flora, fauna, geology, and cultural resources.
Parks provide us with the outdoor spaces to recreate, while preserves ensure that we protect our local area’s natural integrity for current and future generations. Both of these land uses are essential for us to thrive.
People are of the earth and of our environments. As such, we must be able to connect with and learn from the diversity contained within our many unique natural landscapes.
Central park is an example of the power intelligent planning, a strong community vision, and the simple act of setting aside 843 acres.
VOF has teamed up with Appalachian Conservation Corps (ACC) to give the newest generation of conservationists hands-on experience in easement stewardship. Becca Budrock and Emily Stern are finishing up their year on the job. Photo credit:Maddie Interdonato, ACC.
In 2021, Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) started a new program with Appalachian Conservation Corps (ACC) that provides AmeriCorps interns opportunities to jump-start a career in land conservation. In its first year, the program gave two early-career conservationists hands-on experience monitoring and mapping open-space easement properties, communicating with landowners, and learning best-practices of easement record-keeping and data management.
Becca Budrock and Emily Stern, both recent graduates of programs in environmental studies, are veterans of the program’s first year and are excited to see others benefit from it. “It’s a great introduction to open-space easements, and there is so much to learn,” Budrock says. “Anyone who is a self-starter and is flexible in the sense of being able to switch gears at a moment’s notice, from communicating with landowners to dealing with data” would be the right fit in the position, she says.
“It’s also helpful to have a good sense of direction,” she adds. “If I need to walk a mile into the woods I definitely want to know how to get back out!”
Stern and Budrock both say one of the best parts of the job was heading out into the field to explore easement properties. Photo credit: Maddie Interdonato, ACC.
Budrock has decided to stay on a second year and will be available to help show the new interns the ropes, and Stern has landed a position with Scenic Hudson as a conservation easement management assistant. Her experience at VOF for the past year has been invaluable, she says. “I definitely couldn’t have gotten [the job] without the experience at VOF this year,” she says.
After a successful first year, the program is adding two more positions, for a total of three open positions in 2022. To find out more and to apply, go to:
Appalachian Conservation Corps (ACC) works to connect young people to critical conservation service projects across the Appalachian region and neighboring communities in Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, D.C., and Pennsylvania. Our internships engage individuals in positions with federal, state and local land management agencies and environmentally focused non-profits. Individual Placements (interns) are paired with local supervisors and these positions offer more technical, hands-on experience in the work of these organizations or agencies and many times provide the training necessary to secure long term employment in these fields.
Scottsville's wild areas, like the wetlands on its southern edge, have been made more accessible through a collaborative local vision and some help from VOF.
Erin Root and Matt Lawless share a fondness for Scottsville’s small-town charm. They also share space in a historic building in Scottsville’s tiny downtown, Root as director of the nonprofit Scottsville’s Center for the Arts and the Natural Environment (SCAN) and Lawless as Scottsville’s town administrator. The shared space has made for a productive partnership, says Lawless. “When you bring different sides of the community together in the same building, ideas for projects and events take shape that might not have otherwise.”
On the northern edge of town, SCAN Land’s meadow and high-canopy forest tops off a network of open-space lands that includes the wetlands park and the Van Clief Natural Area.
Root and Lawless have collaborated on grant applications to enhance public space in town, including the commission of two public murals and an exhibition in 2021 that placed art in the windows of shops that were closed due to COVID. “Putting artwork in downtown windows brings life to the town’s streets and provides opportunities for community conversations,” says Root.
Their two latest projects work in tandem to create new outdoor spaces for those conversations and were funded with help from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation Get Outdoors (GO) and Preservation Trust Fund (PTF) programs. This work is meant to be enjoyed not only by the residents of Scottsville, but also the 9,000 people who come to shop at its Food Lion from the three adjacent rural counties.
The wetlands park and SCAN Land will bookend Scottsville’s network of conserved lands and be linked by a trail that passes through a variety of ecosystems and the historic downtown. (Map credit: Jie Huang.)
One of these projects is SCAN Land, a 13-acre property on the northernmost edge of town that SCAN owns and plans to develop as a public landscape, with trails, an outdoor sculpture garden and community programs. The undeveloped land includes native meadow, a high-canopy forest, a pond created from a natural spring, and Mink Creek, a tributary of the James River. The GO funding will support signage and wayfinding, trail design and building, a screened temporary restroom and maintenance on the 13 acres.
SCAN Land will host a sculpture garden, just one of the elements that the organization hopes will help foster, educate, and inspire the intersection of the arts and the environment.
On the other side of town, the West Downtown Wetlands Park contains 18 acres of mostly undisturbed wetlands and is linked to SCAN Land through an existing sewer easement. With the help of PTF funding, the town purchased a public access easement on the property that also sets limits on development to protect habitat and mitigate flooding. The site sits on the edge of an abandoned tire factory, which the town plans to redevelop for mixed residential and commercial use. Preserving the adjacent wetland in its present state means it can remain host to a variety of wildlife and continue to help protect water quality in the nearby James River.
The wetlands park hosts a forested swamp ecosystem. Many of the trees there are nearly a century old.
By creating access points to the sewer easement trail at both the north and south ends of town, SCAN Land and the Wetlands Park add to Scottsville’s existing green network by linking up approximately four miles of walkable and bikeable natural trails that connect to its historic downtown and the Levee Walk, a popular destination for walkers and runners.
“As a dense community that’s surrounded by farmland and forest and river, there is this great and constant intersection of the wild and the built,” says Root. “There are lessons in that, about the value of watersheds, about the infrastructure that’s necessary for us to live the lives we want to live. Walking through the diversity of these landscapes creates opportunities for encounters and conversations that create empathy.”
Lawless agrees. “It can be hard to put your finger on small town charm, where that comes from and what makes it work, but projects like this definitely contribute to it. You’re building community upstream—making spaces where everyone is welcome—and you see the positive effects of that all kinds of ways downstream.”
The first President of these United States of America, George Washington, started surveying at such a young age that he was once known as the “boy surveyor”.
Starting his career as a youthful surveyor for a Lord Fairfax, one of George’s early jobs was to survey the Bull Run Mountains.
George Washington as a “boy surveyor”
Just North of Thoroughfare Gap is a peak called Old Mother Leathercoat, a name given to it by Washington in honor of the woman who provided him with room and board during his early survey work here. The woman’s real identity remains a bit of a mystery, but the lore is that a free Black woman lived at the base of this mountain and made her life here by providing food and respite to weary travelers passing through the gap.
The tough mountaineer that she was, she always was said to be wearing a leather coat. This characteristic coat must have been something (and a sight it surely must have been during the heat of Virginia summer, as she reportedly always wore it), as it became entangled permanently with her identity. George Washington was so taken with this strong independent matriarch of the Bull Run Mtns that he named the peak in her honor.
VOF volunteer, Sarah Causey, and VOF Deputy Director, Leslie Grayson, doing a preliminary survey for Old Mother Leathercoat’s homestead site at the base of the Mountain
For this President’s day we think George Washington would appreciate us all thinking of Old Mother Leathercoat and all of the sanctuary and adventures that our beloved Bull Run Mountains has provided ALL of its people over the centuries – including our very first President.
What we now recognize as Black History Month, began as Negro History Week in 1926. It was first celebrated spanning the week of February 7th, so that it would encompass the birthdays of both Frederick Douglass (February 14th) and Abraham Lincoln (February 12th). The holiday we enjoy today, was born in the mind of Carter Goodwin Woodson, who is regarded as the Father of Black History.
Carter G Woodson was born in 1875 in New Canton Virginia, just two hours south of the Preserve. Woodson worked in West Virginian coal mines to make enough money to not only support his family, but to put himself through high school. He was able to graduate early, on account of all the personal education he was able to subject himself to. He went on to be the second Black person ever, after W.E. B Dubois to receive a PHD from Harvard University.
Carter C. Woodson
Woodson became privy to a few issues throughout his studies. The first being that African American history was either being completely ignored and erased and was specifically denied its rightful place in general American history. Thus birthed the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Not only was Woodson interested and dedicated to the study of Black people that lived in America, but also Black people diasporically, and on the continent of Africa. He realized that that all three groups were deeply interconnected and that one of their stories could not be told without the other two.
Negro History Week was originally created to celebrate and provide a space for students and scholars to present the information that they’d been learning all year about Black people. Woodson published curriculum and sent out pamphlets for the purpose of giving educators the tools they needed to educate their students and their communities about African American History. Now, at this juncture in our society, Black history month is sometimes the only month that any Black person is brought up in scholarly space, unenslaved.
Carter G. Woodson House
Black History is more than the first Black people to occupy white and European spaces. Black History is also more than the ways in which Black people survived and subverted the Transatlantic slave trade, colonialism, imperialism, the Civil War, reconstruction, Jim crow, and now gentrification and predatory developmental issues. It is the holistic look at the ways in which Black people govern and view themselves. Black History begins in current day Southern Egypt and Western Ethiopia, not on the shores of Jamestown or Spanish colonies in Florida.
Although we are moving in a direction to better achieve Woodson’s original vision, the act of setting aside time for Black History is a justice and equity piece. It’s an acknowledgement that because of racism, discrimination and hatred, we have hidden the stories of the people who quite literally built this country. It’s also a global look at the birthplace of civilization and contemporary thoughts and theories. Black history is integral and this is a month we set aside to better treat it as such.
Positioned on the Northern face of our historic Thoroughfare Gap, our Lady gazes down upon the historic Spout Spring that has quenched the thirst of thousands of Mountain locals and passers-through long before the railroad was built.
Picture by Sarah Causey
Thoroughfare gap and the stream that helped make it over the millenia, Broad Run, has been a human travel corridor since the very first habitation by our First Nation’s people. Now filled with an active railroad, Route 55, and Route 66 – it remains a valuable and busy trade-and-travel corridor that connects our world and its people.
While graffiti is strictly prohibited here at VOF’s Preserve, we claim this painting as valuable and loved piece of community art. The truth is that it was put here long before this land holding became a state-designated Natural Area Preserve and it has provided a connection to the landscape and a token for the weary traveler – as it has been a celebrated marker to the observant passer-through.
With our Making History Our-story program, we aim to collect oral histories about our regions entire human past, so if you know anything about this painting or who made it – please do reach out and let us know! As we aim to preserve and share the full story of its creation, along with the preservation of the art itself!
