Preparing for the winter world

With the first frosts of the year occurring, the earlier and earlier nights, and the last of the leaves beginning to drop, our thoughts naturally turn towards winter.

Most people consider our mid-atlantic winters devoid of life and that is a fair assumption based on the witnessable preparations of our deciduous treescape, but life is still all around us – whether hibernating, finding new ways to survive this cold new world, or staging it’s re-emergence.

In some rare cases life is occurring in all of its grandest theater, as is the case with our marbled salamanders (Ambystoma opacum). Each fall, as the weather begins to cool, this native (and nearly statewide) salamander begins to court, mate, and lay their eggs!
Credit: Joe Villari

Usually depositing these eggs in a covered depression of sorts, their larvae continue to develop as the weather gets colder and colder, eventually hatching from when the winter rains come and submerge them for a few days. Once hatched these larvae, or salamander tadpoles, live out the first part of their lives in vernal pools during the coldest parts of the year!

While this sounds like an extreme adaptation, just think of the enormous advantage this provides them to be able to live and grow while there are few other predators, or competition, sharing their vernal pools with them!

For those interested in more about how the animal world survives (and in some cases, thrives!) through the winter, we recommend Bernd Heinrich’s 2009 book, Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival.

We also plan on documenting and highlighting the winter life that occurs here at VOF’s Preserve at Bull Run Mountains. So stay tuned and stay curious!

Trail Gateway Project, Brunswick County

“It would be great to have a slide, merry-go-round we can get dizzy we can go round and round. Big or small any size. Swings: we can go high or low we could swing fast or slow.”

“We need a playground, not just for me but for all of us.”

In community feedback sessions, Lawrenceville fourth graders made it clear that playgrounds are good for everybody. The director of the county’s Industrial Development Authority (IDA), Mike Dotti, agrees. “Playgrounds foster community. Moms hang out and talk to each other. Creating and nurturing community relationships is a big part of our mission.”

In drawings and notes, kids from Lawrenceville’s grade school showed the difference a playground could make.

Currently, there are no public playgrounds in Lawrenceville, so families must make the 30-minute drive to South Hill so their children can play outside. Brunswick County’s IDA is about to change that with a $25,000 grant from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s Get Outdoors Program. They are using the grant to install a shelter and playground equipment at Lawrenceville’s access point to the Tobacco Heritage Trail (THT).

Dotti says locating the playground and shelter at the THT trailhead is a strategic choice, part of a larger vision of making the area’s outdoor resources more accessible to everyone. “The trails may be a destination for others, but how do we [as locals] use them? How can moms take their children to the trail head and feel safe, with proper lighting and amenities, a bathroom and changing station? The playground is the first step to making the trails more user-friendly.”

Area leaders Gibson, Dotti and Reynolds are making sure all local assets are working for the community, including an old railcar that will soon be refurbished to host birthday parties and other local youth activities at the trailhead playground.

Dotti credits the county’s economic development director, Alfreda Reynolds, and Lawrenceville’s town manager, Everett Gibson, with sharing this vision of revitalization. “Partnerships make change,” he says. “We’re going to make this happen through everybody thinking and talking and working together.” That shared vision has also inspired a project led by the Town of Lawrenceville to create walkability from downtown to the trailhead where the new playground will be located.

Going forward, the county and town will continue to work together to create more outdoor resources to serve residents as well as visitors to the area, Dotti states. “We have a renewed sense that together we can make this stuff happen. We can bring revival to an underserved rural community by taking advantage of what we have–these great trails. We just need to make sure everyone can use them.”

VOF announces $1.38 million for 28 open-space projects across Virginia

The Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) today announced $1,385,857 in grants for projects that increase access to public open space in 25 counties and cities.

The 28 grants were awarded from VOF’s Preservation Trust Fund and Get Outdoors grant programs. The Preservation Trust Fund program provides grants for acquisitions, easements, rights of way, and other methods of protecting open space for farming, forestry, recreation, wildlife, water quality, and more. The Get Outdoors program provides grants for projects that increase equitable access to safe open space in underserved communities.

To learn more about VOF’s grant programs, visit https://www.vof.org/protect/grants/.

Grant Recipient Summaries

Preservation Trust Fund

Grantee: Brunswick County

Locality: Brunswick County

Amount: $150,000

Project: Lake Gaston

Description: Construction of a future public day-use site located on Lake Gaston, a major tourist attraction with limited public access.

Grantee: Capital Region Land Conservancy

Locality: City of Colonial Heights

Amount: $150,000

Project: Historic Harvell Dam Area

Description: Acquisition of 0.88 acres in Colonial Heights that is critical to the development of the 25-mile-long Appomattox River Trail and will connect Colonial Heights to Virginia State University and the Fall Line Trail.

Grantee: Capital Region Land Conservancy

Locality: Chesterfield County

Amount: $150,000

Project: Campbell’s Bridge Mills

Description: Acquisition of 10 acres in Chesterfield that is critical to the development of the 25-mile-long Appomattox River Trail and will connect Virginia State University, the Fall Line Trail, and Randolph Farm campus.

Grantee: Downtown Greens Inc

Locality: City of Fredericksburg

Amount: $150,000

Project: Downtown Greens Land Expansion Project

Description: Acquisition of a 56-acre parcel of productive farmland that will provide additional accessible green space, an agricultural training center, and new nature-based learning opportunities for all ages.

Grantee: James City County Department of Parks and Recreation

Locality: James City County

Amount: $109,400

Project: Grove Community Park

Description: Acquisition of two adjacent properties to create a 7.75-acre Grove Community Park, serving a community that is historically underserved with recreational amenities and has the highest level of poverty-level households in James City County.

Grantee: Town of Bridgewater

Locality: Rockingham County

Amount: $55,000

Project: Riverwalk, Phase III

Description: Purchase of land and right-of-way for the construction of Phase III of the Town’s Riverwalk project, a shared-use path along the edge of the North River that will eventually span over two miles and create an east-west pedestrian and bicycle connector across the town.

Grantee: Town of Fincastle

Locality: Botetourt County

Amount: $57,000

Project: Big Spring Park; An Historical Revival

Description: Improvements to Big Spring Park, 4-acre linear park connecting the historic downtown to Breckenridge Elementary School. New features would consist of an outdoor classroom, historical interpretation, and a native fruit orchard and pollinator garden.

Grantee: Town of Glade Spring

Locality: Washington County

Amount: $100,000

Project: Glade Spring – Saltville Trail Extension

Description: Acquisition of a .65-mile section of Norfolk Southern rail line to connect the existing Salt Trail from Saltville to Glade, and then from Glade to Emory & Henry College.

Grantee: Town of Independence

Locality: Grayson County

Amount: $65,000

Project: North Independence Park

Description: Acquisition of 2.12 acres of vacant land to build one of the first public parks in the Town’s 115-year history.

Get Outdoors

Grantee: Africulture

Locality: Orange County

Amount: $24,400

Project: Taste of Africa

Description: A Taste of Africa (TOA) is a farm-based introduction and walk through African and Caribbean cultures and history. Many plants, principles, and practices, as well as people, were brought to America and the western hemisphere against their will. Despite their unfortunate and dire circumstances, they still maintained aspects of their food culture and traditions. Taste of Africa will expose and properly introduce residents of Virginia and the region to these cultural foodways.

Grantee: Bennett’s Village

Locality: City of Charlottesville

Amount: $25,000

Project: Bennett’s Village Treehouse at Pen Park

Description: Bennett’s Village is dedicated to making the world a more inclusive place for all to play. The first phase in creating a multi-generational, all-abilities playground at Pen Park is an accessible, multi-level treehouse. This grant will support completion of construction documents, which is the critical next step in the overall vision for Bennett’s Village.

Grantee: Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Neck

Locality: Lancaster County

Amount: $25,000

Project: BGCNN Outdoor Education and Public Recreation Space

Description: Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Neck is looking to provide green space for education, quiet time and play for youth. Funding will improve soil, turf and drainage in an activity field area; create a perimeter path trail with physical fitness activities; and create garden areas.

Grantee: Craig County Recreation and Conservation Association, Inc.

Locality: Craig County

Amount: $22,932.00

Project: Craig County Field of Dreams

Description: Funding for a septic system at the Craig Field of Dreams, a multi-purpose sports complex serving the community.

Grantee: Dan River Basin Association

Locality: Henry County

Amount: $25,000

Project: Historical Downtown Connection to Public Park

Description: Construction of steps, a sidewalk trail, and beautification at Fieldale Park, which is the center of historical focal points including the Old Iron Bridge Memorial and the famous Fieldcrest – Cannon textile factory.

Grantee: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

Locality: Fairfax County

Amount: $15,000

Project: Open Spaces, Open Doors, Open Minds

Description: The purpose of this project is to increase access for underserved communities to green and outdoor spaces, establish healthy habits in youths, and introduce potential career paths in natural resources and recreation to program participants. The program will serve residents from Northern Virginia, including Lorton and Fairfax, who will be provided a meal and transportation to and from a state park in the region, where they will learn about the natural and historic resources present.

Grantee: East Coast Greenway Alliance

Locality: City of Chesapeake

Amount: $20,000

Project: Advancing the ECG by Connecting Great Dismal Swamp Trail

Description: An 8.3-mile section of the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail is completed in Chesapeake and another 3 miles exists further south in North Carolina. Both sections of the 3,000-mile East Coast Greenway are adjacent to Great Dismal Swamp federal or state park lands. Between the completed sections is a 5-mile roadway gap along Route 17. Funding will jumpstart the planning for closing the 1.5-mile gap section.

Grantee: Enrichmond Foundation, TreeLab program

Locality: City of Richmond

Amount: $11,625

Project: Trees for Community Health at Battery Park

Description: The Enrichmond Foundation’s TreeLab program, in coordination with Battery Park Civic Association and the City of Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, will plant and maintain 63 trees and four shrubs in Battery Park in spring 2022. Battery Park is a public park in Northern Barton Heights, which has a history of systemic discrimination. The trees will increase shade around popular sports and playground facilities and mitigate stormwater runoff that causes frequent flooding.

Grantee: Essex County Museum & Historical Society

Locality: Essex County

Amount: $25,000

Project: Essex Museum Outdoor Courtyard Project

Description: The Essex Museum Max Silver Memorial Courtyard will offer the community and visitors to the area a park-like setting in the heart of the Tappahannock Historic District and provide much needed green space, as well as an outdoor classroom for living history programs.

Grantee: Friends of the Lower Appomattox River

Locality: Chesterfield County

Amount: $7,500

Project: Effective Use of Volunteer Resources for Invasive Plant Removal

Description: An initiative to develop and implement a strategic, sustainable invasive species management program that will help to save trees and native plant communities in the area and restore habitat that will improve water quality.

Grantee: Little Cities Foundation

Locality: Amherst County

Amount: $25,000

Project: Madison Heights Dog Park

Description: Seminole Park is located behind the former Seminole School in Madison Heights. Both properties have sat vacant and underutilized for nearly 30 years, succumbing to vandalism and negligence. This grant will help to transform the vacant land into a dual-use park with one half becoming a public park and the other half a dog park. The entire park will be encircled with a walking path.

Grantee: Manchester Middle School

Locality: Chesterfield County

Amount: $8,000

Project: Lion’s Community Cove

Description: Project Lion’s Community Cove will be built to give students and the local community a place to learn, explore and relax in an outdoor space.

Grantee: Pulaski County High School

Locality: Pulaski County

Amount: $25,000

Project: Sensory Trail

Description: The Sensory Trail at Pulaski County High School is being designed as an outdoor instructional space to serve as a resource to all students Pre-K through 12.

Grantee: Renew Richmond

Locality: Henrico County

Amount: $25,000

Project: Farmstrong Community Farm

Description: Farmstrong Community Farm is a project that engages youth and community members in hands-on, skills-based immersion in agriculture, STEM, and environmental sustainability that will promote food access, career opportunities, and educational advancement.

Grantee: Richard Bland College

Locality: Dinwiddie County

Amount: $15,000

Project: Richard Bland College Go Outdoors

Description: The grant will be used over a 4-year period to fund various outdoor learning opportunities and activities to reach as many students as possible. RBC services an underrepresented community with many low-income students, first-generation students, female students, and students of color.

Grantee: SCAN – Scottsville’s Center for the Arts and the Natural Environment

Locality: Albemarle County

Amount: $25,000

Project: SCAN Land

Description: Established in 2004, Scottsville’s Center for the Arts and the Natural Environment (SCAN) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to create a space for the exploration of the natural environment through the arts. SCAN Land is a multi-phased project, and intends to transform SCAN’s 13-acre property into a public landscape for the community to access, enjoy, and learn about the convergence of nature, humans, and art.

Grantee: SCION

Locality: Essex County

Amount: $25,000

Project: Select Outdoor Storehouse (SOS)

Description: Select Outdoor Storehouse (SOS) is a family farm with a vision to produce healthy food items and flowers in Essex County. This farm will be a source of nutritious foods (vegetables, fruit) and flowers for underserved communities of King George, Caroline, Essex, and Westmoreland, and Richmond County.

Grantee: Town of Montross

Locality: Westmoreland County

Amount: $25,000

Project: Montross Downtown Park

Description: This project proposes creating a centrally located park in the Courthouse Business District of Montross. Project activities will include removing impervious pavement, installing a small area of playground equipment, and planting the remainder in grassed open space suitable for recreational use by town and county residents.

Grantee: Woodville Rosenwald School Foundation

Locality: Gloucester County

Amount: $25,000

Project: Woodville School Greenspace Project

Description: The project is to purchase 0.39 acres on U.S. Highway 17 adjacent to the historic African American Woodville School for use as an outdoor exhibit area demonstrating and documenting the skills taught at Rosenwald schools and the importance of school design and outdoor space as part of the Rosenwald school experience.

Harrison Park Walking Trail, Charles City County

Charles City County ranks below most other Virginia counties in terms of the overall health of its residents, at 91st out of 133 localities. A 34 percent adult obesity rate and a 32 percent physical inactivity rate place it above state and national averages, and the diabetes rate is 14.4 percent compared to 9.3 percent statewide, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Compare these statistics with a correlating one from U.S. News and World Report’s Healthiest Communities rankings: Charles City County’s walkability index score—a measure of how well the design of a locality encourages walking—is 3.7, compared to the state’s average of 8.4.

The county’s department of parks and recreation is working to change those numbers, says Kimberly Barrow, the department’s director. “People told us they want a safe place for their child to play while they get some exercise. We want to make sure they have the resources to live healthy lives.”

A $25,000 Get Outdoors grant from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation will help answer that need, by funding the addition of a walking loop to Harrison Park, the county’s historic baseball park. Once home to the Charles City County Black Sox, a semi-professional African American team active from the early 1930s until 1988, Harrison Park is the ideal spot for a recreational trail, says Barrow. “It’s already fenced in and perfectly set up for a trail around the periphery. It’ll be easy for caregivers to use the trail and keep an eye on the kids playing.”

The design of the trail also keeps users with diverse abilities in mind. “We want to make sure everyone who wants to get out there can,” Barrow explains. “There will be ADA-accessible ramps, and the trail will be wide enough to accommodate all sorts of users. There will be an asphalt loop for people who are more comfortable on a smooth surface, but a second loop extending from that one will be gravel. It’s a more giving surface for those who need one.”

The new walking trail will be strategically placed so that parents can keep an eye on kids playing on the park’s playground.

The county is planning an upgrade to the playground, tennis and basketball courts at the park and working with the local library to add a story walk to the new trail. Other partnerships include Sports Backers, which will offer free outdoor fitness classes.

“We are very focused on addressing the social determinants of health in a parks and recreation context,” Barrow says. She hopes to see people using the new trail and park amenities by early next year. “We just put out a request for proposals on trail grading and construction. We’re really excited to be getting to work.”

Makielski Tract, Heyward Community Forest, Albemarle County

Hikers, bikers and joggers now have a safer way to get up Ragged Mountain at Charlottesville’s new Heyward Community Forest. The addition of the 5-acre “Makielski tract” to the 142 acres of recently conserved forestland will allow for an off-road, shared-use path for recreational users in their trek to the top of Reservoir Road. Until now, they had to share the narrow, curvy gravel road with cars and trucks.

Rex Linville of the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) worked with the city on both acquisitions. For the larger piece, the city was awarded a USDA Community Forest Grant, which means that the forest must provide benefits to the community, whether through active forest management, water protections, wildlife habitat, educational opportunities, or public access for recreation. Linville says the addition of the small parcel makes a world of difference in a regional vision of connected public access. “It’s just 5 acres, but when you look at it on a map from a public access perspective, it’s a key piece of the puzzle.”

Trails on the Makielski Tract give recreational users an alternative to sharing Reservoir Road with vehicles.

The tract might have gone to a private, residential buyer if not for the sharp eye of Chris Gensic, City of Charlotteville parks and trails planner. Gensic was busy working with local mountain biking and outdoors groups on trails in the new community forest when he noticed the Makielski’s “For Sale” sign at the top of the road. “It basically would have ended up a tiny private inholding surrounded by all of that public land,” he says.

The city had money left over from the Heyward project, but it wasn’t enough to purchase the extra land. Linville approached the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, which filled the gap with a $65,000 grant from its Preservation Trust Fund. “Without that we would have been really hard pressed to find another source that would have worked in a timely manner,” Linville notes. “It’s a good example of where we needed all of the pieces—willing landowners, federal funding, the city, VOF, private donors, local groups—to make it work.”

Now 147 acres strong, the community forest is in the middle of a larger block of conserved lands that include the Ragged Mountain Natural Area, Albemarle’s future Hedgerow Park, the University of Virginia’s Fox Haven Farms, and Camp Holiday Trails. The forest is already being used and enjoyed, says Gensic. “The mountain biking and hiking communities were so excited; they passed their hat and took care of the trails in the space of about two months,” he says. “It’s really neat to see the user base build their own playground. It’s kind of rare that that happens.”

A trail map is available on the City of Charlottesville’s website.

Farmland protected near Fort A.P. Hill supports military readiness

The Conservation Fund and Virginia Outdoors Foundation have partnered to protect the 373-acre Gouldin Farm right outside U.S. Army Garrison Fort A.P. Hill in Bowling Green, Virginia. This property has been the highest priority conservation effort of Fort A.P. Hill’s Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) program for the past several years and is within the Priority 1A ACUB area designated by the installation. Its protection will not only secure environmental and economic benefits of the working farmland but will support the Army’s ongoing training operations that are threatened by potential nearby development.

“The Gouldin easement is of strategic importance to Fort A.P. Hill in a high priority area where compatible land use is critical to the sustainment of our military mission,” said Lt. Col. Drew Aswell, garrison commander at Fort A.P. Hill.

“Where this farm lays along US-17 makes it immensely appealing for residential development, which not only would uproot the land’s agricultural and environmental capabilities but would hinder nearby training at Fort A.P. Hill,” said Heather Richards, Mid-Atlantic regional director at The Conservation Fund. “This type of partnership between conservation groups and the U.S. Army is truly unique and demonstrates that economic growth and environmental conservation don’t need to be mutually exclusive.”

“The ACUB Program benefits the environment, landowners, local communities and the Army, all of which are supported by and in turn support one another,” said Col. Alicia Masson, commander of the

U.S. Army Environmental Command. “It is the epitome of striking the balance between being a steward of the environment and a good neighbor, while striving to accomplish the military mission in the most effective ways possible.”

This easement, which was facilitated by The Conservation Fund and will be held by VOF, is the latest effort in a larger initiative spanning over two decades by the partners to protect land along the Rappahannock River from Fort A.P. Hill down to the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge.

“VOF is proud of our long partnership with the U.S. Army and The Conservation Fund to protect thousands of acres around Fort A.P. Hill,” said VOF Executive Director Brett Glymph. “Gouldin Farm is a wonderful family farm located in a critical spot and fills in a puzzle piece on Route 17 among seven other VOF easements.”

Funding for this project was provided by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) program. Authorized and funded annually by Congress, the REPI program supports cost-sharing partnerships between the military services, private conservation groups, and state and local governments to remove or avoid land-use conflicts near installations. REPI funding provides critical support for Fort A.P. Hill’s ACUB program by helping protect lands surrounding the base from development that would affect the Army’s training mission, such as their ability to do night flights in that area. Since its creation in 2006, ACUB at Fort A.P. Hill has helped to protect more than 13,500 acres in the region surrounding the base, including Gouldin Farm and other adjacent protected properties.

“We are very thankful for the opportunity to work with the Army’s ACUB program and the Virginia Land Preservation Tax Credit to preserve this farm forever,” said Cory Garrett, the Gouldin Farm property owner. “I grew up farming this land with my father and grandfather and we look forward to sharing more special memories on this land with the generations to come. With the continued pressure from growth and development it is a comfort to have organizations that share our same values in protecting our land.”

Henley’s Orchard, Albemarle County

HenleyFest is Sarah Henley’s favorite time to see people come out to enjoy the family farm and orchard. “We’re still mowing and baling hay in October,” she says, “so the tractors are still hooked up to their rakes and balers and there is a lot going on. Kids are especially fascinated; they get to see a day in the life of the farm and help make fresh cider the old-fashioned way. They can play outside, interact with farm animals at the petting zoo, pick apples, or sit on the patio with their glass of fresh cider. For their parents, there is hard cider or peach wine and live music.” A food truck is often on hand, and local bakeries supply baked goods made with Henley’s Orchard apples.

Four generations have kept Henley’s Orchard growing since 1932, when Joseph T. Henley, Sr., purchased five acres for apple production. Now, with 45 acres in apples, another property up the road for peaches, a livestock operation (cows, pigs and chickens) and a boarding facility for horses, the family continues to diversify. In 2010 they began to host a retail store called The Shed for fruit sales and pick-your-own activities, and in 2019 they added hard cider production to the mix.

Now in their fourth generation of farming, the Henleys run orchard, cidery, livestock and hay operations on the farm, purchased in 1932.

“It’s a lot and we do a lot, but we think of our farm as Charlottesville’s backyard,” says Sarah Henley, whose husband, Tim, took over the farming operation from his father, Joseph Henley, Jr., in 2010. The Henleys had already protected 45 acres of their land with an easement donated to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation in 2002, and Sarah was convinced that connecting the farm with the public was also essential to its future. “I said, if we’re going to do this, we need to make it a destination, not just a working facility,” she recalls.

The family business includes Sarah and Tim’s three adult children—Jacquelyn, Brook and Steele (a biologist, accountant and engineer, respectively)—who take care of the orchard, cidery, livestock and hay operations. “I don’t think Tim and I could have made it [without them] after the first 5-6 years,” Sarah says. “It was obvious we needed their input and skills.”

As for many Virginia families, 2020 brought challenges. “We started a

Kids can interact with farm animals at the HenleyFest petting zoo.

grass-fed beef operation and then the processing facilities closed down. We finally got our classification as a cidery and we wondered if anyone would come,” Sarah notes. “But we expanded our terrace so people would have more space, and they were grateful for the possibility to spend time outdoors.”

HenleyFest takes place every weekend in October, now fully stocked with apples, grass-fed beef, pork, free-range eggs and ciders. The farm is open all season for apple picking. Check out their Facebook page or visit https://www.henleysorchard.com/ for updates and hours of operation.

Top 5 Reasons to Hike in the Fall

With the equinox behind us, fall is finally here! While it is sometimes bittersweet to say goodbye to the warmth of summer, I for one am so excited for the changes happening at the Preserve over the next several weeks. Read on to see which five reasons top my list to visit Bull Run for a hike this season.

1)
Fall Foliage

It’s a cliché for a reason! When the green pigment chlorophyll dies off with the cooling weather, leaves on deciduous trees like oaks, maples, and hickories shift to brilliant fiery shades. And while it is possible to appreciate these colors on a drive, nothing quite compares to walking through an autumnal forest. The crunch of fallen leaves, the crisp air, and the palette of reds, oranges, and yellows truly are a feast
for all the senses.

2)
Fabulous Fungi

Our intrepid Outreach Assistant Marylin has written extensively on the fungi that can be found at BRMNAP. She’s even hosting guided hikes this fall to take a tour of the toadstools, brackets, and puffballs popping up all around the trail system. With all the falling leaves and moisture fall brings, it is the perfect time to observe these odd,
colorful organisms.

3)
Cooler Temperature

As a lifelong Virginia resident, fall is my favorite time of year for a reason! Following the often-oppressive heat of late summer, but before the short, cold days of winter, this season is just begging you to go outside and enjoy. Remember it is still important to stay hydrated and wear sunscreen, though!

4)
Bird Migrations

While Virginia is home to many bird species year-round, some can only be spotted as they make their yearly migration journeys. Shorebirds can often be sighted inland, and stunning rose-breasted grosbeaks pop up at bird feeders. Rarer warbler and sparrow species appear this time of year, and a keen-eyed birder might add a few to their life list!

5)
A Safer Way to Socialize

In these strange Covid times, many of us are still taking steps to limit unnecessary interactions. One way to easily maintain distance and avoid breathing each other’s germs is to spend time with friends and family outdoors. BRMNAP offers three trails with varying levels of difficulty, so it is easy to pick the right route for your group. Get quality time while enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of nature!

Glow-in-the-dark mushrooms? Spotlight on Eastern jack-o-lantern

A team of our staff and volunteers recently found a patch of Eastern jack-O-lantern mushrooms (Omphalotus olearius) while out performing trail work (kudos to PATC’s Mike C and his eagle eyes for the spot!)

Jack-O-lantern mushrooms are aptly named for their near fall arrival, bright orange appearance, and the fact that their gills GLOW-IN-THE-DARK!

After reading this somewhat disputed claim, I decided that I clearly had to mount an impromptu night expedition, a few nights later, to test whether this species of mushroom’s gills really could glow at night (otherwise known as possessing bioluminescent properties)

The first photo was taken when our staff 1st came across these shrooms. The 2nd photo was taken by VOF Volunteer, Sarah Causey, at night with a flash. Photo 3 was taken by Sarah in the exact same position, but in complete darkness to reveal the GLOWING GILLS!

This fungal bioluminescence has a long and storied place in mountain folklore throughput the Appalachians, known as “foxfire.”

Stay curious and keep those eyes peeled this September and October while out hiking, as you will be sure to discover and observe your own fungal surprises!

Morningside Bike Park, City of Roanoke

Michelle Davis believes in the power of biking. As CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia, she’s seen it first hand. One boy in the club became such a skilled rider that he started going to competitions around the state. When he struggled with virtual schooling during the pandemic, his father made biking an incentive to get him to buckle down on his schoolwork. Now he’s getting As and Bs.

Studies have shown the physical and cognitive benefits that two wheels can bring: increased cardiovascular fitness, stronger bones and muscles, better focus and greater self-confidence.

Volunteers from Blue Ridge Off-Road Cyclists have completed one of the five trails planned for Phase 2 of Morningside Bike Park.

But lack of access, both to safe paths and to bikes themselves, often prevents kids from reaping those benefits. Groups in the region such as Blue Ridge Off-Road Cyclists and the Roanoke Outside Foundation (ROF) are working to change that. They started in 2018 with a successful crowdfunding campaign to build a beginner loop trail in Morningside Park, next door to the Boys & Girls Club. The 1.25-mile trail fills a gap in Roanoke’s biking opportunities, says Pete Eshelman, ROF’s director. “Eighty-five percent of Roanoke’s mountain biking trails are intermediate to advanced. Our goal as a community is to get more people biking, but they need a space to learn.”

The Virginia Outdoors Foundation is helping with a recent $25,000 Get Outdoors grant to ROF for Phase 2 of the Morningside project, which includes the design and construction of additional trails with more challenging elements, where new riders can grow their skills.

The soil needs to settle on the new trails before grass seed is planted.

Morningside Phase 2 is a gamechanger for the Boys & Girls Club, Davis says. “Pre-COVID, we had a handful of kids riding with a coach a few times a week on the single track. The Get Outdoors grant gives us more trails, as well as the opportunity to leverage that funding as we apply for other grants to relaunch and grow our program.”

Davis has applied to a family foundation for a $25,000 grant to buy more bikes. “We just had a site visit from the grantor’s representative to see if we are eligible to apply,” she says. “He was so excited by that resource being right there that I think we have a very, very good shot at getting that grant.” New trails and new bikes, she says, would add up to “a perfect storm for our kids.”

If awarded, the additional grant would pay for 20–30 mountain bikes for kids ages 6–18, plus a place to store them. That would enable the program to get 40–60 individuals participating every year. Participants who develop higher skills can win scholarships to join Roanoke’s Star City Cycling Club, a youth cycling organization founded by Chris Berry, who got the ball rolling by picking and advocating for the Morningside site.

“The initial idea was to create an area where kids and adults could learn to ride in a fun and safe setting,” Berry says. “Star City Cycling Club has a longstanding relationship with the Boys & Girls Club, so the coolest thing about it is that the kids can access the trail anytime they’re there.”

As kids grow their skills they can join local youth clubs like Star City Cycling, which offers scholarships to Boys and Girls Clubs members.

Now, the Morningside model is helping more Roanoke kids plug in to pedal power. Roanoke Parks and Recreation has started an after-school youth mountain biking program at three of its recreational centers and is working to safely connect more neighborhoods to trails, says Michael Clark, director. “We’re still pretty new in terms of generating widescale interest in biking among young people, but part of building that interest is providing access,” he says. “As Roanoke continues to reinvent itself as an outdoor recreation destination, we want to make sure that everyone feels included.”

For more information and updates on Morningside trail construction, go to ROF’s blog.

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