Page 17 – Virginia Outdoors Foundation

The Preserve’s Winter Spotlight Species: Partridgeberry

As Valentine’s Day has come and gone, I hope nobody is sick of the color red, as that is one of the best ways to identify our next winter spotlight species for #sciencesaturday! Partidgeberry (Mitchella repens) might be hiding under the all the brown leaves on the forest floor, but this vibrant green leaf with a crimson fruit, is another evergreen plant that is easiest to spot during winter. A woodland creeper that grows about 2 inches high, you’ll have to look low along the ground to find it.

The telltale bright red berry with two spots gave it away. That is also the inspiration behind one of partridgeberry’s nicknames, “Twinflower”, because it produces white-pink flowers in pairs, and then if both flowers are pollinated, the ovaries of these flowers merge. The two marks, that look like eyeballs, are actually scars from this process. The resulting berry contains 8 seeds, and although edible for people (but not very sweet), it is a much better food source for the local birds, foxes, mice, and skunks.

I was able to find it along Dawson’s Trail (red berry on the red trail)! If you successfully ‘spot’ it, hopefully you’ve learned some new tips on how to remember this name or nickname! And don’t forget to add any pictures you take of it to our iNaturalist project.

The Preserve’s Winter Spotlight Species: Striped Wintergreen

The last few weeks at the Preserve have seemed extra chilly. Bundling up to stay warm while hiking is one way to prepare for your visit. Even though we are adding extra coats, the forest seems to have lost most of its layers. When hiking through the trails, the woods appear to be a monotonous, neutral tone of sticks, piles of leaves, and fallen trees. It deceptively looks like there is very little to break up the brown-ish, dead-ish landscape.

Images: Becky Conway

But the closer you look, the more nature may surprise you! In the following few weeks, journey with me as we discover more about the variety of colors and species that are actually easier to spot during winter. The Preserve iNaturalist project is also an excellent tool that will assist your species identification. Change your perspective from feeling drab to finding fab in the #sciencesaturday new winter spotlight species.

“This project is driven by all those curious individuals utilizing the iNaturalist application to learn more about the world around them, or those just wanting to share the extraordinary beauty that can be found along one’s journey through the woods. Every observation uploaded from the preserve allows us to better understand the biodiversity that is contained within this unique ecosystem, and what organisms you all find to be interesting enough to photograph.“

-Michael Carr, VOF Research Associate and Volunteer

Image: Citizen scientist & visitor Susan Parent (iNat user @susanparent)

Our first species is Striped or Spotted Wintergreen (Chimaphila maculate). It is one of the few vivid greens you might encounter poking through the brown carpet of leaf litter this season. A member of the winter loving plants in the Chimaphila genus (Greek translation: chime = winter; phileo = to love), winter provides this species with a drastically lowered competition for sunlight. This means that the plant will soak up as many rays as it can during the winter and will store this energy for reproduction in the summer (when the forest floor receives much less sunlight due to the forests leafed out overstories and understories).

Image: Michael Carr VOF Research Associate & Volunteer (iNat user @mjwcarr)

If pollinators successfully visited, then the striped wintergreen will also have grown a tall fruit that looks like tiny brown/tan pumpkins! Although way too small to carve, these little capsules will eventually split at the seams for the seeds to be released.

Images: Becky Conway

Often seen in rocky acidic soils, this waxy evergreen is unappetizing for the many white-tailed deer that live around the preserve. Keep your eyes peeled while out on your chilly hike this weekend and see if you can spot our first winter spotlight species! I found so many of these growing right along the edges of the Preserve trails on my last visit. If you take any pictures of them, make sure to upload them to our iNaturalist BRMNAP Project!

Cultural history research at the Preserve through a Geographic Information Science lens

We are excited to introduce Sarah Hood-Recant, our Geographic Information Science (GIS) Research Student for the Spring 2021 Semester!

Sarah is a senior at the University of Mary Washington, majoring in environmental geology, minoring in French, and working to obtain her GIS certificate. She discovered her love for the environment and geology during her first semester at UMW, while learning about our dynamic earth.

Sarah will be analyzing the Preserve’s landscape, looking for patterns between the cultural sites of our Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, using a combination of geospatial analysis and remotes sensing techniques. She looks forward to studying environmental attributes of the Preserve (such as elevation, slope, aspect and distance to running water) hopefully uncovering some environmental factors that drove settlement to certain areas of the Preserve.

I will be mentoring Sarah through her research, helping her approach some of the complex geospatial problems that she will approach during her project.

As a student at Mary Washington, she has worked as an Orientation Leader, Coordinator, and a GIS assistant to her geology professor and classmates. Outside of class, she enjoys playing ultimate frisbee with her friends, and singing in the acappella group, BellAcappella.

Sarah hopes to combine her passion for GIS and environmentalism into an exciting career after she graduates!

Help us in welcoming Sarah to the Preserve, and stay tuned to our Facebook and Instagram accounts to hear about her findings!

Albright Scout Reservation, Chesterfield County

At the Albright Scout Reservation in Chesterfield county, small things add up to big results in real time, thanks to a group of youth volunteers and their adult advisors who have decided that hiking and camping aren’t the only outdoor experiences the 568-acre property has to offer.

Scouts conduct water monitoring along Stony Creek. Photo credit: Tom McKee.

Once a family farm, the property was gifted to the Boy Scouts of America Heart of Virginia Council in the late 1990s, providing campgrounds, ponds and over ten miles of hiking trails for scout backpacking and hiking training and experiences. The mix of hardwood forests and fields also hosts Stony Creek, which winds past nine ponds as it flows to Lake Chesdin, a drinking water reservoir on the Appomattox River.

“We started out in 2017 with smaller projects, helping a Venture Crew monitor water quality in Stony Creek,” says Tom McKee, a scouting coordinator, Master Naturalist and Chesapeake Bay Steward who helps manage the property with a small group of volunteers. Venture Crews are co-ed groups of scouts ranging from 14 to 21 years old. “Pretty soon they started asking why we weren’t monitoring the ponds as well. Through this effort they quickly realized that drinking water is a critical, world-wide resource.”

The discovery of salamander egg masses in one of the ponds on the property led to the discovery of critical breeding habitat for the amphibian. Photo credit: Tom McKee.

As McKee remembers, one project led to another. Monitoring the ponds led to the discovery of salamander egg masses, which led the crew to a large vernal pool, which led to several others scattered on the property. Invasive plants were a concern, but removing them meant that they needed to be replaced with native plants to control erosion and protect water quality, as well as provide wildlife habitat.

“Now we’re there three to four times a month,” McKee says, “Ten people at a time due to Covid restrictions. We’re either doing conservation-related service or the water monitoring. We stay busy!”

One scout is participating in a biodiversity project and has set the goal of identifying 500 species in her project area. She has recruited other scouts to help. All species will be entered in iNaturalist.

With the help of a $1,650 grant from the Virginia Outdooors Foundation Appomattox River Fund, the volunteers and the Venture Crew can continue their conservation work, as well increase the number of young people they reach. The funding will pay for native seedlings, shrubs and grow tubes, water quality tests and refill supplies, and material for kiosks to teach campers and hikers about vernal pools, native plants, wildlife conservation and water quality.

“We’ve discovered what’s here,” McKee states. “But there are about 2,500 young people a year who come to the property for Boy Scouts of America-related camping, canoeing and hiking weekends. Most of them have no idea how many treasures of nature are here. We help them discover for themselves, and the VOF funding is helping us do that more effectively.”

Celebrating United Nation’s International Women and Girls in Science Day

Happy #sciencesaturday folks!

The United Nation’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, was this week (Thursday, February 11^th) and we just want to take a moment to honor it!

There are many women (and girls!) involved with science here at BRMNAP. From our many community scientists (of all ages!), to our research partners and associates, to our staff. But we wanted to use this moment to put the spotlight back on our inaugural Natural Science Fellow, Meredith Hart.

Meredith is currently an undergraduate at George Mason University and an active member of their student chapter of The Wildlife Society, serving as their official Undergraduate Representative. As an early career entomologist, Meredith joined us last season as our VOF fellow to utilize a multitude of field trapping methods to contribute to our broader understanding of the insect biodiversity here within the Bull Run Mountains.

Meredith recently came by to drop off the highly organized fruits of her labor – a collection of insect specimens that will be permanently anchored here for continued research.

Meredith’s past work not only helps us better manage the Preserve but is a major contribution to VOF’s own internal science program. We are proud to have been a small part of her journey onto a promising STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) career.

The Human Element: 2020 Annual Report for VOF’s Preserve at Bull Run Mountains

“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”

– Margaret J. Wheatley

As we all transition out of a challenging year and into a more hopeful 2021, I want to take a moment to reflect on the importance of the human element at our Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve. I want to focus on the power of us. The power of stories.

In light of the unique local and global challenges we collectively faced within the last year, I consider myself overwhelmingly lucky to have been able to welcome and share the Preserve with so many diverse folks. From the opportunity to introduce first time visitors to the transformative qualities of nature, to experiencing the power of seemingly disparate individuals coming together, united by a call to better understand, protect, and share the natural and cultural treasures of Virginia’s easternmost mountain range.

VOF’s Preserve at Bull Run Mountains (BRMNAP) has been a state-designated Natural Area Preserve since 2002. Nearly 20 years of being a monument of Northern Virginia wilderness and the core of our community’s rural spirit.

A unique community resource, a living laboratory, and an open-air museum.

Despite that well-rounded reality, looking back in broad view, one would notice that our natural resources have unintentionally demanded the lion’s share of researcher attention.

With a reprioritization of the countless cultural mysteries the Preserve still holds, I am happy to share that over the last few years we have worked hard to paint a more complete picture of the Bull Run Mountains. This has largely come to be with the development of our “Making History Our-story” initiative.

Building upon the foundation provided by some of our region’s most notable historians and researchers, we have begun to finely sift through the many still unstudied remnants of yesterday. This is done through gathering oral histories, carefully reviewing archival records, and mindfully surveying and uncovering physical artifacts.

By better documenting the full scope of Bull Run Mountains, we are able to highlight its greater local and global significance. This journey of discovery, which largely centers around a field of study known as folk history, has already (only in its infancy) revealed a plethora of “lost” stories that underline our common humanity. Stories of hardship, yes. But, also of triumph.

The Preserve’s diversely peopled past once reclaimed by the mountains and relegated to the annals of time, has since been resurrected. Arguably, just when we need these stories the most.

A thoughtful reminder that this mountain range, much of it now protected by the Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, was refuge for many. Was life, complete.

In that way, maybe not so much has changed? Much like stories, we are defined by what we preserve.

At the end of the day, what is more human than remembering and sharing stories?

We are taking part in an ancient and global tradition. A shared curiosity culminated in our ability to reclaim stories once forgotten. A shared community has enabled us to bring the past to life.

It is these stories that are not only helping us better understand the past but guide us in creating a more honest and inclusive present. With each new discovery, the Preserve has begun to take on new meanings and welcome new advocates.

Along with these new discoveries, our volunteers and staff naturally found ourselves asking deeper questions.

If some future human were curious enough one day to look back at our time here on earth, as we are doing now to those who came before us, what would they learn about us? What actions would define our story?

Asking these questions, we must come to terms with the reality that all of us here, in this present moment, have an inherent power over the future. Our decisions will impact those who are not yet here to voice their opinions. We not only have a power over what their landscape will look like, but we will pass down the stories that they will tell.

That is quite a profound responsibility, yes. But one that we, luckily, face together.

If you have been out on one of our Cultural History hikes, you may be familiar with us asking you this question. One that will take each of us a lifetime to answer, but something that is certainly worth pondering:

“What type of ancestor do you want to be?”

Leaving you all with that question, I invite each-and-every one of you to make it out to the Preserve in 2021. Our team has a whole host of thought-provoking programming that we are looking forward to sharing with you all.

With that, I want to take a moment to thank all of the selfless individuals and organizations that helped us accomplish the many activities that are shared within the pages of our 2020 Annual Report.

I truly hope that you all enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it together. And I look forward to those who join us in 2021!

VOF announces $1.9 million in grants for public open space projects

The Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) today announced $1,946,044 in grants for projects that create, expand, and make more accessible public open space in 25 localities.

The 33 grants were awarded from VOF’s Preservation Trust Fund and its new Get Outdoors program.

The latest round of awards emphasized projects that serve high-need communities, especially communities that have been inadequately served, overlooked, or harmed by unfair zoning, housing, and land-use practices or other systemic discrimination.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed a great deal about the importance of open space for not only our physical and mental health, but also for the strength of our communities,” said VOF Executive Director Brett Glymph. “We are pleased to be able to award these grants that will advance projects in communities all across the Commonwealth, resulting in greater, safer, and more equitable access to the outdoors for thousands of Virginians.”

Grant Recipient Summaries

PRESERVATION TRUST FUND

Grantee: City of Buena Vista
Grant amount: $78,000
Project: Buena Vista Town Square
Project summary: Creates a public gathering space in the heart of downtown Buena Vista that would include a pavilion for gatherings and events, seating, bike racks, information to find outdoor recreational opportunities, and landscaping for beautification.

Grantee: City of Franklin
Grant amount: $150,000
Project: City of Franklin, Blackwater Park
Project summary: Acquisition of 203 acres of frontage on the Blackwater River for the creation of a trailhead on the Blue Water Trail that terminates at the River Park in downtown Franklin. The acreage contains significant forest and wildlife habitat value.

Grantee: City of Fredericksburg
Grant amount: $145,000
Project: Bankside Trail
Project summary: Provides an off-street, multi-use trail to the Rappahannock River and cultural resources located alongside it. The trail’s proposed route will launch from the soon-to-be completed Riverfront Park and run alongside the river for five city blocks.

Grantee: City of Harrisonburg
Grant amount: $114,228
Project: Northend Greenway Connection
Project summary: Constructs a paved shared-use path to connect the existing Northend Greenway path with a funded path extension along Mt. Clinton Pike. The proposed path segment will establish the Northend Greenway as a 1-mile long path that provides access to a restored stream while linking neighborhoods, institutions and other destinations.

Grantee: Culpeper County
Grant amount: $93,514
Project: Rappahannock River Park
Project summary: Acquisition of a 47-acre property on the Rappahannock River that will provide new public access to a natural park with a boat launch, fishing pond, campground, trails for wildlife viewing, and space for outdoor classrooms.

Grantee: Friends of the Lower Appomattox River
Grant amount: $65,692
Project: Appomattox River Trail – Critical Petersburg Gap Connection
Project summary: Secures a critical 0.4-mile gap in the developing 25-mile greenway trail system that will span six jurisdictions, linking neighborhoods, areas of commerce, and forested riparian greenspace. The project would provide year-round access for biking, walking and access to state waters for fishing, bank swimming and an informal rest site for paddlers.

Grantee: Living River Trust
Grant amount: $100,000
Project: Newton Neck Preserve (City of Chesapeake)
Project summary: Acquisition of land for a preserve for passive recreation and habitat protection in a densely populated and fast-growing area of Chesapeake.

Grantee: Nelson County Parks and Recreation
Grant amount: $60,000
Project: J. Hunter Rockfish River Boat Takeout & Parking Lot Development
Project summary: Easement acquisition to install and maintain a public boat take out and parking lot on a section of the Rockfish River. This will be the first public river access for the Rockfish.

Grantee: Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NOVA Parks)
Grant amount: $100,000
Project: River Farm
Project summary: Acquisition of 24 acres on the Potomac River in Fairfax County once owned by George Washington, to secure the property for future public recreational use, river access, and resource preservation.

Grantee: Parity, LLC
Grant amount: $150,000
Project: Cemeteries at Evergreen – Paupers
Project summary: Acquisition of 2 acres in the City of Richmond that will contribute to the preservation and protection of multiple historic African American cemeteries in the East End of Richmond, with the goal of creating a Cemetery District.

Grantee: The Chickahominy Tribe
Grant amount: $100,000
Project: Mulberry Springs on the Chickahominy
Project summary: Acquisition of a 435-acre parcel of land in Charles City County on the Tribe’s namesake river, which will include managed public access through walking trails, a launch site for kayaks, canoes, and boats, and historic and cultural interpretation and education, including the construction of traditional tribal housing structures.

Grantee: Town of Rocky Mount
Grant amount: $100,000
Project: Celeste Park
Project summary: Development of a downtown park with hiking trails and stream-side relaxation at the upper reaches of Furnace Creek to the heart of Rocky Mount in Franklin County.

Grantee: Town of Scottsville
Grant amount: $80,000
Project: West Downtown Scottsville Wetland Parks Acquisition
Project summary: Acquisition of public access easements on 14.2 acres of floodplain and wetland habitat in Albemarle County, with gradual improvement of low-impact public amenities such as walking trails.

Grantee: TriWay Trail
Grant amount: $135,000
Project: TriWay Trail
Project summary: Development of a 9.5-mile trail in Lancaster County that will create accessible, equitable open space between Kilmarnock, Irvington and White Stone.

Grantee: White’s Mill Foundation
Grant amount: $98,000
Project: White’s Mill Access and Facilities Improvement
Project summary: Expansion of White’s Mill in Washington County, one of state’s few remaining operational watermills, to improve public access amenities on the grounds and revitalize an upstream portion of Toole Creek, which supplies the mill’s water source and fills a pond below the mill that will be stocked with brook trout for public fishing access.

GET OUTDOORS

Grantee: Blue Ridge Discovery Center
Grant amount: $25,000
Project: BRDC Accessible Interpretive Trail
Project summary: Construction of an Accessible Interpretive Trail at Blue Ridge Discovery Center (BRDC) in Smyth County to integrate and maximize accessibility into the full range of educational and recreational opportunities.

Grantee: City of Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities
Grant amount: $25,000
Project: Southside Neighbors Collaborating with the City of Richmond to Create a Community-Driven Greening Plan to Guide Development of Raw Land into Community
Project summary: Planning related to the development of five parcels of city-owned into parkland in neighborhoods that have disproportionately low usable green space per capita.

Grantee: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
Grant amount: $20,000
Project: Open Spaces, Open Doors, Open Minds
Project summary: Provides routine transportation for high-need communities in the City of Richmond to several Virginia State Parks for play, education, and workforce development.

Grantee: Friends of Bellemeade Park
Grant amount: $23,500
Project: Bellemeade Park Educational Community and Children’s Garden
Project summary: Enhances Bellemeade Park, a 4.6-acre green space serving a low-income community in South Richmond, by expanding gardens for growing fresh produce and teaching entrepreneurial skills.

Grantee: Grayson County
Grant amount: $25,000
Project: Restoring Community at Mount Rogers School
Project summary: Establishes a walking loop on the former Mount Rogers School site, to enhance the site as a community gathering place.

Grantee: Groundwork RVA
Grant amount: $25,000
Project: Hillside Court MicroFarm and Outdoor Lab
Project summary: Creates the Green Team: Urban Farmers program to educate teens at this Richmond public housing facility on gardening, outdoor recreation activities, community engagement, and mentorship.

Grantee: James River Outdoor Coalition
Grant amount: $20,000
Project: River Safety Within the James River Park System
Project summary: Creates and distributes bilingual river safety signage and brochures in the heavily used James River Park System in Richmond.

Grantee: Potomac Riverkeeper Network
Grant amount: $20,000
Project: Riverpalooza on the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers
Project summary: Expands annual on-the-water events specifically designed to encourage greater river stewardship by providing reduced price, organized paddle trips and other activities targeted toward minority or marginalized communities.

Grantee: Roanoke Outside Foundation
Grant amount: $25,000
Project: Morningside Bike Park Phase II
Project summary: Advances development of this bike park in the City of Roanoke to include skills courses, jumps, trails, and features that allow a person to progress from beginner to advanced.

Grantee: Rockbridge Area Conservation Council
Grant amount: $12,260
Project: Uncas Trail
Project summary: Improves trailhead access for a newly established pedestrian hiking trail that will provide the citizens of East Lexington and beyond with 1.25 miles through a wooded environment terminating at a large cobble beach on the Maury River.

Grantee: Southside African American Cemetery Preservation Society
Grant amount: $25,000
Project: Stokesland School Recreational and Historic Interpretive Area Project
Project summary: Enhances the former Stokesland Rosenwald School, which currently functions as a community center serving the southwestern corner of Danville. Enhancements include a covered shelter and tables, landscaping with native plantings, a walking trail, and interpretive signs chronicling the Stokesland African American Community

Grantee: The Mariners’ Museum and Park
Grant amount: $25,000
Project: Revitalizing Mariners’ Lake
Project summary: Constructs an American with Disabilities Act-compliant ramp to canoe and kayak docks to increase access to Mariners’ Lake in Newport News.

Grantee: Town of Alberta
Grant amount: $8,000
Project: Alberta Tobacco Heritage Trail Extension Project
Project summary: Constructs a 0.6-mile extension of the Tobacco Heritage Trail in Brunswick County.

Grantee: Town of Brodnax
Grant amount: $25,000
Project: Brodnax Park
Project summary: Enhances a park in Brodnax, which straddles Mecklenberg and Brunswick counties, to accommodate visitors of all abilities and multiple families at a time, including making the park handicap accessible, installing a covered pavilion over the picnic tables, and adding one new piece of playground equipment.

Grantee: Town of Exmore
Grant amount: $15,000
Project: Exmore Town Park Revitalization
Project summary: Improvements to a park in Northampton County’s largest town to alleviate the flooding around playground equipment, as well as the installation of recycled playground mulch and borders to make the site less hazardous.

Grantee: United Parents Against Lead & Other Environmental Hazards
Grant amount: $25,000
Project: The Garden
Project summary: Supports the development of a public green space in South Richmond, the Garden Labyrinth, that will offer outdoor environmental education to include yoga, gardening, agricultural classes and other outdoor activities in a heavily developed neighborhood.

Grantee: Virginia Capital Trail Foundation
Grant amount: $10,000
Project: Capital Trail Outdoor Equity Fund
Project summary: Helps to create a new grant program focused on expanding trail usage by underserved communities through programming that provides free, easy access to the Virginia Capital Trail, a 52-mile paved recreational trail that stretches from Richmond to Williamsburg.

Grantee: Woodland Restoration Foundation
Grant amount: $22,850
Project: Woodland Cemetery
Project summary: Funds improvements related to restoring a large historic African American Cemetery in western Henrico County and making it safer for visiting families, as well as for volunteers, researchers, and others who frequent the site.

The Virginia Opossum and their ecosystem benefits

Happy #sciencesaturday everyone!

This week we are focusing on North America’s only marsupial – the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) and the amazing ecosystem benefits they provide!

One of our Research Associates, Michael Carr, photographed this adorable opossum traversing through one of our mountains’ snowy hollows.

But why, you may ask, is the Virginia opossum so important for our ecosystems? Beyond being a ferocious tick-eater, they eat many other animals that are commonly considered pests, carrion (dead animals), and will do a bit of gardening for you – eating slugs or snails and even over-ripe fruit and berries.

Opossums, like many other animals, are a natural host for ticks. But, unbeknownst to the ticks, opossums are very good groomers, and consume about 90% of the ticks that try to make a meal out of them. Check out this photo we shared of an opossum eating ticks off of a deer!

So, next time you see an opossum stop and consider the many benefits it provides to our ecosystems!

By the way, contributing to our community science projects (like snapping photos of our flora and fauna) can be as easy as uploading your #bullrunmountains observations to @inaturalistorg! We have an ongoing iNaturalist Project: The Preserve at Bull Run Mountains and we would love to see your contributions!

If you are not sure how to use the app, but are interested in participating – just reach out to our Preserve staff and they will help get you started!

VOF celebrates Black History Month with special programs at Bull Run Mountains

Even though February is recognized as African American History Month, the on-going work at Bull Run Mountains honors the historic Black and African American residents far beyond 28 days out of the year. From the Black history hikes hosted by our fantastic Cultural History Interpreter, Barinaale Dube, to learning about the legacy of Hampton Cole, this month provides a time to reflect not only on what we have accomplished thus far, but an opportunity to recognize the undiscovered stories we hope to shed light on in the future.

Considering I had never heard of the Preserve before applying for the outreach assistant position with my primary background in environmental science, the diverse and rich local history of this vast space was incredibly intimidating! Learning about the stories of the Black families that called this land home, keeping track of dates, and locations of homesteads was one of the first challenges I tackled in my new role. By listening to other staff members explain on-going homestead research and watching Barinaale’s Cultural Fellowship Friday video series, I was introduced to the cultural richness that is an equally important part of the Preserve’s heritage.

The ability to understand and learn from the past is critical to help shape a brighter future for ourselves and the next generation. I invite you to join me in two different upcoming opportunities to continue learning about the Black and African American history of the Bull Run Mountains! Tune in to celebrate the diversity and work at the Preserve!

Tuesday, February 16th: 7pm

Listen to Archeological Society of Virginia Vice-President and VOF Volunteer Archeologist, Patrick O’Neill, present “The Preserve: Reconstructing an African American Neighborhood in the Bull Run Mountains“! He will be speaking at the Prince William County’s R.E.L.I.C. Room digital presentation series. Register for his talk at: https://pwcgov.libnet.info/event/4638493

Tuesday, March 9th: 7pm

Hear from Barinaale Dube, Cultural History Interpreter, as she co-presents with Preserve Specialist, Summers Cleary. Together, these two women will share more about our recent findings in “Making History Our-Story“. Mark your calendars now and register for Summers and Barinaale’s presentation here: https://pwcgov.libnet.info/event/4858799

Community Science at the Preserve: fueling our collective understanding of the treasures of Bull Run Mountains

Happy #sciencesaturday everyone!

We are bringing back our weekly #sciencesaturday posts to highlight the variety of scientists performing research here, the unique diversity our Preserve holds, and to showcase the variety of ways our visitors and community members can contribute to our collective understanding of the natural and cultural treasures that make the Bull Run Mountains so special!

To kick things off, one of our Preserve Research Associates, Michael Carr (GMU student, The Wildlife Society Member, and beetle biologist), put together a 2020 iNaturalist year in review article. Check it out here!

iNaturalst is a free phone app where users can photograph and upload their wildlife observations. This data aggregated can help researchers easily utilize large, user generated datasets for their studies and can help land managers have large spatial, temporal data sets to help make more informed land management decisions!

VOF will be holding a number of iNaturalist based community-science trainings, events, and projects! So consider downloading the iNaturalist app and consider tuning in here each Saturday to learn more about iNaturalist and our ongoing projects!

By contributing to our iNaturalist project, you are helping us discover the breadth and depth of our biodiversity. Stay tuned to our Facebook and Instagram where we will publish all of our community science events!