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Richard Bland College, City of Petersburg

Richard Bland College, City of Petersburg
Students at Richard Bland College in Petersburg got the chance to learn outside of the classroom on seven trips made possible by VOF's Get Outdoors Fund.

As a biology professor at Richard Bland College, Eric Miller knows students have different learning styles. “I certainly applaud those students who can sit in a classroom and memorize facts, but it’s not every student,” he states. “So I try to provide opportunities for those who are interested in learning outside of the classroom and in learning by doing.”

Students went kayaking during an eco-tour of the Northwest River Area Natural Preserve in Chesapeake.

Through a grant from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s Get Outdoors Fund, Miller and other faculty were able to get students outside on seven different outdoor trips in 2022 and are planning more for 2023. Miller encourages his colleagues to design trips, as well. “I want to open it up to whoever has a cool idea.”

Last year’s trips included one organized by an art professor whose students designed a field trip to a state park. There, they collected natural items for pigments and used the paint they made to depict the natural scenes around them. A sociology professor organized a walking tour in Richmond, where students learned how the cityscape was shaped by the Civil War, Jim Crow laws and gentrification while exploring Church Hill and other historically significant neighborhoods.

“These were really great trips that I never would have thought of,” Miller says. “I’m so impressed with what other people come up with that’s in their wheelhouse.”

Miller’s own property in Chesterfield has hosted trips in which students study fish anatomy while learning to fish. 

A self-professed “water guy,” for his part Miller has taken students flyfishing, kayaking, and snorkeling. “I grew up fishing and hanging out on the water, and I want to share those experiences with others who may not have had the opportunity.” It’s also a way to spark students’ interest in science, he adds. “I’m always sprinkling in ways to make them think about what they’re doing. They may be having fun learning to fish, but when they catch something, we get a chance to talk about differences in fish anatomy and why they matter. Or we’ll do some bug ID while we’re snorkeling.”

A trip to Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences included examining a preserved great white shark and an Atlantic sturgeon. Atlantic sturgeon are a federally protected endangered species.

Miller remembers a student on the fly fishing trip who found a connection with the woman who ran the lodge where they stayed. “He has Native American heritage, and her property is full of Native American artifacts. She’s a real history nerd and they really bonded over their shared interests,” he says.

Later the student wrote a letter to the lodge owner, who shared it with Miller. “In the letter,” Miller says, “the student wrote that he hadn’t been sure that college was for him, but the trip to her place helped him see that there are other ways of learning, other things out there than this classroom-PowerPoint way of doing things.” Miller adds that the student has stayed in school and is working toward a career in environmental education.

Miller is looking forward to organizing more trips this year and recruiting other faculty to design trips within their areas of expertise. “It sounds clichéd,” he concludes, “but at the end of the day if we can light that fire in one student, that’s why we’re doing what we do.”

Stream Restoration in Jackson Hollow Follow-Up: A Student-led Conservation Success Story!

Student partnerships have been a constant source of inspiration and hope for our staff here at VOF’s Preserve at Bull Fun Mountains.

Back in 2019, industrious students form James Madison High School led a project to remove woody invasives along Catharpin Creek and replace them with native black willow (Salix Nigra) trees within our Jackson Hollow section. Following a few years of growth and three visits to care for saplings, I recently had the chance to return to spend a few hours tending to the planted trees and collecting survivorship data with Conversation Assistant, Deneith Reif.

We were happy to find that roughly fourteen of the twenty original black willow saplings planted at the restoration site survived! Six of those surviving trees did exhibit stunted growth as a result of significant white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) browse, unfortunately. 

Conservation Assistant, Deneith Reif, within the Jackson Hollow section of BRMNAP at the JMHS stream restoration and willow planting site along Catharpin Creek.

On a high note, substantial mechanical removal (trimming back, digging out, and removing any visible fruiting bodies) of woody invasives (multiflora rose, autumn olive, and Japanese stilt grass) proved effective, as they seemed to be eradicated from the immediate area with no regrowth or newer invasive plants taking their place. Further, no new woody invasive plants were emerging out of the refuse pile as care was taken to remove any extant fruiting bodies at time of removal, so that the whole plants did not have to be removed from site at the time.  

I am happy to report further that there appears to be significant naturally occurring root/seed propagation of desirable native trees (willow and alder) along the riparian buffer that are a direct result of making that habitat available by removing so many mature woody invasives. This unexpected amplification of desired species is an encouraging result, especially in such a consistently open and disturbed area (this area is an active floodplain). 

The woody invasive refuse pile sits in front left of the forked tree and has decayed significantly with no signs of unwanted fruiting bodies resprouting. Old tree tubes can be seen on the right of the photo. These were damaged or removed from use by a black bear (Ursus americanus) were removed and replaced with new cages.

To end this visit, Deneith and I removed all herbaceous overgrowth from desired trees in the area and all trees still small enough to need protection from deer browse were “recaged” in an attempt to prevent further browse. We will continue to regularly monitor the site and remove invasives as they appear. We are so grateful for the JMHS students that started this project and have been remained connected to continuing its long-term success!

A view of the riparian buffer along Catharpin Creek looking Northwest with black willows (Salix nigra) in the foreground marked with orange flagging.

Uncovering the Preserve’s storied past: Volunteer Spotlight on Patrick O’Neill

If you have been fortunate enough to attend one of the VOF’s guided hikes, you likely heard some pretty amazing stories about the people that once called Bull Run Mountains home. From the intrepid Hampton Cole, to the remarkable array of cemeteries where hundreds of ancestors are lain to rest, staff, fellows, and visitors alike can immerse themselves in a history found nowhere else. And while many individuals have made contributions to this wealth of knowledge, one person in particular has been investigating this special place for over 15 years!

Enter one Patrick O’Neill, newly elected president of the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Archeological Society of Virginia and valued VOF volunteer and research associate. Patrick, a graduate of Kansas State (B.A. in anthropology with an archeology specialization) and West Texas A&M (M.A. in history and political science), first started uncovering the Bull Run story while assisting the Turn the Mill Around Foundation with their investigation of the Chapman Mill and surrounding parcels. What began as an investigation into one family’s history blossomed into a years-long journey of discovery. Thanks to Patrick’s archival, deed, and on-the-ground research, we have learned so many important stories about the Preserve’s diversely peopled past.

Patrick exploring a homestead site with cultural history fellow Barinaale Dube and VOF Deputy Director Leslie Grayson. Photo by Joe Villari.

 

Through collaboration with other subject-matter experts, including Karen White of the Afro-American Historical Association of Fauquier County, Patrick helped lay the groundwork for VOF fellow Barinaale Dube’s groundbreaking research and interpretation of black and African American history on Bull Run. When asked about his favorite site, Patrick recalled fondly his co-rediscovery of the Hampton Cole homesite with preserve research associate Janis Stone and manager Joe Villari. Hampton’s story—of a free, literate Black man owning land in Virginia before the Civil War—is such a treasured piece of this mountain’s history. The injustice done to Hampton when his home was unlawfully stolen by a white enslaver is a solemn reminder that the past is a puzzle of victories and injustices with much to teach us today. As Patrick said, “Archeology releases the past from the purgatory of time.”

Patrick surveys the land below the still-standing cabin on the Fern Hollow Trail. Photo by Joe Villari.

 

Patrick has shared his passion for archeology with his students at Northern Virginia Community College through field trips to BRMNAP with his field methods classes, and with participants in community archeology days here on the Preserve.

Preserve Manager Joe Villari fondly refers to Patrick as our very own “archeological powerhouse.” We are truly blessed to have such a knowledgeable and devoted individual invested in this project. Patrick has no plans on slowing down anytime soon either. He hopes to explore Old Mother Leathercoat Mountain and the interior of the still-standing log house on the Fern Hollow Trail soon. Keep an eye on our facebook, Instagram, and meetup pages to see when he will lead his next community archeology adventure!

Sky Meadows State Park, Fauquier and Clarke Counties

<strong>Sky Meadows State Park, Fauquier and Clarke Counties</strong>
The star-filled sky over Sky Meadows State Park is a fitting backdrop to the 1843 federal-style Mt. Bleak house, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

According to a new map developed by an international group of researchers, more than 80 percent of the world and 99 percent of U.S. and European populations live under light-polluted skies. Most of us in North America can no longer see the Milky Way from our homes, and all but the brightest stars and planets are blotted out from the night sky because of the light emanating from our cities.

Yet, even in Northern Virginia, star-filled skies can be found. Sky Meadows State Park, which lies about an hour outside of Washington, D.C., was designated an International Dark Sky Park (IDSP) by the International Dark Sky Association in 2021. The designation is given to publicly accessible lands that possess exceptionally starry nights and are specifically protected for scientific, natural, educational, cultural heritage and/or public enjoyment.

The park was established by a 1,132-acre donation from philanthropist Paul Mellon to the state in 1975, and has grown to 1,860 acres thanks to subsequent donations, including 460 acres from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation in 1988. The additional land expands the park’s trails, provides habitat for migratory birds, and protects the park’s nighttime views from encroaching development.

 

<strong>Sky Meadows State Park, Fauquier and Clarke Counties</strong>
People start setting up folding chairs, telescopes and binoculars at dusk so their eyes gradually adjust to the dark.

“We see the sky as one of our biggest resources,” says Erin Clark, the park’s Chief Ranger Visitor Experience. Even before the IDSP designation, she adds, the park had longstanding astronomy programming. “We’ve hosted Astronomy for Everyone nights for close to 30 years. Dark sky education has always been important to us.”

True to its name, the event has something for everyone, beginning with a junior astronomy activity for elementary school children. For science nerds, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab Ambassadors share new discoveries in astronomy and members of the NOVA Astronomy Club lead sky tours. There are also lessons on the importance of dark skies to the natural world and how people can lessen light pollution at home.

Sky Meadows is Virginia’s third IDSP. Its first was Staunton River State Park, followed by James River State Park.

Held on the Saturday closest to the new moon, Astronomy for Everyone is a four-hour evening under the stars, designed in partnership with the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Clark says around 300 people attend the monthly event, which is held in the observation field behind the park’s visitor center. Guests bring blankets and folding chairs to settle in under the night sky for four hours of stargazing.

“We hold the events on the closest Saturday to the full moon because that’s when the sky is the darkest,” Clark says, adding that the winter months are the best time to see what much of the world has lost sight of. “On cloudless nights from December through early March you can see the Milky Way.”

For more information on evening programming, dates, and what to bring, go to the Astronomy for Everyone page on the park’s website.

Bellemeade Park and Outdoor Learning Center, City of Richmond

Bellemeade Park and Outdoor Learning Center, City of Richmond
A stage made out of wood reclaimed on the site is one of many places in the park kids can explore.

For Robert Argabright, access to the outdoors is all a child needs to make a lifelong connection with nature. “It’s all about exposure,” he says. “How do you visualize a mountain? How do you visualize a butterfly? How can you even relate to a watershed if you’ve never been to any of those places?”

For the past 12 years, Argabright and the Friends of Bellemeade Park have been working on an answer: the Bellemeade Park and Outdoor Learning Center, 8 acres of city-owned open space in the heart of Richmond’s Southside. The once-overgrown parcel now hosts a bluebird trail, butterfly garden, rain garden, pollinator habitat, vermiculture bins, groves with native trees, and a chicken coop, offering the community diverse ways to engage with the natural world. A vegetable garden is the newest addition to the park, built by volunteers with the help of a $23,500 grant from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s Get Outdoors Fund.

Kids get to grow their own vegetables in the new garden on the site.

The space is busy all week long. The James River Association and Bluesky Fund are partners in weekday programming, and the park’s Saturday Outdoor Club is run in partnership with Richmond’s Collegiate School. Hundreds of students from Richmond and Chesterfield County public schools are slated to participate in other park programs in 2023. In all, approximately 2500 kids throughout the fall, spring and summer gain opportunities to learn, work and explore at Bellemeade. 

“These numbers will continue to grow,” Argabright states. “Many of the teachers from Oak Grove Elementary are utilizing the park, as well. They love the chickens and love being in the park.” 

Homeschooling families regularly use the park for their outdoor learning sessions.

On a weekday morning in October, a group of homeschoolers worked under colorful shade canopies, part of a cohort of seven families who regularly come to learn and play. Said one mom, Ali, “We get to try out science experiments at this fantastic pavilion or we get to do nature journaling and reflecting at the creek. We can practice teamwork by growing [vegetables] in the garden, going from start to finish, so they can witness the whole cycle.”

To ensure that families will continue to have access to all that Bellemeade has to offer, the City of Richmond Parks and Recreation department has received a $150,000 award from VOF’s Preservation Trust Fund. The funds will make public access permanent, and will also be used to help construct a permanent outdoor classroom on the property. The classroom will allow for programming to continue throughout the year, says Argabright.

“All of the other features of the park are complete now,” he adds. “We just have to maintain and fine tune some of them.”

The park hosts a bike repair shop that has given out 2000 bikes in the last eight years.

Argabright would also like to reach out to more neighborhood residents. “Seeing those homeschooled kids out here is the biggest thrill of my life,” he says, but most of them come from outside the immediate area. The Friends group’s goal is to get more residents of Southside neighborhoods aware of what is right next door. “We want everyone to see that this park is their park,” he states.

For the people who’ve already discovered it, Bellemeade has become an essential part of their lives. As Ali put it, “We really love being here. This place feels like home.”

Reflections on Gratitude

This past Saturday, preserve manager Joe Villari and I were thrilled to welcome fourteen participants to the north section for a guided hike. While we spent the afternoon enjoying the unique cultural and natural features, I was struck with gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of this land’s ongoing stewardship, specifically as a natural area preserve.

Photo by Taryn Bromser-Kloeden

The designation as a natural area preserve is the highest possible form of land protection in the state of Virginia, meaning the Preserve and all its special resources are protected to the fullest extent of the law. Unlike parks, preserves like BRMNAP have a responsibility to uphold the land’s conservation integrity first, over and above any form of recreation. That’s why we have additional rules like no dogs or bikes, and why we keep large sections of the preserve private except for research and educational purposes. But I am grateful to be part of a team that recognizes that BRMNAP is a community resource, and therefore must also be shared wherever possible.

It can be a difficult balance to strike, but in addition to our wonderful 6+ miles of publicly accessible trails on the south section, we are thrilled to be able to facilitate access to the Preserve’s north section and Jackson Hollow biodiversity hotspot. Keep an eye on our facebook, Instagram, and meetup pages for information on future guided hikes to these tightly managed sections. We are also working on creating brand new trails in the south section to highlight features not currently accessible without a staff guide. That is why we are so thankful for the community’s patience and passion as we work to share as much of this protected land as possible!

Defensores de la Cuenca, City of Fairfax

Defensores de la Cuenca, City of Fairfax
Defensores de la Cuenca connects Latino families to the beauty and importance of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

For those whose first language isn’t English, it can be difficult to access nature-based programming. Defensores de la Cuenca (DDLC) is working to change that, by organizing fun, family-friendly events that make it easier to for everyone to connect with the outdoors.

“We’re thinking about the perspective of the immigrant Latino family or individual who has limited time away from priorities—work, family, and church—and really wants to make the most of [an experience in nature],” DDLC executive director Abel Olivo states. “Battling through language, or access because of cost, or going into unknown spaces and not really feeling safe—it really is taxing all around from that point of view.”

Salsa en el Parque is just one of DDLC’s many events that builds community around the outdoors.

With funding from VOF’s Get Outdoors Fund, DDLC is hosting Spanish-language experiences in local, regional, state, and national parks that aim to build community around the outdoors. “Our number one goal is for people to have fun,” says Olivo. “While people spend time with us, we share information about the watershed, how everything is connected, and how we impact the environment and the environment impacts us.”

One of the best ways to have that conversation is through the sport of fishing, Olivo states. “We use it as an entry point to water quality issues.” A recent fishing event at Mott’s Run in the Rappahannock River watershed was a great success, he says, with multiple generations of families trying their hand at the sport. “There was a mother who said that her son had repeatedly asked her to take him fishing, but they had never had the opportunity to do it before. And there was another family whose grandmother caught the most fish of the day. She was rocking it.”

These events are also designed to point community leaders to DDLC’s more formal programming, La Academia de Defensores—a paid adult training program that holds workshops, hands-on activities, and participant-led capstone projects. A stipend makes participation possible for those who wouldn’t normally be able to take hours away from work. “We know that asking people to spend time with us means food, gas, the mortgage payment. It’s a real impact in their lives,” Olivo says.

 

Defensores Youth Corps gets young people from the community involved in projects where they can explore the natural world and earn service learning hours.

By providing these training opportunities, DDLC hope to scale up its impact and grow its reach, one watershed at a time. So far one cohort of Defensores has completed training in the Anacostia watershed, with another starting in January. The Patapsco watershed’s first cohort is in training, and events like the family fishing day at Motts Run are laying the groundwork for a cohort in the Rappahannock.

“When we talk to people, they say ‘We had a lovely day, I’ve never been here, we felt so welcome, we want to be involved, we want to stay connected with you,’” says Olivo. And staying connected is the goal. DDLC believes that repeat customers will build a network of Defensores whose training on watershed issues can lead to jobs in the environmental sector.

“The more we can work to bring people outdoors,” Olivo explains, “the more we can show them there are possibilities to make a livelihood in this space.”

VOF announces $1.9 million for 24 open-space projects across Virginia

VOF announces $1.9 million for 24 open-space projects across Virginia
Among the grants awarded is $15,000 to Star City Cycling to develop a transportation program to supervised mountain biking and hiking activities for youth in Roanoke.

The Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) today announced $1,900,014 in grants for projects that increase access to public open space in 21 counties and cities.

The 24 grants were awarded from VOF’s Preservation Trust Fund and Get Outdoors Fund 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 Fund provides grants for projects that increase safe access to open space in communities.

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

Grant Recipient Summaries

Preservation Trust Fund

Grantee: Agrarian Trust

Locality: City of Petersburg

Grant Amount: $278,500

Project Title: Central Virginia Agrarian Commons – Petersburg Oasis Community Farm

Description: The Central Virginia Agrarian Commons is fundraising to acquire title ownership to 535 Beech Street to ensure its permanent use as a regenerative food production farm, farm-to-school center, and farm business incubator. Placing 4.12 acres of the 5.12-acre property under an open-space easement with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation would help to ensure the land remains farmland in perpetuity and enable one acre for a building envelop dedicated to future farm and housing infrastructure.

Grantee: Capital Region Land Conservancy

Locality: Chesterfield County

Grant Amount: $150,000

Project Title: Burton Family Farm

Description: The Burton Family Farm consists of two parcels owned by the Estate of Nannie J. Burton in Chesterfield County. The land for this Black Century Farm was first purchased in 1896. CRLC is working to assemble various parcels that have been divided off to preserve a fraction of the original farm to continue its agricultural uses and allow for historical interpretation of the emancipation of enslaved people along the Richmond/Petersburg turnpike in 1865.

Grantee: City of Buena Vista

Locality: City of Buena Vista

Grant Amount: $50,000

Project Title: Buena Vista Downtown Riverfront

Description: The Buena Vista Downtown Riverfront will allow residents and visitors to access the Maury River from downtown. Currently, the flood levee built in 1998 offers a walking trail, but the steep slope and riprap make getting to the water dangerous and difficult. A new path over the levee and new boat ramp will link the downtown’s brewery, restaurants, and shops directly with outdoor recreation.

Grantee: City of Lynchburg Parks & Recreation Department

Locality: City of Lynchburg

Grant Amount: $169,000

Project Title: Perrymont Park Improvements

Description: Perrymont Park is an undeveloped park in the City of Lynchburg. It is located on a parcel that is partly occupied by Perrymont Elementary School (not included in the total acreage) and is in a park desert identified on the current City Parks & Recreation Needs Assessment, meaning a neighborhood whose residents are more than a 10-minute walk away from an active park. The park is planned with a walking loop, off-leash area, a restored wetland, ballfields, an outdoor classroom, and nature paths.

Grantee: Lancaster County

Locality: Lancaster County

Grant Amount: $150,000

Project Title: Carter Cove County Park Creation

Description: Lancaster County seeks to plan the new Carter Cove County Park and to develop initial recreational features. Planned amenities include a kayak/canoe launch, fishing pier, picnic shelter, boat ramp with courtesy dock, and small interpretive center and boat rental office. The county purchased this 5-acre property in 2022 with the goal of increasing public access to the Commonwealth’s waters and to provide equitable recreational opportunities for residents and visitors.

Grantee: Franklin Parks Foundation

Locality: City of Franklin

Grant Amount: $100,000

Project Title: Deer Creek Addition – Blackwater Park

Description: The Franklin Parks Foundation, in partnership with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, will acquire these 96 acres of prime river frontage on the State Scenic Blackwater River for the creation of additional parkland and a primitive camp site. This property contains old-growth hardwood bottomlands and forestlands with high conservation value. The tract sits at the intersection of two designated Natural Heritage sites.

Grantee: Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation

Locality: Charlotte and Campbell counties

Grant Amount: $150,000

Project Title: Red Hill Plantation

Description: The Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation is seeking to place a permanent open-space easement on 596 acres at Red Hill Plantation located in Brookneal. Red Hill, the home of Patrick Henry, first governor of Virginia, is open to the public 362 days per year, provides substantial outreach and education to both youth and adults, and is the site of an annual U.S. naturalization ceremony held on May 29th.

Grantee: Rappahannock Tribe of Virginia

Locality: Richmond County

Grant Amount: $250,000

Project Title: Rappahannock Tribe’s Return to the River, Phase II

Description: The tribe will acquire and protect 703 acres adjacent to 465 that it owns to create 1,168 acres of contiguous protected lands and solidify its partnership U.S. National Wildlife Refuge System. The project will achieve several objectives: increase connectivity/ecological value of existing protected lands; protect irreplaceable archeological resources; protect important migratory bird habitat; protect nesting, roosting, and migration habitat for bald eagles; and end commercial logging operations by the current owner.

 

Grantee: Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation

Locality: Shenandoah County

Grant Amount: $28,000

Project Title: Bowman Property (Toms Brook)

Description: This project is for the preservation of the 3-acre Bowman property located near the Town of Toms Brook. The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation will purchase the property and work with partners to clean up the stream and landscape, establish trails to connect to other preserved lands nearby, and encourage public use of the property.

 

Grantee: Town of Culpeper

Locality: Culpeper County

Grant Amount: $294,750

Project Title: MCR Trail Application

Description: This grant is for the purchase of land and easement for the MRC Trail property. The MRC Trail aims to secure and protect approximately 19 acres of forested land in the Town of Culpeper. The town’s primary goal is to acquire the proposed property for public access by developing connector trails linking the town’s two largest open-space parks: Rockwater and Yowell Meadow. A secondary goal is to protect this land from development.

 

Grantee: Town of Kenbridge

Locality: Lunenburg County

Grant Amount: $79,750

Project Title: Kenbridge Connector Trail

Description: The project consists of creating a paved connector trail from the existing 0.5-mile loop trail around Kenbridge Town Park’s boundaries to connect to the sidewalk at the front of the property. The distance of this new trail will be approximately 1,093 feet long and 4 feet wide. Park benches to allow visitors to rest and trash cans to prevent littering will be located along the newly paved trail.

Get Outdoors

Grantee: Beyond Boundaries

Locality: City of Richmond

Amount: $20,000

Project: Outdoor Adventures

Description: Beyond Boundaries provides outdoor adventures to individuals with disabilities, at-risk youth, those in substance recovery, and veterans. The organization conducts roughly 130 outings in whitewater rafting, fishing, rock climbing, kayaking and boating that together serve over 1,000 individuals each year. Some of the outings give participants the chance to test themselves and support each other, while some allow them to enjoy the calmness of nature while learning about local wildlife. All are wheelchair accessible.

Grantee: Blue Sky Fund

Locality: City of Richmond

Amount: $5,000

Project: Blue Sky Fund Explorers Program – Nature-Based Science Education for Richmond Public Schools Elementary Students

Description: Blue Sky Fund’s Explorers program anticipates providing 2,135 3rd-5th grade and 130 teachers in 12 Title I elementary schools with nature-based education that enriches Virginia Standards of Learning science lessons from the classroom. These learning opportunities advance Richmond’s racial equity in the outdoors and complement Richmond Public Schools’ efforts to improve students’ academic performance in science and schools’ accreditation status.

Grantee: City of Danville

Locality: City of Danville

Amount: $6,454

Project: Danville Resident-Led Neighborhood Park Planning

Description: Danville Parks and Recreation has chosen to approach community park changes through a resident-led design process. The department’s first meetings identified barriers to resident participation: childcare, supplies, refreshments, marketing, interpretation, and recruitment. This grant will help to overcome these barriers and increase resident participation.

Grantee: Friends of the Rappahannock

Locality: Stafford County

Amount: $15,000

Project: Respect the Rappahannock- Expanding River Safety Education in the Rappahannock River Watershed

Description: The Rappahannock River has an excellent water trail with a wide range of public access sites, which draw thousands of users and visitors each year. Injuries and deaths that occur each year are easily avoidable if river users follow proper river safety protocols. This project will expand bilingual river safety programs and distribute outreach materials to local schools, parks and recreation programs, and first responders.

Grantee: Independence Volunteer Fire Department

Locality: Grayson County

Grant Amount: $25,000

Project Title: New River Connected

Description: This project offers a web-based app and physical signage for points of interest and access along the New River within Grayson County. The app provides clickable map features displaying access, portage, points of interest, and float segments of the river between access and portage points. The specific project component requested will provide solar-powered Wi-Fi hotspots for app users.

 

Grantee: INMED Partnerships for Children

Locality: Loudon County

Grant Amount: $25,000

Project Title: Community-Led Food Production Through Aquaponics

Description: INMED is introducing aquaponics, plus home and community gardening, to strengthen food security among low-income residents of the Leesburg Mobile Home Park while promoting environmental education and access to outdoor space. Aquaponics combines aquaculture and hydroponics in a closed, symbiotic system that uses 90-percent less water and produces up to 10 times more food in the same space as conventional agriculture, while eliminating the need for chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides.

 

Grantee: Onley Recreation Association

Locality: Accomack County

Grant Amount: $14,665

Project Title: ORA Teen Swim Camp

Description: The association is looking to host a one-week swim camp for teenage non-swimmers in its community. The camp will be held Monday-Friday for two hours each day. During the camp the swimmers will rotate through stations that cover basic water safety and swimming skills. The camp will be geared toward older teen swimmers who have not had the opportunity to learn to swim yet. The camp will be offered free of charge to potentially 20-25 swimmers. The goal is to break the cycle in these families of non-swimmers.

 

Grantee: OpenSpace Education

Locality: City of Richmond

Grant Amount: $25,000

Project Title: Nature-Based Arts Programming in Partnership with Richmond Public Schools

Description: OpenSpace Education is Richmond’s only outdoor education program that combines art education and nature-based learning. The program’s goal is to offer year-long, tuition-free programs in partnership with Richmond Public Schools (RPS), a school system that primarily serves families who live in low-income communities and communities of color. OpenSpace Education provides access to art education, safe outdoor time, and alternative modes of learning.

 

Grantee: Star City Cycling

Locality: City of Roanoke

Grant Amount: $15,000

Project Title: Star City Kids Outdoors

Description: This project will provide disadvantaged kids in Roanoke with safe, equitable and regular access to protected open spaces by developing a transportation program to supervised mountain biking and hiking activities offered by Star City and Humble Hustle, https://www.thehumblehustle.org. Seed financing is needed to initiate transportation, prove its effectiveness and develop sustainable funding to continue it. The project leaders intend to grow participation over time and create a replicable model.

 

Grantee: Town of Appalachia

Locality: Wise County

Grant Amount: $15,000

Project Title: Washington Rock Recreation Area Development

Description: The objective of this project is to develop the Washington Rock Recreation Area into an outdoor recreation, tourism and community-use facility by capitalizing on the natural assets, historic significance and land reuse opportunities that are present. Once developed, the area will provide picnic facilities, river access for fishing, kayaking, and tubing, and will serve as a destination for residents and an increasing number of visitors to the area.

 

Grantee: Town of Clifton Forge

Locality: Alleghany County

Grant Amount: $10,000

Project Title: Clifton Forge All-Abilities Playground Project

Description: The Clifton Forge All-Abilities Playground Project will improve accessibility and promote inclusion by converting an existing playground, as well as installing safe surfacing and specialized play equipment to allow children of all abilities to play together. A Sensory Trail Project will be developed from an existing public walking trail, engaging all senses with play pieces for balance and movement, flowers and herbs for sight and smell, berries and fruit trees for taste and touch, and more.

 

Grantee: Verdant Richmond

Locality: City of Richmond

Grant Amount: $20,095

Project Title: Cultivating City Green Spaces

Description: The Richmond Grows Gardens Program makes vacant city-owned property available for community gardens. With 14 volunteer-led gardens across the city, this project supports urban agriculture in underserved areas. This funding will aid in supporting this mission by meeting community infrastructure requests that provide elevated garden beds at two sites, solar-powered cold storage for one site that hosts free grocery distributions, and funding for education and programming.

Grantee: Virginia Capital Trail Foundation

Locality: Multiple

Grant Amount: $3,800

Project Title: Multilingual Junior Trail Ambassador Program

Description: VCTF recently launched its first Junior Trail Ambassador program for youth ages 10-18. Funding will enable the foundation to translate program materials into Spanish and have printed copies available to Spanish communities. This would help to connect and engage with a younger and wider multilingual audience. This incentives-based program inspires youth to go outside, learn about their community, interact with nature, and develop healthy, active living habits at a young age that will carry into adulthood.

Frogs, Lizards, and Snakes, Oh My! A BioBlitz with Herpetologist Lauren Fuchs

               One of the many benefits of BRMNAP’s Fellowship Program is the constant influx of experts in all manner of fields. This year’s Natural Science Fellow, Lauren Fuchs is a connoisseur of all things slimy and scaled, so we knew we had to ask her to lead a herp-focused BioBlitz during her time at the Preserve. On a chilly morning this September, twenty-plus eager citizen scientists gathered behind a single mission: Find and document as many herp (reptile and amphibian) species as possible!

Young Blitzer Patrick Smith holds a Red-Spotted Newt!

               The day started slowly with the herps safely tucked away from the cool air. However, as the sun started to warm the forest, more and more reptilian residents made their presence known. Highlights included an uncommon Northern Dusky salamander, no less than 8 Eastern Wormsnakes, and an adorable Spring Peeper frog. Throughout the morning and afternoon, participants carefully rolled logs and rocks and scoured the leaf litter. With Lauren and assistant Erica’s guidance, Blitzers were able to safely locate, identify, and return 29 individual herps from 14 total species!

A wormsnake gets its picture taken while being swabbed for fungal spores to aid in Lauren’s dissertation research

               These images and data have all been uploaded to the Inaturalist App, where they can be utilized for scientific research. BioBlitzes like this one provide critical snapshots of species presence and abundance that inform conservation and management practices. Not to mention, they are a ton of fun!

               Keep an eye on our meetup, facebook, and instagram pages for future guided hike and BioBlitz events. All ages and levels of experience are welcome and encouraged to join! Check out the infographic below for a breakdown of all the species observed.

Mount Rogers School, Grayson County

Mount Rogers School, Grayson County
The restoration of a music and community hub at Mount Rogers School will start with a walking path made possible by a grant from VOF's Get Outdoors Fund.

The Crooked Road is a 330-mile driving trail in Southwest Virginia that explores the region’s musical heritage. Each community it passes through has its own stories to tell.

Albert Hash donated many of the violins he crafted to the Mount Rogers School for its string band program.

One of the most enduring is about musician Albert Hash of Whitetop, who built his first fiddle in 1927 when he was just ten years old. Hash became a master fiddler and instrument maker, making some 300 fiddles, many elaborately carved and all made of locally sourced wood.  

Late in his life, Hash and other area musicians began offering music classes at the local school, Mount Rogers. Students learned to play traditional mountain music on instruments Hash donated. After his death in 1983, these informal music classes became part of the curriculum, and Mount Rogers had the distinction of being one of only two K-12 schools in the U.S. with a string band program. The building was the site of traditional jam sessions, a place where the area’s musical heritage was maintained and celebrated.  

The original 1930s-era school structure is made of tumbled rocks, brought in from the nearby creek by horse and sled.

But the county closed the school in 2011, says Tracy Cornett, tourism economic developer for Grayson County. “A lot of folks were upset and disappointed when that happened. It was a community hub for them.” Now Whitetop students are either home-schooled or have a long commute along mountain roads to the two nearest county schools, and the building has fallen into disuse.  

That could have been the end of the story. Instead, community members are poised to add a new chapter. Virginia Tech’s Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) has drawn up plans for renovating the school and its surrounding five acres into the Western Grayson Music and Craft Museum/Information Center. The center will highlight the local musical tradition with exhibits, concerts, and demonstrations of the craft of making violins. A Virginia Outdoors Foundation Get Outdoors grant will jumpstart the project, funding the excavation work for a walking trail that will surround the site where the school now stands.  

One of the designs in the CDAC report shows a potential route for the path.

The strategy, Cornett says, is to go after smaller grants to start. “After we get a few smaller chunks [of the project] completed, we might be in a better position to go after the larger grants” that will pay for renovating the school and adding more landscaping to the grounds, completing the CDAC’s vision for the project, shaped in consultation with a stakeholder group of eight area residents. There are plans for a second path, an overlook for the nearby creek, and native plantings. The expansion of an existing playground will serve both locals and tourists who come to the area on the Crooked Road, stopping to enjoy nearby attractions like Whitetop Mountain, Grayson Highlands State Park, Jefferson National Forest, Mount Rogers Recreational Area, the Virginia Creeper Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and US Bike Route 76.  

Virginia Tech students took a tour of the property with Cornett and spoke to stakeholders about their vison for the school complex.

The addition of a satellite location of the Whitewater Center in the western part of the county will add to these attractions and increase tourist traffic, says Cornett. “We want to get ahead of and be ready for that.”  

Change is on the horizon, and the area’s cultural heritage won’t be left behind. “You build for the future not for the past,” Cornett states, “but the past definitely informs how and what you build.”