Grayson County & BRDC: A Relationship Worth Investing In

On the sunny Sunday of March 1, 2020, over 50 members of the Grayson County community joined Blue Ridge Discovery Center staff and board members at the New River Wildlife and Conservation Club in Fries, Virginia, to “make new friends, build relationships, and strengthen our community.”

PROGRAMS

BRDC member, volunteer, and camp parent Jenny Brown shares newspaper clippings of her family participating in BRDC programming in 2008 & 2010.

During this special event, guests learned about the myriad hands-on, place-based programs BRDC offers within Grayson County from Program Director Lisa Benish, with inspirational anecdotes from long-time participants Jenny and Savannah Brown. Jenny and her family have been involved with BRDC since 2008 as members, volunteers, community program participants, Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally attendees, day campers, and adventure campers.

Some of the Browns’ most memorable experiences with us have taken place during the Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally, now in its 46th year! Each May and August, we arrange a full weekend of expert-guided programs and field trips across the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. The Spring MRNR on May 8-10, 2020, will kick off with field trip selections, a lasagna dinner, and featured speaker on Friday evening, and continues through a pancake breakfast and field trips on Sunday. Programs take place morning, afternoon, and night, with camping available nearby at Grindstone Campground.

Opportunities continue through the summer with the Galax Discovery Day Camps for ages 6-10. These immersive day camps sold out so quickly last year, we elected to offer three sessions this year from June 8-26. Similarly, we are offering three additional sessions of Discovery Day Camps on BRDC’s campus from July 13-31. Our day camps are all about hands-on discovery, including games, crafts, scientific inquiry, and free exploration.

Youth aged 11-17 will enjoy our overnight adventure camps. With the acquisition of the new BRDC field station, we are able to offer an exciting new adventure camp this year: Science in Nature. This multi-session camp will grant youth an opportunity to become biologists in one of the most biologically-diverse places in the world for one, two, or three weeks while conducting their own research. Campers may be introduced to first-hand experiences in botany, mammalogy, entomology, ornithology, herpetology, aquatic systems, and more before digging deeper into a topic of their choosing. Sessions run weekly from June 8-26. We will also be offering three of our most popular adventure camps: New River Expedition, Fly Fishing Camp, and a fall Birding Expedition.

During the school year, you can find us in the schools unfolding curiosities of the natural world through our K-2 Reading program, helping youth to raise brook trout from eggs as part of our Trout in the Classroom program, and seeing science in action across Matthews State Forest on Natural Heritage Program field trips. During intersession weeks, middle schoolers participate in fly fishing, ornithology, camping, and highland games activities. And for four years now, students have put into practice the scientific process by developing their own projects for the BRDC Grayson County Middle School Science Fair.

BRDC CAMPUS PROJECT

Grayson County Supervisor John Fant emphasizes the value of investing in Blue Ridge Discovery Center.

Surrounded by maps and colorful landscape designs, attendees of this special Grayson County event gathered to hear from BRDC Executive Director Aaron Floyd about developments across the BRDC campus. The schoolhouse property and cottage, and adjacent gas station, field station, and campground comprise the 9 acres that are well on their way to becoming a grand southwest Virginia destination. The future property will boast a residential education facility, interpretive center, biological fiend station, visitor center, researcher housing, a nature trail, and amphitheater, all with a mission to “inspire curiosity, discovery, and stewardship through the wonders of the Blue Ridge.”

John Fant of the Grayson County Board of Supervisors also shared his enthusiasm for the project by noting the impact Blue Ridge Discovery Center will have on Grayson County and Southwest Virginia. Not only will the Center boost the region economically by increasing ecotourism, it is also a unique educational resource worth investing in for generations to come.

Landscape design drawings by Devin Floyd of the Center for Urban Habitats illustrate that this property will embrace the diverse habitats and plant communities that make this region so special while contributing to wildlife diversity and ecological health. This combination of natural history living in conjunction with the human history of these structures contributes to the authenticity visitors will experience when they arrive to this mountain gateway, whether stopping by the visitor’s center for a day visit or settling in for a week-long residential education program.

A drone video playing alongside the crowd captured the essence of the Center’s location at the base of Mount Rogers and Whitetop Mountain, along Laurel Creek, and at the intersection of three major connection points to Grayson, Smyth, and Washington Counties. Drone imaging was arranged by BRDC Board Member Brenda Bonk and was created by Twin County Drone Services.

A drone image shows the field station, campground, and future visitor center (left) with schoolhouse, cottage, and loop drive (right) which comprise BRDC’s 9-acre campus.

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN PROGRESS

Board Vice President and Capital Campaign Chair Keith Andrews inspires all to help BRDC reach the final 7% of our restoration fundraising goal.

Next, Keith Andrews, BRDC Board of Directors Vice President, shared a few inspirational BRDC program anecdotes before launching into the status of our Capital Campaign for the Center. Through the combined support of an Appalachian Regional Commission grant, tax credits, private foundation donations, private donations, and a Cabell Foundation match grant, we have raised 93% of the $2,250,000 needed to restore the historic Konnarock Training School into our future residential education facility and interpretive center. For those who are interested in leaving a lasting legacy at the next level, naming opportunities for the residential “species rooms” are available with gifts of $10,000 or more.

THANK YOU!

Thank you to all who attended to not only hear our story but to be a part of it while it is written. Grayson County and BRDC have been entwined for over a decade, and we are thrilled to continue building on this relationship. A special thanks go out to our event hosts and volunteers: Keith & Pat Andrews, Linda Dykstra-Hylander & Bill Hylander, Brenda Bonk, Deb & Steven Greif, Jennifer Shupe, and Blake Edwards. And thank you to the New River Wildlife and Conservation Club for providing the facility for this wonderful community event.