BLUE RIDGE DISCOVERY CENTER RECEIVES GRANT FROM VIRGINIA OUTDOORS FOUNDATION
Blue Ridge Discovery Center is pleased to announce it has received $25,000 from the Virginia Outdoor Foundation’s Get Outdoors program.
Blue Ridge Discovery Center (BRDC) is pleased to announce it has received $25,000 from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s Get Outdoors (GO) Fund. These funds will support the Accessible Interpretive Trail to increase equitable access to safe open space at the Center.
The trail will be approximately 0.65 miles long and meander through various habitats and native plant communities, including a riparian corridor, a restored wetland, wildflower meadows, a rain garden, through a northern hardwood cove forest, and return to our education facility. With different portions of the trail composed of compacted decomposed granite, sidewalk, and boardwalk, this trail will allow visitors to fully engage with and explore the natural resources surrounding them.
We plan to create a universal design for the Accessible Interpretive Trail to provide equal opportunity not only for persons with disabilities but a variety of situations such as a parent pushing a stroller, a child on crutches, or a person with arthritic knees. The goal of this project is to ensure that all people have the opportunity to access and enjoy the outdoors at BRDC while also protecting natural resources and maintaining the biological integrity of the property.
Much thanks to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and their staff for support on this project!
Support from Smyth County
We are excited to receive the recent resolution from the Smyth County Board of Supervisors supporting our mission and application to the Department of Housing and Community Development Industrial Redevelopment Fund grant.
We are excited to receive the recent resolution from the Smyth County Board of Supervisors supporting our mission and application to the Department of Housing and Community Development Industrial Redevelopment Fund grant.
Blue Ridge Discovery Center has spent the majority of our existence networking and serving the Upper New River Plateau region in the counties of Grayson, Alleghany, Carroll, and the city of Galax. That region is geographically isolated from the I-81 corridor including Smyth and Washington Counties by the massive Mount Rogers, the highest peak in Virginia. With the establishment of our future center in Smyth County, at the base of that mountain, it has been a pleasure getting to know the local community and I-81 region more. It is especially appreciated to see the recent support given by the Smyth County Board of Supervisors for our mission and vision.
We see the future Blue Ridge Discovery Center location, and Mount Rogers as becoming less of a dividing line for our area and more of a focal point for the region at large, bringing the surrounding counties together around one of the greatest natural assets in North America.