A Lotta Help from Our Friends

As disappointing as it was to cancel the Mt. Rogers Summer Naturalist Rally, we couldn’t be more thankful or appreciative of all the help the multitude of volunteers did to support our Center last weekend! In lieu of our Naturalist Rally, we solicited the help of our friends, members, partners, board, and families to help us create the Discovery Center through various projects.

Friday Friends

Beginning Friday morning at 9:00 am and ending at 5:00 pm on Sunday these dedicated volunteers accomplished a tremendous amount! They painted 10 picnic tables and 5 custom made exterior doors, polished and constructed nearly 80 brass light fixtures, built three large bee houses and filled them with cut wood and bamboo (all drilled with various sized holes for our solitary bees), and constructed and stained six “rocket box” bat houses - all with repurposed, hand hammered copper roofs.

Then there was the planting! Hundreds of small trees, shrubs and native plants were put in the ground throughout the BRDC Campus. A small orchard was planted with apple trees (4 species) grafted by staff back in February. They protected them with fencing along with some prior planted American chestnut trees. Brush was cleared and burned, cuttings were potted, weeds were pulled, and gardens were mulched…it was magnificent!

On Saturday evening, we broke bread, shared stories, and in the tradition of a naturalist rally, took an evening hike to watch a maternal colony of big brown bats leave the roost on their nightly hunt…all 224 of them! We listened to crickets, katydids, and screech owls and ended the night with a view of Jupiter and its moons alongside our own beautiful full moon.

This would not be possible without the help of so many of you…our friends, our community, our support. We thank you for all you did and do for and with us last weekend and always!

2nd Annual BRDC Science Fair

BRDC is excited to announce the 2nd Annual BRDC Science Fair to be held December 8th, 2017 in partnership with Grayson County Public Schools!  All 6th and 7th-grade students in Grayson County Public Schools are included.  In the future, we aim to include more grades and expand the opportunity to focus on critical thinking skills. 

The Science fair is a chance for students to exercise their creative thinking skills, follow their curiosity, learn more about their interests and share their discoveries with others. Project questions arise from the participant’s experience and context, and students are encouraged to tackle challenges related to the Blue Ridge region.

Get Involved!

In order to provide assistance to students in developing their projects, BRDC is looking for mentors to assist with concepts and procedures. Volunteer judges are also needed for the day of the event.  Interested community members can contact BRDC at info@blueridgediscoverycenter.org, or 276-293-1232.

Prizes

GRAND PRIZE:  Monoprice Select Mini 3D Printer!

1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes offered at all grade levels
1st Place: $75 Gift Certificate Acorn Naturalists
2nd Place: $50 Gift Certificate Acorn Naturalists
3rd Place: $25 Gift Certificate Acorn Naturalists
Each school will also have their own Best in School Trophy that will be displayed at the school.

The BRDC Science Fair Committee includes: Aaron Floyd, BRDC Executive Director; Lisa Benish, BRDC Program Director; Jay Martin, Naturalist/Educator; Mr. Hale, IMS Principal; Mr. Alexander, Fries Principal; Mr. Cheeks, GHS Principal; Mrs. Cox IMS, Mrs. Perry GHS, Ms. Tignor, IMS,and Mrs Blankenship FMS

For more information about the Science Fair, visit blueridgediscoverycenter.org/sciencefair