Early Spring Wildflowers on the New River Trail
On Easter Saturday, 23 people joined Blue Ridge Discovery Center’s Explorers Club for our annual wildflower walk on the New River Trail. The 57-mile trail is the state’s “most narrow state park,” and the section between Low Water Bridge near Fries and Fries Junction, where a 12-mile spur trail heads to Galax, is a special spot for early spring wildflowers. Hike leader Carol Broderson briefly discussed the history of botanizing in Virginia and the fate of the “great forest” that covered the Appalachians.
Mt Rogers Spring Naturalist Rally May 12-14!
Three days of exploration & discovery for all ages!
Bring your family and celebrate Mother's Day in the most beautiful place on Earth. There is something for the entire family to enjoy with an expert speaker Friday Night, trips Saturday and Sunday, and nighttime programs at the campground. Topics include salamanders, wildflowers, geology, birding, cultural history, mammals, medicinal plants, natural history and much, much more!
Species Spotlight: Sassafras
Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) is blooming now in the Blue Ridge.
Sassafras is a member of the Lauraceae family. This family is characterized by having woody stems, simple leaves, and actinomorphic (star-shaped) flowers that are typically bisexual. A a rather small tree, it is commonly found in early successional habitat such as fence lines and field edges all throughout Virginia.
The 1st Annual BRDC Science Fair!
The First Annual Blue Ridge Discovery Center Science Fair brought together 6th and 7th grade students from Grayson Highlands, Independence, and Fries to compete for the grand prize- a Phantom 3 drone!
Bald Eagles Nesting in Grayson County
BRDC staff recently visited the site of Grayson county's nesting bald eagles. The nest site was discovered in 2015 in a somewhat remote section of the New, with a cattle farm on one side and a steep forested slope on the other.
Learning about Amphibians & Aquatic Insects
BRDC has been busy with education programs, working with Galax Middle School, Fries School, Fairview Elementary, Grayson Highlands, Independence Elementary.
Grayson County's fourth grade students participated in the Natural Heritage Program with an emphasis on salamanders, toads, and frogs. Students learned about salamanders commonly found in the Blue Ridge.
Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally Registration Update
Due to an error on the 2017 Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally Brochure, there was no place to purchase Friday Night Dinner Tickets on the form. The Updated Registration Form can be printed, filled out, and returned by mail.
Meet Jay Martin!
We are excited to welcome wildlife biologist Jay Martin to the Blue Ridge Discovery Center team! Jay will be filling our Naturalist/Educator position starting this spring and will be leading many of our programs over the summer.
BRDC receives SWVA Outdoor Recreation Contract
We are excited to announce that Blue Ridge Discovery Center has been awarded the contract to provide web content for the SWVA Outdoors Website. This project is headed up by the Friends of Southwest Virginia and is an effort to highlight the awesome outdoor recreation opportunities our region has to offer.
Flight Behavior
For March, the BRDC Book Club read Flight Behavior, by Barbara Kingsolver.
"A brilliant and suspenseful novel set in present day Appalachia; a breathtaking parable of catastrophe and denial that explores how the complexities we inevitably encounter in life lead us to believe in our particular chosen truths. Kingsolver's riveting story concerns a young wife and mother on a failing farm in rural Tennessee who experiences something she cannot explain, and how her discovery energizes various competing factions—religious leaders, climate scientists, environmentalists, politicians—trapping her in the center of the conflict and ultimately opening up her world. Flight Behavior is arguably Kingsolver's must thrilling and accessible novel to date, and like so many other of her acclaimed works, represents contemporary American fiction at its finest."
Galax After School Field Trip
Students in Galax Middle School's After School Program are learning about Primitive Technology this month. At the beginning of the week, students discussed the meaning of primitive technology and experimented with different pottery techniques.
A Week of Exploration, Messy Adventures, Engineering & Creativity!
Both staff and volunteers were on-the-go as we taught students from Galax Middle School for their Enrichment Week. Enrichment week gives students a break from the everyday class routine and allows them to gain crucial experience outside of the classroom. BRDC provided students with three different programs that they could choose from including Pioneering, Crafting with Nature, and Exploration and Discovery.
Galax Enrichment Week Begins!
Students from Galax Middle School take a break from the classroom and have the opportunity to get outdoors and discover the natural world!
Wood Frogs Calling
Have you heard a strange turkey-sounding frog call?
Wood frogs, Lithobates sylvaticus, are adapted to the cold, appearing very early in the year and mating quickly, with all eggs laid in the course of a few days.
Women's Fly Fishing Weekend
Fri-Sun, Apr 21-23
3 days / 2 nights
Experienced and beginner fly fishers welcome!
This weekend will provide participants with an intense hands-on introduction to the sport of fly fishing.
Raptors and Kids Circle Burkes Garden
Five eager and energetic students climbed into the van and began the trip to Burkes Garden
Now Hiring Summer Camp Interns!
Enjoy spending time outdoors? Love to hike, camp, and fish? Have experience working with kids?Utilize your skills & take advantage of all that the Blue Ridge Mountains have to offer! BRDC is seeking interns for the 2017 Summer Camp season.
Animal Tracks & Signs in Grayson County Schools
This month, Grayson County students learned all about Animal Tracks and Signs.
BRDC Program Director, Lisa Benish, showed fourth grade students examples of tracks made by animals found here in the Blue Ridge. Students were asked to reenact the walking patterns of species such as white-tail deer, black bear, and eastern cottontails.
Superheroes of Grayson County
All of Grayson County's first, fourth and fifth graders became superheroes last week. BRDC guide and wildlife rehabilitator, Darin Handy presented a wonderful program about mammals; marsupials in particular, of the Blue Ridge.
Check Out BRDC's Summer Camp Lineup!
Check out our great line-up of Summer Camps for 2017!
Our camps are led by highly skilled guides who understand how to develop curiosity, foster autonomy and be model citizens. Adventure is not the end, but rather a gateway to developing deeper connections with your surroundings. The farther you push the closer you get to discovery.
Discounted camp rates with family membership- Join Today!