Cottage renovation progress!

The cottage renovation is making quick progress due to the great work by contractor David Hood and generous contributions by both longtime supporters and new donors.

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In a top to bottom renovation to make the cottage into a mini version of Blue Ridge Discovery Center, we've pulled out the 1970's linoleum and standard run of the mill casework and replaced it with a period trim scheme, six-panel white oak doors, and white oak flooring, fixtures, and hardware to match the old school house details from the 1920's and 1930's. Beyond the details, we've fixed roof, chimney, foundation, and insulation issues throughout, along with digging the first well for the site.

The result is a fantastic space for hosting visitors and connecting them with what makes the Blue Ridge so special through art, design, and interpretative displays. Many thanks to all who have made this possible to date! We look forward to showing more progress soon!

44th Spring Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally

We couldn’t have asked for better weather for the 44th annual Mount Rogers Spring Naturalist Rally. It seems that more often than not this second weekend in May is nice and rainy, but with just a brief shower Friday evening during registration, the rest of this year’s weekend was warm with partly cloudy to sunny skies.  Friday night’s locally sourced dinner included Lasagna, garlic bread and a nice mix of spring greens and attracted a record crowd which made for a successful fundraiser for the Konnarock community center.

Long time Rally supporter, Allen Boynton, was the keynote speaker and shared his vast array of experiences through the trajectory of his wildlife biology careers with Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. The weekend included several new opportunities including a habitat enhancement project for an important gray’s lily population and the kick off of a long term monitoring project of the red spruce / northern hardwood ecotone on Whitetop Mountain.

As with all of the previous, the 44rd annual Spring Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally would not have been possible without the support of the wonderful guides and other volunteers.  Their hard work and dedication to sharing their knowledge combined with the incredible natural resources of the Mount Rogers area continued the tradition of exploring and celebrating our portion of the Blue Ridge.  

New School Partnerships: Fairview and Baywood

We are excited to announce two new school partnerships this summer with Baywood and Fairview schools in Grayson County. Blue Ridge Discovery Center will be offering "Summer Camps" to each school as part of their summer school programming. If you have a student attending either school, encourage them to come out for some outdoor fun this summer! 

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We will be offering three camps. A traveling explorers camp, visiting the New River Trail, Doughton Park, Fairy Stone State Park, and Stone Mountain State Park. A prehistoric cultures camp combining craft, cultural heritage, and natural resources. And the "Highlands Games" camp exploring all sorts of traditional Appalachian fun and games. 

These programs are a great opportunity for Blue Ridge Discovery Center to expand our reach and reconnect our local youth with the outdoors during the summer months!

Birds... Neighbors? Tenants? Friends?

Each spring when songbirds return to our yards, they do so from epic journeys spanning as far south as South America. The birds that show up like clockwork, are often the very same individuals year after year, and if they are not the same individuals, then they are often their offspring! The very same bird... think about that for a moment. Their feathers molting to refresh, but the very same beak, legs, body, tiny eyes, make that journey thousands of miles just to come to your yard. We refer to this as "high site fidelity."

Now imagine for a moment, if a friend of yours traveled 2,500 miles by his own power with just the clothes on his back, across mountains, seas, rivers, through storms, dodging danger day in and day out, just to come to your doorstep. What kind of reception would you give him when he arrived after such a journey? You would give him a giant hug, immediate shelter, sustenance, and look on in awe as you sit to listen to his harrowing tale!

Granted, some birds do not have high site fidelity, and others in varying degree. The golden-winged warbler is a prime example of a bird with high site fidelity. For those birds that do key in on one location, your property is their home so to speak.

Our relationship with these birds and "nature" in general is complex, to say the least, but, in this particular relationship, can we define us and them as neighbors? I don't think so. No, as property owners, as people that have literally staked our lot out for our lives and presumably our children's lives after us, the relationship with wildlife is much more like the feudal system. One of lord and tenants.  

As property owners, we have complete and sole control over the resources of our property. It is at our discretion (with minor regulations) to build a pond, log timber, establish a farm, plant flowers, etc... The composition of our property is ours to paint.

Now, this is not to draw a picture of helplessness for the songbirds. These birds have evolved over millennia to a place of resiliency and strength through migration, adapting to make the most out of changing seasons and varying food sources. Each species has found its own niche. Some in fact have adapted to thrive in a the human manipulated landscape. Others rely on change, but for the most part, species have evolved to rely on a balanced and slow moving ecosystem.

There are things that humans do that can appear destructive one-hand but be productive on the other, maybe making it easier for one lot and harder for another. This is to acknowledge the differences in needs, opinions, and values that we all have. But with that being said, what I would encourage, as lords of your property, is richness, richness in diversity. A density of life rather than the absence of life. In considering what composition you will paint with broad strokes on your property, consider the individuals and their families, and how you can give them support through shelter and sustenance while making their chances of survival on this earth greater. In return, you will be rewarded with the riches of song, vibrant colors, and the lifelong companionship of our dear friends in nature.

Of all of the challenges that these birds go through on a yearly basis, you have the precious ability to create a safe haven for them on your property. So, when you sit on the porch this spring, crank up the lawn mower, or take a walk through your woods, pause for a moment, and think about their story.

There are some things you can do to help:

• Reconsider having a clean shaven mowed lawn - there is much beauty in the wild hair of an un-kept lawn!
• Ensure that cats are not on the loose outdoors. Feral and house cats have been devastating to bird populations.
• Foster insects. Insects are the foundation of the ecosystem, consider planting a variety of native plants that will not only feed the birds but will also feed the insects that feed the birds.

The dire picture is that the individual bird population has been reduced to 50% over the last 50 years. There is half the birdlife today than there was in the 1960's. That's is a massive loss in a very short period, but, you have the ability to control that destiny on your own property. What picture will you paint on your canvas?

The Trout Population has Increased in Wilson Creek

Last week was absolutely beautiful and we couldn't have had a better time on Wilson Creek in Grayson County as the 7th grade students of Independence Middle and Grayson Highlands Schools and the 5th grade students of Piney Creek Elementary School released their trout.

Each year, several classes participate in the Trout in the Classroom Program. This program begins in the fall with tank set-up, water chemistry analysis and habitat discussions in relation to our native Brook trout. Then, in early winter, the classes receive the trout eggs and are instructed on the stages of development of the trout from egg to alevin and then to fingerlings. It is their challenge and responsibility to maintain an appropriate environment for the trout to survive until spring when they are released in a cold water stream that can support them.

The release is a fun and exciting day where the kids not only get to set their trout free but delve deeper into their natural habitat. This is done by putting on a pair of waders and boots and getting in the stream with seines and dip nets. Some scouring of the bottom reveals what lurks below and investigated further with hand lenses, microscopes and guide books.

This experiential, hands-ons program not only teaches the life cycles of fishes and macro-invertebrates but encourages our youth to get out and explore a new habitat and establishes the foundation for stewardship.

Earth Day Wildflower Walk

Such an exciting time! Spring brings with it a lovely display of ephemerals, birds and buds. Each April, BRDC, along with guides, volunteers and members, hike the New River Trail beginning at the low water bridge in Fries searching out the wildflowers. Carol Broderson and special guide, Snow Ferreniea enlightened us with their vast knowledge of wildflowers. A special thank you to them both!

This is the third year that I have joined this walk and I have yet to be disappointed. I will not bore you with the details but we had along an avid birder and a forester so we were triply treated this day. Here is our wildflower list and a few photos of the lovely plants: 

Dead Nettle, Holly, blue violet, golden ragwort, gill over the ground*, spring beauty,  common chickweed, garlic mustard*, wild geranium, coralbells, wake robin, jewelweed, black cohosh, blue cohosh, wild ginger, cutleaf toothwort, cranefly orchid, sweet white violet, dutchman's britches, early saxofrage, yellow fumewort, wood aster, solomon's seal, stonecrop, false solomon's seal, star chickweed, bishop's cap, may apple, waterleaf, canada violet, spiderwort, scouring rush*

*invasives

The Grayson Bald Eagles are Back!

One of the pair headed back to the nest across the New River.

The Bald Eagles are back! The Grayson county Bald Eagle nest is active again this year! BRDC staff are happy to report that a pair of Bald Eagles have two nestlings along the New River in Grayson county. The nest site was discovered in 2015 and has been active every year since. Its remote location along the river limits the amount of potential human disturbance and with several juvenile eagles seen around the location over the years it seems that it has been a successful location. Bald Eagles have made a wonderful comeback over the past couple of decades with over 1,000 active nests in Virginia alone.  As a large raptor which specializes in eating fish, most of the known nests are adjacent to the Virginia coast and along the Chesapeake Bay. The Grayson county nest is one of only a handful that are known to be active within the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

The United States national emblem since 1782, the bald eagle was listed as endangered in 1967. This iconic bird was finally delisted in 2007, however, the species is still under protection through the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. These acts prohibit the "take, possession, sale, purchase, barter, etc of eagles dead or alive."

The photographs with this blog were taken from a distance with a powerful telephoto lens to avoid disturbing the pair and their chicks.

Back on the nest with the two nestlings

BRDC and Fairveiw Elementary School

Blue Ridge Discovery Center is excited to be adding additional opportunities for the students at Fairview Elementary School. We currently provide our K-2 Reading program and Natural Heritage Programs there for the 1st and 5th grades. Now, as part of their 21st Century Community Learning Center grant, we will be providing after school enrichment three days a week and three weeks of summer camp!

Through the remainder of the school year, we will immerse the seedling scientists (K-2) and the junior naturalists (3-5) with hands-on, experiential outdoor education revolving around the Blue Ridge. This summer we will bring even more adventures their way. We thank Grayson County Public Schools for supporting our mission!

Goin' Fishin'

The weather cooperated for a short afternoon fishing trip to a local pond. As part of this month's enrichment programs at Galax Middle School, BRDC guides instructed the kids on fly fishing. They began the course with aquatic insects and their life cycles, and progressed to parts of the rod, reel, and fly line, knots and finally casting. 

Friday afternoon, the kids climbed on the bus and headed out to catch a fish on the fly. After a quick snack, we hiked to a local pond that holds some bluegill and bass. Once at the property, we put the rods together, attached our reels, and strung them up with the fly line and leader. After several practice casts to regain our rhythm from the Tuesday lesson, we attached poppers, woolly buggers, and mop flies (the most successful fly). Spreading out to avoid hooking one another, we commenced to fishing!

Everyone saw fish and several had opportunities at catches with three fish landed for the day. We had a great time and are very appreciative of the good weather and the generosity of the private landowner that allowed us the privilege of GOIN' FISHIN'

Do You Know Your Trees?

Do you know the tree species that live and grow around your home and provide shade and shelter to wildlife that visit you? Well, the fifth graders of Grayson County do! 

The leaves are just beginning to bud so BRDC staff brought pressed laminated leaves of various trees of SWVA to the classrooms last week. After a quick lesson in leaf terminology, the students were turned loose with a Dichotomous Key. A dichotomous key is a tool that allows the user to determine the identity of items in the natural world, such as trees, using a series of choices that lead to the correct name of a given item. "Dichotomous" meaning, "divided into two parts", was a methodology taught to the students. It was explained that this series of questions resulted in only one correct answer and thus narrowed down the choices until specific.

With a leaf in hand, two different types of dichotomous keys, and an understanding of leaf types, margins, and arrangement, the students were well underway identifying the species of tree. Most every student correctly identified their leaf and gained an appreciation for how a dichotomous key can be a beneficial tool in identification.

Cottage Renovations Underway

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Cottage Floor Plans

Over the past month, Blue Ridge Discovery Center has begun renovations on the cottage adjacent to our center! Our aim is to move our offices out there by the Spring Naturalist Rally in early May and set up shop! Our new office will allow us to offer some programming, establish fundraising headquarters for the center, get to know the Konnarock community, secure the site, and most of all, be an example of what is to come!

This project has made swift progress due to some invaluable support by volunteers, donors, and the hard work of local contractor David Hood. We began with a volunteer demo session that prepped the site in a heartbeat, demoing old flooring, fixtures, trim and cabinets. With a generous private financial contribution, we began restoring the structure, fixing leaks, guttering, insulating and installing the flooring. Local materials suppliers have contributed essential in-kind donations, including Grayson Millworks who is producing custom period white oak molding and Berry Home Center who has supported BRDC with building supplies, along with a brand new set of cabinets and countertops for the project! If you don't know Berry Home Center, you should: http://www.berryhomecenter.com/

Many thanks to all involved, we look forward to hosting you at our new offices this spring!

Salamanders

Most every first grader knows about frogs and toads and their life cycles. And, if they know about amphibians, they may know that salamanders are part of this group too. But rarely do they talk about salamanders and get to see them up close.

This month in the K-2 Program, BRDC staff read excerpts from a youth salamander guidebook discussing the differences between salamanders and lizards (amphibians vs reptiles) and some of the features of our local salamanders, where they live, their habitats, and how they breathe. We also brought in some live, local salamanders for the kids to observe.

Our focus was on the Eastern hellbender, our largest salamander. After watching a video on the hellbender, we discussed ways to save and protect this amazing salamander and have him swimming in our rivers and streams for future generations. 

Journaling: A place for exploration

I have been inspired to change! I was fortunate enough to attend a wonderful lecture and demo by Lara Gastinger on botanical illustrations and journaling that left me in awe and challenged me to do a better job. We encourage it with students in our camps and programs but I myself am not practicing what I preach. With this newfound inspiration, I hope to do a better. Loaded up with micron pens and sketchbooks, I no longer have an excuse. Now I just have to use it.

Journaling by definition is a record of experiences, ideas, or reflections kept regularly. It can be different things to different people. As a naturalist it is something I feel obligated to do. And each of us probably starts out with the intention of keeping one. I always have a little notebook and mechanical pencil in my pack but I rarely take the time to pull it out and draw or write in it.

So what should go in the journal? Well obviously, certain information is important as a naturalist. There are your observations that include the date, location, weather and such. Then there are observations specific to the flora or fauna you are observing. And then there may be intentional curiosities...my favorite part…”I notice…”, “I wonder…”, “It reminds me of…”, “What has changed since last time?”, “What am I missing here?”, and “What can I explore further?”. When drawing, one might include levels of scale. Focus can be on its habit, close-ups or the landscape. (credit to Lara Gastinger and her slides)

I stated earlier that I did not do a good job at keeping a journal but that is not exactly true. I do keep a journal. For four years now. It is my fishing journal. I’ve never missed an entry. It is simple really. I record the date, where I went, who I went with (if anyone), what the weather was like, what the day was like, the fish I caught and their sizes (if any), the flies I used, and the joy I felt that day. When looking back in this journal, it brings back all the joy from those experiences. Journaling is not just a record of what you did and where you did it, but how it made you feel. And in the future when you look back through the pages, you may discover something new and rediscover something from the past.

Ultimately what it all comes down to, is what you take out of that trip into the forest; along the stream; down the trail; or across the water. What did you see, hear, or feel and when. You do not have to be eloquent. You do not have to know how to draw. It is all about your personal reflections or thoughts and rendering that information on paper. It is a place for exploration.
 

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. 

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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. 

Harbinger of Spring

You may have noticed the great many numbers of American Robins over the past few weeks; massive flocks spread throughout the farm fields of the Blue Ridge, or more recently groups lining the roadside during the recent snow event. These birds are part of a mass annual robin migration that is the dawning of spring. 

Robins, as we all know from children’s books, love some earthworms! During the depths of winter those earthworms move deep into the soil to avoid the freeze. When the soil thaws with warming temperatures and rain, the earthworms migrate to the surface and American Robins follow suit. So, you can imagine a wave moving north across the US following the average ground temperature of 36 degrees as it marches toward Canada. The timing of this can vary year to year, and therefore the Robin migration dates can vary dramatically, but scientist have been monitoring those dates with observations from citizens throughout the country. To learn more and contribute your sightings visit: https://www.learner.org/jnorth/robins

Fun Times

What a great bunch of enthusiastic kids full of stories and questions! BRDC got to spend the afternoon with the 2nd and 3rd graders at Hillsville Elementary School during their intersession. We presented our Tracks and Signs program to tie in with their animal theme. 

The class began with the distinction between animal tracks and animals signs. We quickly moved on to choosing a mold of an animal track and mixed up our messy Plaster of Paris and poured it into the mold to create a cast of that print. The students eagerly participated in the continued activities and patiently waited for their casts to harden. At the end of the program, they all removed their casts from the mold and left with their own animal track!

Getting Ready for the Stream with the NFSP

The warming temperatures at the end of February got us fly fishers ready to hit the streams. As part of our enriching programs in Grayson County Public Schools, BRDC provided a week of fly fishing lessons to the ninth grade girls and boys PE classes.

Using the National Fishing in Schools Program (NFSP), we brought a potential lifelong hobby to these students. Each day the program educates the students on various aspects of the sport, not the least of which is proper casting. But that is not all there is to fly fishing. There is the close study of the aquatic insects that are imitated by the fly fisher, the reading of the water, and understanding the habitat of the target species. Through various exercises and games, these students participated in activities that enhanced their learning of that aquatic environment. 

Each day the students handled a fly rod as well as learned the principles and foundations of fly fishing, the equipment used in the sport, aquatic insect life cycles and identification, and essential knots. They began with the most basic cast and through repetition and muscle memory, honed in their casting skills ending with the ability to shoot line and perfect a roll cast.

On Friday, they each sat at the vise and created their own imitation of a streamer...the quintessential "woolly bugger". All were proud of their accomplishments and creativity. Some very impressive flies left the building that day. It is our hope that they will end up in the mouth of a fish caught on a fly rod! As a bonus, the students were given the opportunity to write an essay about a "Fish Tale". The best essay will win a full fly rod setup (rod, reel, fly line, and case) and a beginners fly tying kit!

This is all made possible by the generous support of NFSP, VDGIF grants, Echo fly rods and Wapsi. Many thanks for your continued support for this wonderful, enriching program!

Nature Photography for Galax Intersession

Seeing something in nature that catches our eye is always worth a closer look, but if you’re carrying a camera it’s also worth the time to take a picture.  Getting outside almost always leads to beautiful sights and with photography we have the opportunity to share those visual treasures that stop us in our tracks.

Eight Galax School students were able to spend the mornings of Intersession week learning about nature photography on Matthews State Forest.  The BRDC workshop focused on the basics of photography while giving the students a chance to try out a variety of camera types from small “point and shoots” to professional level Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) styles.  

With warmer than usual February weather,  the State Forest’s loop trails offered lots of potential subjects even a few small insects and fresh leaves.  The students explored their surroundings through a camera lens as they dove into daily assignment which emphasized lessons on lighting, angle of view, background and design. As their hundreds of individual photographs were periodically sorted, the students were encouraged to separate only their very best images.  Although some of the decisions were tough, the exercise helped each student develop a more critical eye for photography. Progress throughout the week was very noticeable with fewer, but higher quality images being taken on the last couple of days.  

By the end of the week, it was obvious that these enthusiastic students were excited by the opportunities photography would give them to share their individual vision of nature.  As they headed to the bus on Friday, it was clear that they couldn’t wait to get another opportunity to develop their eye for even better images - several of the students asked “Will you be teaching this again at the next intersession.”  

Taxonomy: the Science of Classification

Taxonomy, or the science of classification, is a complex system where animals and other organisms are classified from general to the particular. There are 8 categories in the taxonomic rank but most of us focus on the last two; genus and species. 

The fifth-grade students of Grayson County explored taxonomy last week by sorting picture cards. They were given various animals and had to sort them as vertebrates or invertebrates. After the picture cards were correctly sorted, they used this information to defer phyla and classes of animals. Once they understood the process, they quickly picked up the classes of vertebrates.

The invertebrates were a little more tricky. The phyla of invertebrates were described and they then had to show which animal fell into that category. Breaking down the arthropod group was the easiest and most fun. 

Toes in the Sand

Kids are always intrigued by animal tracks and they are quick to identify our most common tracks of deer and dogs, but can they determine the other critters that travel through our area leaving only a track behind?

The K-2 Program presented the book "Whose Tracks are These? A Clue Book of Familiar Forest Animals" by Jim Nail. In this story, the reader is given clues to the description of an animal and its tracks. The clues lead you to guess "who am I?" with the answer given on the following page. The students in Grayson County Public Schools loved this book and loudly expressed Whose tracks these were! 

After the completion of the story, the students were asked to take off a sock and shoe and step into the tray of sand. They observed and described the characteristics of their tracks as a "hands-on" (using their feet) tool to aid in understanding the parts of a track. Afterward, track casts of animals found in the Blue Ridge were pressed into the sand and the students tried to guess which animal they belonged to. They were finally asked to do a homework assignment for BRDC; to go on a hike with their family and see how many animal tracks they could discover and identify. They are to report back to us in March. 

We want to thank the teachers and staff at all the schools for allowing us to come into their classrooms.....and apologize for leaving behind sandy tracks on the carpet circles all over the county!