Despite a chill in the air and and early morning rain, Friends had an excellent turnout for our 2015 Autumn Stewardship Volunteer Day. On November 7 volunteers braved the wet and came out to Blue Ridge Regional Park. In just a few hours about a mile of densely overgrown and unusable trail had been cleared, and progress made […]
Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains is seeking contacts at high schools in Clarke, Fauquier, and Rappahannock counties. We plan to expand the Jane Pratt Blue Ridge Mountains Education Award for a worthy high school senior into one of these counties in 2016; details on the award and requirements are attached. We have previously given […]
Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains presented two Jane Pratt Blue Ridge Mountains Education Awards in 2015 to Samantha Iliff of Loudoun County, VA, and Michael Long of Jefferson County, WV. The Award is presented annually to High School students who satisfy certain requirements, including a clear commitment to environmental stewardship and volunteer service. The award includes a framed certificate and a $1000 […]
Join Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains for a Spring clean-up party as we work to remove invasive species from Blue Ridge Regional Park! We will gather at 1:00 p.m. and work for two hours before enjoying refreshments in the park. Please wear long-sleeved shirts, work gloves, and sturdy shoes. Remember to bring your clippers! […]
Friends will again host a booth at the Earth Day @ Loudoun Family Festival on April 26, 2015, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come visit us and other local conservation organizations, gather conservation resources and ideas, and enjoy fun family activities, live music, and local vendors. The festival will be held at Clyde’s Willow […]
This year Friends is looking to raise membership by another 20% through, in addition to our general membership development efforts, a targeted outreach to landowners on the Blue Ridge. As part of this effort, landowners will receive information provided by the Virginia Department of Forestry about how to practice good stewardship on their mountain properties.
The 2014 Friend of the Mountain Award was presented to Al Van Huyck, founding member of Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and former President of the Friends Board of Directors, for his commitment and leadership in conservation work across the region. Al is currently a member of the Land Use committee and in addition […]
On November 12th representatives from more than 20 conservation and public organizations met at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge in Front Royal, to launch the Blue Ridge Coalition. The Coalition, designed to leverage the impact of diverse conservation efforts, is an initiative that has been in the […]