Blue Ridge Center
for environmental stewardship
preserve ~ experience ~ enjoy
Program Descriptions
The Blue Ridge Center offers regular programs as well as several seasonal programs geared toward specific interest or topics. Check our calendar for the up-to-date schedule.
Programs Overview
- Birding at the Blue Ridge Center
- Children's Programs
- Farm Tours
- Birthday Parties
- Previously Offered Programs
The Blue Ridge Center would like to thank its supporters whose donations have enabled our programs. In particular, we are grateful for corporate support from The North Face, Dominion Virginia Power, and Visit Loudoun! tourism.
Birding at the Blue Ridge Center
Come explore the meadows and forests of the Blue Ridge Center while taking part in this bird walk lead by the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy! You’ll learn all about the birds of our region and their behaviors during each season. The hike is led by Joe Coleman, an avid birder and amateur naturalist. He serves on the Blue Ridge Center's Board of Directors and is also one of the founders of the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, whose mission is the preservation and proliferation of wildlife habitat in Loudoun County.
This free program takes place on the fourth Saturday of each month (except December). Meet at the Education Center at 8:00 a.m. the morning of the walk. All levels of birders are welcome, including beginners. Come out and see why the Blue Ridge Center is a stop along the Virginia Bird & Wildlife Trail!
Please bring binoculars. Recommended ages: 17+. For questions, please contact Joe Coleman at 540-554-2542 or [email protected].
Children's Programs
The Blue Ridge Center regularly offers children's programs designed to get kids outdoors and enjoying nature. Please check our calendar for the latest offerings.
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At Mountain View Farm, we know that healthy soil means healthy food for healthy people. We work closely with our Extension Agents and soil scientists from local universities to understand the nature of our soil and make it as healthy and vibrant as possible. All of our produce and flowers are grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Our livestock graze in our pastures, drink spring water, and never receive antibiotics or hormones.
Farm Tours are available by appointment in spring, summer and fall. Please contact us to schedule a tour.
Survival skills birthday parties -- coming soon! Email us for more information.
Below is a sample of past programs offered at the Blue Ridge Center. Please email us at [email protected] if you are interested in either participating in or facilitating one of these programs.
Get Kids Exploring Series
- Environmental Archaeology: Explore the archaeological remains on the Blue Ridge Center property and learn how archaeologists answer questions about the past
- Nature Photography: The natural world is full of beautiful scenery and fascinating plants and animals; learn ten easy tips that can help you take better pictures on your next outdoor adventure
- Deciduous Forests: Explore the ecosystem of the Blue Ridge Center's deciduous forests and learn about the many habitats that deciduous forests provide by following a food web in the forest
- Bee Prepared! 10 Essentials for Hiking: Don’t bee hurt or uncomfortable on your next adventure; come learn about the 10 Essentials for Hiking so that you will have what you need whenever you hit the trail
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A Changing Season: Explore the Blue Ridge Center and learn how plants and animals prepare for winter
Sustainable Living and Gardening with Nature Series
- Building and Using an Espalier Fence for Backyard Fruit: Learn how to maximize and manage fruit production in a backyard with hands on building of an espalier fence that could be used for growing fruit such as grapes, currant, or kiwifruit
- Wild Edible Plant Walk: Enter the delicious world of foraging your own food right off the landscape, just like our ancestors once did; you'll obtain the knowledge to safely identify a wide variety of wild edible plants, trees and shrubs of the season
- Wild About Mushrooms: Grow delicious and nutritious mushrooms in your own garden or home and learn how to inoculate stumps, logs, wood chips and burlap sacks while improving your garden ecology
- Traditional Basketry: Learn how to make several styles of traditional wicker basketry from material selection to harvesting techniques
- Raising Chickens 101: Farm your own fresh, organic eggs with this workshop on raising chickens; learn the basics of brooding, coop construction, electric fencing, feed rations and supplements, and veterinary care
- Creating a Permaculture Garden Using Raised Beds and Swales
- Rain Barrel Workshop
Eco-Adventures Series
- Ancestral Cooking Class: A Feast the Old-Fashioned Way: Become a stone-age chef! Learn how to build a stone fireplace with reflector, and use it to slow roast venison on a spit, and a stone oven and steam pit to cook root crops
- Lost Ladybug Safari: Join a family-friendly safari for some rare species of ladybugs, which we capture and photograph for researchers at Cornell -- and then release
- Nature Scavenger Hunt: Split into teams and roam around the Blue Ridge Center, searching for items on the scavenger hunt list
- Firefly Fling: Fireflies (aka lightning bugs) are lighting up the night sky at the Blue Ridge Center; find out what fireflies really are, how and why they light up, why some fireflies are cannibals, and other cool things about firefly lives
- Reading the Land - Historical Ecology of the Blue Ridge: Explore the Blue Ridge Center property to discover the history of human impact on the land
- Sharing Your Enthusiasm for Nature: Discuss the �?how to’s’ on leading small groups exploring the outdoors, whether it's children, families, or adults