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A new children’s bird club will hold its first meeting this Saturday, Dec. 17, at 3 p.m. at Boxerwood Gardens near Lexington.The club is being started by Lock Cabe, a local second grader.For more information, call Paul Cabe, professor of biology at Washington and Lee, at cabep@wlu.edu or 461-2296.  December 14

Natures's Gifts Elisabeth Daystar decorates a wreath during Saturday’s Gifts of Nature workshop at Boxerwood Nature Center. Zach Bowden makes sure the Christmas tree is standing firmly before he starts decorating it while his father, Nathan Bowden, and Bonnie Bernstein look on at the Boxerwood workshop. December 14

Making Apple Cider  Ronald Magee, a Washington and Lee University student who’s an intern at Boxerwood Gardens, instructs children from the Rockbridge YMCA program at Waddell Elementary School in how to operate an apple press. The children not only pressed and enjoyed homemade cider, they learned how to compost the pressed apples and clean the press. November 30

Seasonal Workshops Planned At Boxerwood  Three seasonal workshops are planned at Boxerwood Gardens later this this month.A healing gifts workshop will be held on Saturday, Nov. 19. A workshop for parade floats will take place Saturday, Nov. 26, from 1 to 4 p.m., and one on winter greenery will also take place Nov. 26, from 2 to 4 p.m.At the healing gifts workshop, Chin Velasquez, herbalist and founder of Soothing Herbals LLC, will teach participants how to make herbal teas, tinctures, syrups and an assortment of aromatherapy and skin care products.The fee to participate in the workshop is $35 per person, or $25 each if a person registers with one or more friends, and includes all materials. To register, call Chin at 460-2722 or Jess Sullivan at Boxerwood at 463-2697. Registration is limited to 18 adults. The instructor is donating 30 percent of all proceeds to Boxerwood.Jess and Jay Sullivan will be directing the parade float workshop, with participants invited to take part in the Lexington parade on Dec. 2. Boxerwood’s “green” floats are models of sustainability – most or all of the materials used are natural, recycled or biodegradable.To sign up for this workshop, call Boxerwood at 463-2697 or e-mail Sullivan at jess@boxerwood.org.Boxerwood horticulturalist Faith Vosburgh will be leading the winter greenery workshop. Participants will craft a holiday swag or wreath for their front door or entrance hall, and learn how to make holiday bows.The fee to participate is $20 for Boxerwood members or $25 for nonmembers and includes all materials. To register, send e-mail to faith@boxerwood.org or call Boxerwood at 463-2697. Registration is limited to 12 adults. November 9, 2011

Wanted: Zombies for some Hallowen fun! Undead and other paranormal adults protesting age discrimination at Halloween parties are gathering this Saturday night, Oct. 22, at Evans Dining Hall to hold their own Zombie Ball. According to a spokesperson, “Only 1 percent of all Rockbridge citizens over the age of 18 are dressing up, partying and getting treats. The other 99 percent of us want in on the Halloween fun!” The Zombie Ball begins at 8 p.m. and goes until midnight, with a live DJ and dancing in the main hall, complimentary hors d’oeuvres provided by Washington and Lee catering, a cash bar, and free treats. There will also be a costume contest (so don’t come as you are), karaoke in the Zombie Lounge, raffles, and screenings of the films, “Shaun of the Dead” and “Night of the Living Dead.” Guests can also have their photos taken in a gothic/film noir-style set by photographer Kevin Remington. Besides costume party nostalgia, those attending the Zombie Ball are also showing their support for Boxerwood Nature Center and Woodland Garden. Net proceeds go to Boxerwood to support the nature center’s environmental education programs and upkeep of the garden. Tickets for one zombie are $30; tickets for two or more zombies are $25 each if purchased in advance. All tickets purchased at the door will be $35 the night of the event. For more information or to order tickets online, go to www.boxerwood.org/zombieball. Tickets are also on sale at the following locations: BeamMeUp BBQ, Blue Lab, Books & Co., Encore Salon, and Walkabout Outfitters in Lexington, and Uncorked in Buena Vista. October 19, 2011

Zombies Plan to Occupy Evans Dining Hall  Undead and other para-normal adults protesting age discrimination at Halloween parties are gathering this Saturday night at Evans Dining Hall to hold their own Zombie Ball. According to a spokesperson, “Only one percent of all Rockbridge citizens over the age of 18 are dressing up, partying and getting treats. The other 99% of us want in on the Halloween fun!” The Zombie Ball begins at 8pm and goes until midnight, with a live DJ and dancing in the main hall, complimentary hors d’oeuvres provided by W&L Catering, a cash bar, and free treats. There will also be a costume contest (so don’t come as you are), karaoke in the Zombie Lounge, raffles, and a screening of the film classic, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Guests can also have their photos taken in a gothic/film noir-style set by photographer Kevin Remington. Besides costume party nostalgia, those attending the Zombie Ball are also showing their support for Boxerwood Nature Center and Woodland Garden. Net proceeds go to Boxerwood to support the nature center’s environmental education programs and upkeep of the garden. Tickets for one zombie are $30; tickets for two or more zombies are $25 each if purchased in advance. All tickets purchased at the door will be $35 the night of the event. For more information or to order tickets online, go to www.boxerwood.org/zombieball. Tickets are also on sale at the following locations: BeamMeUp BBQ, Blue Lab, Books & Co., Encore Salon, and Walkabout Outfitters in Lexington, and Uncorked in Buena Vista. October 17, 2011

What's That? Zombies in Lexinton?  Halloween Affair A New Way To Support Boxerwood As the days grow shorter and shadows grow longer, Boxerwood’s managing director, Bruce Bytnar, has something new to fret about: zombies. He’s expecting a horde of them to attend the costume ball that staff and friends of Boxerwood are holding Saturday, Oct. 22, from 8 p.m. to midnight in Evans Dining Hall on the Washington and Lee University campus. Bytnar acknowledged, “Some people may think it’s a little unnatural for a family-oriented place like Boxerwood to hold an event for adult zombies only. I don’t have a problem with that. Zombies were people, too! Besides, when was the last time the grownups got to dress up in costumes and go to a Halloween party?” He added, “You don’t have to come as a zombie, of course. Just don’t come as yourself.” The Zombie Ball is a first-ofits- kind benefit for the Boxerwood Education Association, which has held a number of other annual events, including last month’s Fall Family Festival and the Boxer- Woodstock music festival last July. Using an off-site venue is also new. “Usually Boxerwood holds events in the garden, where everyone can take in the surroundings as well as the festivities. But this is a late-night bash — no self-respecting zombie is out partying during the day — and we’re hoping to attract a way bigger crowd than the lodge could ever accommodate,” explained Jen Andrews, volunteer coordinator for the Zombie Ball. “Evans Dining Hall is perfect — it’s familiar, we don’t have to worry about the weather, there’s plenty of room for dancing, and the food will be great!” Dancing will go on throughout the evening in the main hall. A local DJ will spin rock-and-roll classics, interrupting the dancing to announce the winners of costume contests and raffle prizes. W&L Catering will provide complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. An adjacent room will alternate as a “Zombie Lounge” and “Chiller Theater,” where fearless guests can take a turn at the karaoke mic or catch scenes from campy Halloween films. While the evening is all about fiends, fun and frivolity, the cause célèbre is serious, said Bytnar. Boxerwood provides instruction to more than 2,000 students in preschool through sixth grade who visit the nature center or accompany educators out in the field each year. The nature center is also host to the Rockbridge Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalists and stages large-scale events and family festivals in its woodland garden. In past years, Boxerwood has received program funding from state and federal agencies, but has operated without major grants for the past two years. The nature center can no longer subsidize school visits at the same level it did in 2009, Bytnar said, and relies now on membership dues, individual contributions, smaller foundation grants, and classroom sponsorships to cover the costs of its education programs and garden upkeep. For Andrews, organizing the Zombie Ball is a way she can help the BEA maintain the quality of its programming despite financial challenges. “All three of my kids have participated in Boxerwood programs and summer camps, and benefited from them. They come home and teach me stuff — I love that. So this is something I can do for Boxerwood. And everyone else who buys a ticket, dresses up, and attends the Zombie Ball is supporting Boxerwood, too.” Bytnar agreed. “We’re hoping this will be the go-to event of the season. Proceeds from the Zombie Ball will help Boxerwood refill the coffers as well as treat grownup vampires, devils, witches, and werewolves to a hugely entertaining evening.” Tickets for one zombie are $30; tickets for two or more zombies are $25 each if purchased in advance, for a savings of $5 per ticket. All tickets purchased at the door will be $35 the night of the event. For more information or to order tickets online, go to www.boxerwood.org/zombieball. Tickets are also on sale at Beam- MeUp BBQ, Blue Lab, Books & Co., Encore Salon, and Walkabout Outfitters in Lexington. October 12, 2011

Tickets on Sale for Boxerwood’s Zombie Ball Tickets go on sale this week for the Zombie Ball, an adults only costume dance to benefit the Boxerwood Education Association. The event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 8 p.m. to midnight in Evans Dining Hall at Washington and Lee University. “We’re planning a fantastic party for all of us ‘big kids’ in the community who still like to dress up for Halloween,” said Jennifer Andrews, the volunteer event coordinator who originally proposed the idea of a Halloween fundraiser to Boxerwood staff and board members. “A ticket buys you four hours of dancing to a DJ, outrageous food, costume contests, raffles, karaoke, and more.” Tickets are $30 each, with a special offer of two for $50. The ticket price covers catered hors d’oeuvres, dancing, and other party activities. Beer and wine will be available at a cash bar. For tickets and more information, call 463-2697 or visit the Boxerwood Facebook page or www.boxerwood.org. All proceeds from the Zombie Ball will go to support Boxerwood’s environmental education programs for area school children and upkeep of the woodland garden. September 28, 2011

Waddell Plans Fundraiser at Boxerwood This Friday, Sept. 30, Waddell Elementary will be the host for a “Pay-to-Play” event at Boxerwood Nature Center. The Waddell PTA will be raising funds to pay for all of the school’s field trips to Boxerwood this year. For this event, the PTA is inviting families to come to Boxerwood from 3:30 to 5:30 and enjoy the gardens and play trail and are asking for a $10 donation per family. The PTA will also be selling popcorn and drinks. September 28, 2011

Fanciful Day at Boxerwood A young “butterfly” and friend are in the audience during Middle-Earth Theater’s performance of “The Legend of the Unicorn,” a highlight of Boxerwood’s Fall Festival on Saturday. AT LEFT, young visitors continue the fanciful theme by making origami dragon heads to fit on the heads of their walking sticks. An estimated 600 adults and children attended the afternoon-long festival. September 21, 2011.

Hot off the Press  Boxerwood volunteer Devan Malore supervises cidermaking with an old-fashioned cider press during the Boxerwood Fall Festival on Saturday. Accompanying the cider were homemade donuts. September 21, 2011

Treasures from a Treasured Place:  2011 Fall Family Festival at Boxerwood Preparations are underway at Boxerwood for the nature center’s 12th annual Fall Family Festival on Saturday from 1:00 to 5:00. This year’s event features entertainment and activities that celebrate the treasures of Boxerwood and the natural world. Returning this year to Boxerwood is Middle-earth Theater, a popular touring company from Pennsylvania that combines storytelling and interactive children’s theater. The troupe travels to fairs and festivals with a castle in tow and trunks filled with costumes—enough to dress up most of the audience and make them part of the show. Middle-earth will perform twice: at 2:00, they’ll stage “The Legend of the Unicorn,” a tale about a beautiful river that is poisoned by a serpent, and the quest of those who dwell around the river to make its waters pure once more. At 3:30, they’ll perform “The Free Folk of Middle-earth,” a Tolkien-inspired tale featuring dwarves who dig for gold, forest animals, sword-brandishing knights, brave princesses and wicked goblins. In addition to performances, families can participate in a variety of seasonal, art and educational activities throughout the day. They can press apples to make cider, weave honeysuckle head-wreaths, fold origami dragons, and learn how to test for clean water in our local streams and rivers. Fiber artist Susan Meister will enlist volunteers to help her felt the canopy for a yurt-like structure that will be built later this fall on the Boxerwood Play Trail. Kids can start their own rock and mineral collections by participating in hands-on geology activities sponsored by Washington and Lee University’s Geology Department. W&L students and Master Naturalist volunteers will help them crack open crystal-lined geodes, use geology tools to excavate minerals out of a large rock, and then identify their treasures. The department will also have a display on the recent 5.9 earthquake that rattled Rockbridge and the East Coast last month.  And there’s more! The SPCA is bringing pets in need of families to adopt them, and kids can board the Recycle Bus to learn about reducing, reusing, and recycling trash. For festival-goers who work up an appetite, fresh cider and donuts will be available for purchase throughout the day, and the Walkers Creek Volunteer Fire Department will sell hotdogs and fixings, home-baked goods, and soft drinks.  Admission to the Fall Family Festival is free for Boxerwood members and $5 per carload for non-members. (The fee for admission may be applied to new or renewed memberships on the day of the festival.) Proceeds will go to support Boxerwood’s education programs and upkeep of the garden. All activities, including Middle-earth Theater performances, are free.  In the event of bad weather, the rain date for this all-outdoor event is Sunday, September 18. More information about the Fall Family Festival can be found at www.boxerwood.org and on Boxerwood’s Facebook page or call 463-2697. Photo caption: Boxerwood staff and volunteers picked apples this weekend from the Michael and Nancy Smith’s orchard. The Smiths donated their apples to press at this year’s festival.

Community invited to celebrate the season at Boxerwood’s Fall Family Festival on September 17   Boxerwood will hold its 12th annual Fall Family Festival on Saturday afternoon, September 17 from 1:00 to 5:00.Highlighting this year’s event is Middle-earth Theater, an interactive storytelling troupe that wowed the crowd two festivals ago, dressing up hundreds of children and adults in costumes and casting them as gypsy princesses, evil spriggens, noble knights, medieval villagers, and scores of other characters. Middle-earth is scheduled to perform two shows at 2:00 and 3:30. There will be plenty of other activities going on throughout the day to engage families. Festival-goers can press apples, crack open geodes, sift through soil to find earth treasures, fold origami dragon heads, weave honeysuckle wreaths, and learn the wizardry of water testing. The SPCA will bring pets looking for adoption and the Recycle Bus will be parked at the lodge, where kids can decorate recycled cans for holding their earth treasures.Food and drinks will be for sale, including fresh cider and donuts, hotdogs, burgers and treats. Admission to the Fall Family Festival is free for Boxerwood members, $5 per carload for non-members, and there is no cost to watch or participate in the Middle-earth Theater performances.All proceeds will go to support Boxerwood’s education programs and upkeep of the garden. “We want folks in the community to treasure Boxerwood as we do,” affirms Bruce Bytnar, Boxerwood’s managing director. “And the best way they can support us is to become members. We’ll refund the admission fee to any person or family that joins Boxerwood the day of the festival.” In the event of bad weather, the rain date for this all-outdoor event is Sunday, September 18. Teens and adults interested in volunteering at the festival should call Bruce Bytnar at 463-2697.

New Partnership Brings Alternative Energy To Boxerwood

Visitors to Boxerwood Nature Center and Woodland Garden may notice a shiny new array of glass tubes standing on rough hewn locust posts outside the Munger Lodge. This is part of the new solar powered hot water system that was installed through a partnership with the fellow non-profit organization Powering People.

Powering People’s focus is to donate and install alternative energy systems with a goal to educate and bring sustainable energy efficiency and renewable installations to our community. The objective is that these installations will serve as a viable vehicle for changing the way we use energy. Boxerwood is Powering People’s first demonstration project.

The system will provide all of Boxerwood’s hot water needs, including heat in the winter months. The concept is to display an application of solar energy that can help reduce home utility costs with a minimal impact on our environment.

Powering People has provided the equipment and installation at no cost to Boxerwood with the intent that the system will be viewed by visitors and will enhance existing educational programs.

The partnership with Powering People provides Boxerwood with a new cost saving hot water system, an educational tool, and a working model of how alternative energy sources can be applied in the community.  August 10, 2011

BoxerWoodstock A Huge Success

The board of trustees and staff at Boxerwood Gardens would like to thank the more than 50 volunteers who made the BoxerWoodstock music festival such a success, as well as the 50 additional volunteers from around the country with the Teen Adventure program who assisted in the setup and sign painting and during the event.

Boxerwood also expresses its appreciation for the musicians who donated their performances – Nate Leath and Spencer McElroy, Molimo, Rooster’s Ruckus, Graham Spice and Friends (Kevin Dick, Tyler Wright, and Josh Harvey), Leslie Tucker and Friends (Jim Brown, Dan Newhall and Bill Wolston), the Roanoke-based band Urth, and Paul Galanides and Rebecca Warner of 10 ½ Strings.

Businesses and organizations who partnered in this event included Charles W. Barger and Son, the Computer Doctor, Herman’s Produce, Mullen Consulting, Palmer Community Center, Rockbridge Area Occupational Center, Rockbridge Farmers Coop, Totally Party, Townside Nursery, Washington and Lee University facilities management, Green Valley Rent Alls, Southern Inn, and the Walkers Creek and Lexington fire departments.

“And a special thanks to the more than 450 people who came by the carload to enjoy BoxerWoodstock,” said a spokesperson. “The outpouring of community support at this event will help Boxerwood sustain its environmental programs and its beautiful woodland garden.” August 3, 2011

Plenty Of Family Fun, Wide Range Of Music At BoxerWoodstock II This Saturday’s BoxerWoodstock II, Boxerwood’s second annual music festival, will, of course, feature some great music from local and regional entertainers, but it will also feature plenty of activities for families.Volunteers will be running a series of games based on NBC’s popular game show, “Minute-to-Win-It,” where contestants will have to do such things as balance six dice on a Popsicle stick held in their mouth or keep three balloons off the ground for a full minute.There will be a beading station, where children and grownups can fashion their own ‘60s-style “love beads.” Crafts such as spin and scratch art will also be offered.Children can also paint the Boxerwood VW bus or blow bubbles with giant bubble wands. Everyone is invited to print their own T-shirts with the special festival logo; there will be children and adult sizes offered in several different colors.

Music at the festival, which runs from 2 to 9 p.m., will range from oldies to funk to old-time to jazz and there will be plenty of time for an open microphone session for any interested musicians in the audience at the end of the evening.The band lineup includes locals Nate Leath, Graham Spice and Rooster’s Ruckus with the band Molimo from Nelson County and Urth topping off the evening from Richmond.

Tickets for BoxerWoodstock are $25 a carload at the gate. An individual ticket is $10. Parking in the meadow is free. All proceeds go towards Boxerwood’s environmental education programs and upkeep of the garden. July 13, 2011

Get Back to the Garden: 2011 BoxerWoodstock Music Festival on July 16 Leslie Tucker and Nate Leath return to Boxerwood’s second annual outdoor music festival on Saturday, July 16. Joining them at BoxerWoodstock II will be Graham Spice and the bands Urth, Molimo, and Rooster’s Ruckus. Gates will open at 2:00, with music continuing nonstop from 3:00 to 9:00 pm on two outdoor stages. There will also be activities for children, including crafts and “Minute-to-Win-It” games, throughout the afternoon and early evening. Regional musicians with styles ranging from bluegrass to funk are donating their performances for the festival fundraiser. All proceeds will go to support Boxerwood’s environmental education programs and upkeep of the woodland garden. “We’re building on the success of our first BoxerWoodstock,” enthused Faith Vosburgh, one of the event organizers. “This year we’re adding fresh new voices, some Sixties-style vendors, more cool and creative activities for kids, and plenty of cheap eats. It’s vintage Boxerwood!” Casual food and fun Like last year, the main stage will be erected under a large beech tree, with open seating in the shade of the adjoining orchard. Some chairs and picnic benches will be available, courtesy of the Rockbridge Area Occupational Center, but families are encouraged to bring their own blankets and folding chairs. Food and beverage tents will be located close to the music, where Jeff Pufahl and a crew of volunteer cooks will fire up the grills, tap the kegs, and make enough food to feed a crowd. Festival-goers can purchase hotdogs, burgers (meat and veggie), pulled pork sandwiches, soft drinks, beer, watermelon, ice cream and snacks throughout the day. They can also purchase “print-your-own” BoxerWoodstock t-shirts and other souvenirs. Children’s activities will be set up under a shade tree and tent, a short distance away from the music. Kids can sculpt with mud, run through a sprinkler course, bead necklaces, paint a VW bus, and enter minute-to-win-it games. These activities will begin at 2:00 and continue until 7pm. Tickets for BoxerWoodstock may be purchased in advance on the Boxerwood webpage or at the gate. The price of admission is $25 per family carload or $10 for an individual at the gate. There is a $5 discount for carload tickets purchased online before July 10. Parking in the meadow is free. Music Review Garden staffer and fiddler Clara Williams teamed with Boxerwood board member Cochran Lyle to line up the festival entertainment. Williams offers her assessment of the artists: “We’re lucky to have exceptional local and regional talent on the program, starting with Leslie Tucker, an incredibly powerful singer- songwriter, whose original folk music is imbued with country flair. Nate Leath is a nationally recording fiddler who has recently found a home in Rockbridge County. He and his friends can play anything from swing to old-time to funk. Also close to home are Rockbridge native Graham Spice and his band, who play the kind of old-school funk that will get everyone in the groove and dancing, and Rooster's Ruckus, a local group that grew up here playing real, honest-to-goodness bluegrass music – a rarity these days. “From a little further down the road we have Molimo, a group hailing from Nelson County that plays original and classic rock ‘n' roll. They’re making their Rockbridge debut at BoxerWoodstock. Last but definitely not least is Urth, an up-and-coming young funk/jazz/rock ‘n roll fusion trio based out of Roanoke. Their original songs are not to be missed!” A schedule of performances will be posted on the Boxerwood webpage and Boxerwood Facebook page in July. For more information, visit www.boxerwood.org or call 540-463-2697. July , 2011 The Weekender

Celebrating Fish  Mountain View Elementary School Principal Lori Teague, dressed in full trout regalia, welcomes students parading to the South River on their third annual Fish Release Day, held June 7. Mountain View students participate in Trout in the Classroom activities throughout the year. Earlier in the year, fourth- and fifth-graders worked with Boxerwood to assess water quality at the river and found it to be a healthy environment for their classroom-raised trout. During the day-long festival at the river, teachers Tammy Nicely and Laura Huffman released the trout amidst schoolwide cheering. Afterwards, all students rotated through craft activities, nature scavenger hunts, storytelling, field games and fishing and enjoyed a picnic lunch. June 22, 2011

Sponsors, Volunteers Sought For Second Boxerwoodstock

Festival sponsors, volunteers and ‘60s-genre vendors are being sought for Boxerwood’s second annual Boxerwoodstock Festival, to be held on Saturday, July 16. Boxerwood’s shady orchards and stretch of meadow, with the Blue Ridge Mountains as a backdrop, provide a unique setting for this diverse and quintessentially Virginian music festival, said Boxerwood’s director, Faith Vosburg.

Regional musicians with styles ranging from bluegrass to funk are donating their performances for the event, which will benefit Boxerwood’s environmental education programs. Artists scheduled to perform throughout the afternoon and evening of the festival include Leslie Tucker, Nate Leath and the bands Urth and Molimo.

Gates will open at 2 p.m., with music continuing nonstop from 3 to 9 p.m. on two outdoor stages. There will also be activities for children in the afternoon. For more information about participating in the event, call Vosburgh at 463-2697. Updated event details will follow in the media and on the Boxerwood Facebook and Web pages in the coming month. June 8, 2011.

River Rangers: Fourth Graders Take Learning Out Into the Field This spring, nine local classrooms of fourth graders have already taken learning outside through hands-on investigations along familiar streams and rivers. With nature as their classroom, the students and their teachers pulled on waders, seined for aquatic life, performed chemical tests, analyzed ancient artifacts, restored stream banks, and celebrated their place in local watershed with poems. As participants in River Rangers program, the young scientists investigated water quality and took action as environmental citizens. According to fourth grader Julian at Waddell, “I really enjoyed testing Sarah’s Run creek and seeing how clean it was and going in Wood’s Creek wearing boots and catching bugs. Even though I lost my watch,” he admitted, “ I still had a good time.”

Julian and the approximately 150 other students from Waddell, Natural Bridge, and Fairfield have been the first to pull on their waders this season. Another 170 fourth graders from Central, Kling, Enderly Heights, and Mountain View will complete their field study days later in the season. Facilitated by Boxerwood Nature Center, the River Rangers program arises from an ongoing collaboration between Boxerwood, the three local school divisions, and a diverse array of community partners and funders. Project goals are to increase environmental literacy, citizenship, and stewardship among young learners through meaningful engagement in the natural world. The program has grown over the years and this year for the first time involves one hundred percent of all fourth grade classrooms in Buena Vista, Lexington, and Rockbridge County.

“It’s a big, exciting project that gets rave reviews from students, parents, and teachers,” notes Elise Sheffield, who notes preparation for the spring investigations begins back in the fall. As part of the curriculum, fourth grade teachers introduce students to watershed concepts in classwork aligned with state science standards. Each classroom then individually visits Boxerwood Nature Center for a hands-on program that teaches students additional watershed skills. “By spring, the 4th graders have the maturity and knowledge base to really engage in meaningful investigations” notes Sheffield, also explaining the program more than fulfills outdoor learning goals set by the Virginia Department of Education for all public schools. To make this learning as meaningful as possible, the River Ranger sites are school-specific, with the aim of having students actively engaged in landscapes close to their homes. Thus, students from Waddell students investigate Woods Creek, Fairfield and Mountain View students base their learning along South River, Central and the Buena Vista students study the Maury River and Natural Bridge Elementary visit the James.

“These places have natural and sometimes profound meaning for the children,” explains Sheffield, “we once had a child tell us he was glad water quality was good at his site because that’s where he ‘got baptized’!” According to Sheffield, many children have previously fished or played along “their” stream, but some, “believe it or not, it’s their first real connection with flowing water. The great thing about River Rangers is that it opens up these experiences for all kids.” While sites vary, all students engage in the same type of activities during a River Rangers program. Rotating in small groups, the students and their teachers participate in four Boxerwood-led experiences during their five hours at the river. “We tweak activities depending on location and conditions,” explained Sheffield, “but generally we involve kids in two water-focused activities and two land-focused activities plus lunch.”

Sheffield reports students are always excited about the macro-invertebrate sampling, which involves wading into shallow water with boots and nets to assess the diversity of aquatic insects—an indicator of water health. As Brinson, a fourth grader at Waddell put it, “I liked finding the macro-invertebrates because when you first look at the net you can’t see anything, but when you look closer you can see all the amazing creatures.” Brinson’s teacher, Kim Hickman, agrees, “Giving the students the opportunity to investigate the water quality near their school is a memorable experience. The students get to be the scientists. They learn and explore while having fun.”

In addition to being biologists, students rotate through activities in which they investigate the watershed as chemists, archaeologists, and poets. Some school programs also involve direct stewardship projects. Brinson’s classmates, for example complemented their water quality monitoring activities with hands-on stream bank restoration near the former Woods Creek Grocery, in collaboration with the City of Lexington. “The positive energy was incredible,” said Sheffield, “kids really want to be part of the solution and they feel good about themselves and others when engaged in projects like this. “ The Waddell field study on April 8 was the first of four River programs scheduled in the days leading up to spring break.

Although one program was postponed because of thunderstorms, and high water along the James prompted the relocation of another program to Glen Maury Park, Sheffield reported the season is off to a very good start. “The classes without exception have been wonderful to work with: everyone is engaged and eager to be the best learners they can be: the kids know when learning matters and this program puts all that learning into action. Recalling the Fairfield Elementary investigation along South River on April 14, Sheffield recounted a special moment when one group, in noticed an osprey flying directly over head as they were in midst of performing water quality tests. “It was a beautiful bird,” she said, “and we used the opportunity to tell the kids the story of the osprey’s near collapse as a species in the 1970’s [because of DDT in the bird’s aquatic food chain] and then its return, thanks to the work scientists did to identify the source of the problem. It was a great reminder that we always have the opportunity to be problem-solvers—plenty of important work awaits us whether we are scientists or poets or both!”

By the end of its 2011 spring run, the River Rangers program will have involved more than 350 students, 24 teachers, fifteen volunteer instructors, two municipal parks, three private campgrounds, the Rockbridge 4-H educator and two Boxerwood staff. “It’s a definitely a community effort,” says Sheffield, noting funding for this year’s program came from school fees with additional support from the Rockbridge County Schools Foundation, Dominion Power, and from Boxerwood donors. Glen Maury Park, Mallard Duck Campground, and Jellystone Park also make their facilities available for the program without charge and the City of Lexington has provided both staff and plants for various Woods Creek restoration projects over the past several years. “We tell the kids a lot of people are counting on them – and they really take the program seriously --as fun as it also is for all of us.” As fifth graders, all these students and their fifth grade teachers will return to their sites for a second higher-level investigation, but that is another story for another time. Meanwhile, fourth-graders get your waders on!  The Weekender

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