Throughout our 25th year, we’re sharing stories of young people whose Boxerwood experiences shaped their passions and vocations. Have a young friend to recommend? Contact Catherine Epstein: catherine@boxerwood.org When Chris Young was entering his sophomore year at Virginia Tech, he had no idea what major to pursue. “I’d just been taking a bunch of Gen Ed courses,” he remembers. He went to meet with his advisor, where an unexpected sign appeared. “They had an Environmental Sc

This winter, after-school students in Enderly Heights Elementary School’s BEST program got a challenge from Boxerwood educators: Could they make works of art, useful objects, and even games out of only recycled materials? Over the course of six weeks, the dozen children responded with an indisputable answer: Yes! In this “Recycled Art” Club, these young Buena Vista artists used their creativity to turn cloth scraps into dog pull toys, paper towel rolls into fantastic creature

There’s a reason they call compost “black gold” — and for the 6th straight year of our Backyard Compost Challenge, the gold rush is on. This year, more than 150 non-composting households vied for one of 80 slots in our annual Backyard Compost Challenge. “We were amazed that there’s still so much demand,” said Boxerwood educator and Compost Challenge facilitator Catherine Epstein, who noted Boxerwood had to select households by lottery after giving priority to those with child

This month, Boxerwood's Board of Directors adopted guiding priorities for BEA for the next three years. This map, our strategic plan, helps focus energies and resources as we aim for that “pot of gold.” For Boxerwood, that “gold” is a vibrant organization ably advancing its Earthcare mission for the benefit of all of us who call Rockbridge home. This new plan outlines three major goals: 1) Maintain Programmatic Excellence, 2) Advance Organizational Sustainability, and 3) Inte

Throughout our 25th year, we’ll be sharing stories of young people whose Boxerwood experiences shaped their passions and vocations. Have a young friend to recommend? Contact Catherine Epstein: catherine@boxerwood.org Growing up in the small town of Palmyra, Pennsylvania, Sarah Hollen loved every opportunity she had to get out of the classroom and explore outdoors. “Getting the chance to hold little critters, touch the snakes, all of those things…a highlight was macroinvertebr

Woods Creek in December 2025 after a brief rain. Credit: Amy DeHart. A note from our Executive Director, Ben Eland One of Boxerwood’s longstanding neighbors is the Lexington Golf & Country Club. Our shared property line meanders several acres alongside a small spring-fed creek that enters our wetland pond, then flows further downhill as an unnamed tributary of Woods Creek. With our neighbor in the midst of significant relandscaping, this  shared boundary presents both an oppo

Throughout our 25th year, we’ll be sharing stories of young people whose Boxerwood experiences shaped their passions and vocations. Have a young friend to recommend? Contact Catherine Epstein: catherine@boxerwood.org This past November, when Jake Osella was surveying the border between our Woodland Garden and the golf course, he found himself in an unexpectedly familiar position. “There was a Boxerwood kids’ program going on,” he explained. “They were walking through, so I wa

Registration is now open for Boxerwood’s annual Backyard Compost Challenge, a 10-week program in which participants receive free large-volume composters in exchange for adopting new stewardship habits. This citizen-science project poses the question: “How many pounds of food waste could Rockbridge County households keep out of the landfill if given the chance?” Last year, the 100 participating households diverted 4,179 pounds of food waste in just ten weeks. “That’s ultimate

In 2018, Maya DeHart biked across the country from Virginia to Oregon. Thinking back on the trip, she notes that pedaling thousands of miles of terrain – as opposed to flying thousands of miles above it – strengthened her relationship to that landscape. Now 31, Maya reflected that the journey created a strong sense of “deepening the relationship to the world, and recognizing what it feels like we need to protect.”  Maya has been building this relationship to her environment s

Throughout our 25th year, we’ll be sharing stories of young people whose Boxerwood experiences shaped their passions and vocations. Have a young friend to recommend? Contact Catherine Epstein: catherine@boxerwood.org By the end of a work day, Olivia Saacke wants to be worn out. As a member of the trail crew at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Olivia spends many of her working hours hiking through the forest and building bridges, staircases, and ladders using only the mate

Area residents are invited to bring their family and friends to Boxerwood on Saturday, December 13, between 1:00  and 5:00 p.m. for our annual Gifts of Nature program. In this hands-on, outdoor program, attendees will be able to craft decorations that feed the winter birds and spruce up their home, inside and out. “December is a time we especially turn our thoughts to loved ones,” said Boxerwood Early Education Coordinator, Jess Sullivan, program host. “And of course that als

For the second year in a row, the City of Lexington in partnership with Boxerwood will be distributing free native trees to City residents this month. “The Great Tree Give-Away” will take place on Saturday, December 6th at Richardson Park, 10 am – 2 pm, rain or shine. The give-away supports an existing City plan to increase the urban tree canopy. Co-sponsored by the Lexington Tree Board and the Public Works department, the initiative is an example of successful collaborations

Guided by a garden stewardship plan, Boxerwood is always looking for ways to slow the flow of our stormwater. “As any visitor to Boxerwood realizes, we’re built on a hill,” explained Operations Director Hannah West, “and big rain events degrade our creekbeds, sending sediment into Woods Creek and beyond.” Over the years Boxerwood has implemented various practices to help slow the flow, including installing multiple rain gardens and berm and swale systems. This fall we boosted

Meet Jacob Zimmerman, LDMS Math Teacher Throughout our 25th year, we’ll be sharing stories of young people whose Boxerwood experiences shaped their passions and vocations. Have a young friend to recommend? Contact Catherine Epstein: catherine@boxerwood.org Jacob Zimmerman loves math. He loves it so much that he majored in the subject at Bridgewater College, and he now teaches math to 6th and 8th graders at Lylburn Downing Middle School in Lexington. Growing up, though, math w

Winter birds are back, and so is the Rockbridge Bird Club Seed & Suet sale – just in time to stock your feeders before the first cold snap. The sale is an annual fundraiser for Boxerwood and helps us care for our diverse wildlife habitats. Wild bird seed and products come directly from a family-owned supplier in Ohio that purchases seed from small Midwest farms. Offerings include crafted blends, suet cakes, and bird feeders. Order forms must be received online or by mail no l

Have you ever wondered why so many trees and shrubs put out fruit or nuts in the fall? Maybe it crosses your mind while you’re raking up acorns and leaves or dodging those hefty black walnuts that could dent your car when they drop. Those berries, acorns, and nuts take a tremendous amount of energy to produce. Trees grow them in summer—when sunlight is plentiful and photosynthesis is at its peak—so they can support both their own growth and seed production without sacrificing

Boxerwood has been fortunate to catch up with most of the ELP team recently. One way or the other almost everyone has been making new E-LIT moves in their practices, classrooms, or schools. Read on to get inspired. ELEMENTARY: We Can! Mountain View Kristin Bailey extended the MVES gr. 3 - 5 program to include all 2nd graders this year. Inspired by the data-driven recycling program at FES, she’s also got scales for all MVES classrooms.  Meanwhile, congratulations to Karlan Ham

Winter birds are back, and so is the Rockbridge Bird Club Seed & Suet sale – just in time to stock your feeders before the first cold...

Meet Ellie Bunten, Walkabout Outfitter Manager Throughout our 25th year, we’ll be sharing stories of young people whose Boxerwood...

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