June 9 Herps in your Garden
Amy Roberts: Radford University, Biology Department
- There are herpetofauna (amphibians and reptiles) in southwestern Virginia that can be helpful garden residents. They can be beneficial to all types of gardens, from vegetables to violets. Learn how to welcome herps to your garden and meet some native helpful herps.
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June 23 Early successional habitats: The plants and critters you'll find in your weedy backyard
Verl Emrick: Conservation Management Institute, Virginia Tech
- Do you find that walking behind the mower is a good walk spoiled? Do have better things to do than water and fertilize your lawn? If so, come discover the different plants and animals that inhabit the weedy edges of your backyard, their connections to the larger natural world, and how being lazy can further conservation.
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July 7 Medicinal and edible plants in Wildwood
Christine Mitchell: Radford University, Geospatial Sciences Department
- Wildwood is brimming with lots more than just tall trees and hiking paths. The forest shrubs and herbs on the hillsides and along the stream have hidden values waiting to be discovered. Come and learn about the value of the herbs in the park - for aesthetics, for medicinal purposes, and for eating too!
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July 21 Branch out and learn to identify trees
John Peterson: Virginia Tech, Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation
- You've been walking past them for years but have avoided the awkwardness of saying "hi" because you can't remember their names. Come out for a park party to meet the arboreal neighbors. They might seem shady, but they have a lot to offer!
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August 4 Keeping common species common: Wildlife conservation in the New River Valley
Scott Klopfer, Conservation Management Institute, Virginia Tech
- Virginia has >900 species that are in decline. Recent efforts by the Virginia Dept. of Game & Inland Fisheries have identified what threatens them, and what can be done about it. We'll look at the species found in the New River Valley and what can be done to keep them on our landscapes and away from the Endangered Species List.
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August 18 Project Underground: What made that sinkhole?
Carol Zokaites: National Director, Project Underground
- Learn about karst - a land area that includes sinkholes, springs, sinking streams, and caves. This landscape features underground streams and aquifers that some communities use for drinking water. In this hands-on presentation, make a sinkhole and learn about animals that live in the caves.
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