Our supporters are an absolute force of — and FOR — nature, and that support has helped us accomplish so much in 2026 so far! See just a few examples below.
Whether you volunteered, joined as a member, donated, attended an event, liked a social media post, shared our story with a friend, or any or all of the above, you are making a real, lasting difference in our natural world.
THANK YOU!
Here are just a few examples of what our supporters have made possible in 2026!
Between August 2025 and August 2026, our Nature-Based Learning initiatives trained 215 teachers to engage 10,389 students with the proven benefits of outdoor learning.
Our Stream Monitoring Program’s Salt Watch Team released our first “Salt in Our Streams” report, providing important data on chloride pollution in our local streams.
We held the first-ever student field trips at JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary, introducing K-12 students to the beauty and value of this globally rare wetland, home to more than 1,000 species of wildlife!
Our Bluebird Monitoring Program remains the largest in the state, with nearly 250 volunteers monitoring 69 trails and 787 nest boxes. The program has fledged nearly 50,000 cavity-nesting birds, including 24,000 bluebirds.
Twelve of the bills we supported this year were codified into law at the Virginia General Assembly, supporting clean water, endangered species, native plants, and more.
We became an official partner with the annual “Scrape for the Grape” event, which set records with 1,114 volunteers eliminating more than 10 million spotted lanternflies!
We held our biggest Birdathon ever with 54 teams, including, for the first time, teams of high school students. One of those students said, “It helped connect us with nature and unlock senses we never knew we had.”
We launched an E. coli monitoring component of our Stream Monitoring Program, resulting in 16 weeks of monitoring at four sites in the Leesburg area to help residents make informed decisions about water contact.
Our Wildlife Sanctuary Certification Program certified nine properties as official “wildlife sanctuaries,” a total of 110 acres. Six additional properties are pending certification.
Our Amphibian & Reptile Monitoring program has now contributed 1,670 total observations to the “Frog Watch” iNaturalist project, with 90% labeled as “research-grade quality.” This data helps us better understand the population patterns of these important species.
More than 100 volunteers took part in 12 total invasive removal projects at Balls Bluff Regional Park to remove invasive Garlic Mustard and Japanese Hops. These efforts helped protect our beautiful spring ephemerals.
With nearly 500 unique volunteers for our programs so far this year, we’re on track to set the all-time record for volunteer engagement. Hours are still being compiled and will be shared soon.
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