It's National Volunteer Appreciation Week, and at ICF, we couldn't do without them. From clearing the trails to organizing the Ivy Talks to leading the Board, it's all done with volunteers! Our volunteers are hardworking, dedicated, amazing people who each care for and nurture a piece of Ivy Creek, whether it's the land, its inhabitants, its history, or teaching others about those things. Their work comes together in a whole that's so much more than staff could ever do alone. If you're a volunteer, we are so grateful for you! If you're not but wish you were, we can always use more volunteers. At the moment, we have a particular need for another trail steward, but there are other opportunities and they will continue to open up as the pandemic hopefully eases. For more information, visit our volunteering page.

We also want to take a moment to thank our donors. As much as we couldn't function without our volunteers, we also can't function without funds. We appreciate you too! If you haven't contributed recently but would like to support our work, click here.

The Jefferson Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society and Ivy Creek Foundation are again collaborating to produce virtual/self-guided plant walks, and the first one is available now! April's walk is led by Mary Jane Epps, described by Catherine as "a rich source of botanical enthusiasm and interesting facts." Walks can be followed completely virtually on your computer, or in person with a GPS-enabled app or a printed plant list. For more information, visit the event page on our website, but hurry! The walk will only be posted until May 1.

The spring 2021 series of Ivy Talks is now finished - but it's still available online. All of the talks were recorded and have been posted on YouTube. Topics covered included the historical landscape of Ivy Creek Natural Area, bringing back bluebirds, and the efforts to preserve River View Farm. For links, visit the Ivy Talks page on our website.

As this is being written, it's Earth Day (April 22). A little earlier this year, the ICF Board committed to a strategic plan that reflects many of the values of Earth Day as well as valuing the historical significance of ICNA. ICF's vision is to inspire and engage our community in the stewardship of our natural resources and our rich African American cultural history. Our intended impacts include broad community involvement in land management and environmental initiatives, and increased community health through increased access and understanding of nature. In these ways we hope to embody the spirit of Earth Day every day. For more information, visit the About page on our website.

Photo: Diana Foster

Do you follow us on Instagram or Facebook? If you do, you know that we often share Catherine's blog posts there, but we'd love to do more. You can help! If you have a picture taken at Ivy Creek Natural Area that you're willing to share, please tag us or send it to Rochelle - you might see your work on our page or in this newsletter. Here are a few photos by one of our Facebook followers, Renee Reynolds, who was so kind as to share some things she saw on a recent spring walk at ICNA.