Bound by Nature, Roots that Grow

Planting a Legacy Through Eelgrass Seeds

Marnie, Terra and Brady—a grandmother, mother and son from Virginia Beach—love teaming up and volunteering for TNC.

In ancient Roman mythology, the name Terra translates to “Earth,” and Terra said she certainly didn’t miss its calling. As a trained geologist and the founder of TerraScapes, an environmental consulting company, Terra was volunteering with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and working with the Pew Environment Group when she first connected with TNC and its eelgrass restoration project in 2009. A few years later, Terra welcomed a son, Brady, and a few years after that, Terra’s mother retired and was looking for a meaningful volunteer opportunity, gradually turning eelgrass restoration into a family tradition.

Now 13 years old, Brady has essentially been volunteering with Terra ever since he was in the womb. Terra recalls TNC’s staff searching for a wetsuit small enough for Brady when he officially joined as the youngest volunteer at the age of 5. One of his earliest memories from the eelgrass meadows is picking up a scallop and hearing its clicking shell, which made it seem like it was talking to him.

Marnie, now 75, is a naturalist and said that after her retirement, she was ready to get involved with anything that’s outside. After Terra connected her to TNC’s volunteer mailing list, their multi-generational volunteering effort really took off.

For the past 10 seasons, they’ve piled into the car to drive to the Eastern Shore, get breakfast at Stingrays and wait for the low tide to snorkel and collect eelgrass seeds, which are cast into new acreage in the bay every fall. Brady says that the annual volunteering outing has turned into “one of our favorite traditions.”

From taking a boat ride or finding a marine species to watching the eelgrass tanks get filled, the family finds it a rewarding experience to do their small part toward a larger conservation impact. With the support from volunteers, the eelgrass restoration project—started by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), but a joint venture with TNC for the past 23 years—has resulted in tens of millions of seeds broadcast across our coastal bays to help accelerate the natural spread of eelgrass. Now at nearly 12,000 acres, the project is the largest successful seagrass restoration project in the world.

In addition to collecting eelgrass every spring, the family participates in other volunteering efforts with TNC and other organizations, from cleaning watersheds, maintaining trails, and, more recently, helping at local food banks. These experiences have helped them bond and have taught them gratitude for what they have. They have also seen a domino effect as they share their story and others join them on volunteering outings. 

Spending a lot of his childhood volunteering, Brady has seen this chain reaction extend to his friends, family, and even teachers. He is currently working on a report for his 8th-grade science class on eelgrass restoration and how volunteering has impacted him. He hopes that more people will start volunteering and make an impact on the environment.

A Trail from Volunteer Stewardship to Careers in Nature

In the center of the state, the Weaver family's conservation story began along the trail through Fernbrook Natural Area just outside Charlottesville. Today, sisters Abby and Emma live in Christiansburg and work in conservation-related fields, but some of their earliest memories of nature were formed more than 20 years ago at TNC’s Fernbrook Natural Area with their parents, JoAnne and Tex. 

JoAnne was a member of TNC in the 1980s and she shared her knowledge of the organization with Tex, who was also interested in nature. After they moved to Charlottesville from Southern Maryland in 1990, Tex contacted TNC’s local office to see how he could get involved, which led to his first two volunteer activities: installing a mailbox and a sign. 

Less than a mile away from the family’s new home, they were delighted to discover the Fernbrook Natural Area. Tex and JoAnne started walking the trail. After Abby and Emma were born, as soon as they were able to sit up, the parents put them in baby backpacks and began hiking the trail as a family. At the time, they weren’t walking the trail as TNC preserve trail volunteers, but they still felt a sense of stewardship. It was “a trail in our neighborhood, and we felt some sense of responsibility to keep it maintained,” said Tex.   

Abby and Emma recall that when they were young and walking through Fernbrook, their dad would point out all the different plants and animals and quiz them on their names. “It was annoying at the time!” Emma says. But as time went by, the sisters began to appreciate learning about the species and their habitats. The memories of their time outside, whether hiking a trail or sitting around a campfire, are also experiences when the family bonded the most. 

For Abby and Emma, watching their parents volunteer—whether clearing branches or picking trash off the trail—provided a powerful example of environmental stewardship and has fostered a deep appreciation for conservation. Emma shares that their childhood memories have taught her “to just leave things as I found them or try to make them better.” 

Emma graduated with a degree in wildlife conservation, and now works for the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. She hopes to pass down her appreciation and care for nature to the next generation. Her older sister, Abby, worked for land trusts in Washington state and is now pursuing her PhD in red spruce forest restoration.

Today, even if Abby and Emma are only home in Charlottesville for 24 hours, the family finds time to revisit Fernbrook, where their shared love for nature first took root. After a hearty breakfast, they head out for the two-mile hike. In an age of constant notifications and distractions, they cherish these few hours of uninterrupted family time in nature.

Write the Next Volunteer Story

Volunteers have helped shape TNC’s work across Virginia, but the impact goes beyond conservation. For families like these, volunteering has become a way to spend time together and create memories that last across generations. By each doing a small part, they hope others will be inspired to do the same.

The families in these stories are just a few examples of how volunteering can create lasting connections—to nature, to community, and to one another. Whether you come as a family, with friends, or on your own, there are many ways to get involved through TNC Virginia’s volunteer program.