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Open Farm Day

Virginia

A group of people ride in a covered, open-sided wagon during a tour of Brownsville Preserve. Two little girls sit with their parents and wave at the camera.
Open Farm Day 2018 Young visitors enjoy a wagon ride during Brownsville Preserve's annual Open Farm Day. © Jennifer Davis / TNC

Celebrate Earth Day at the Volgenau Virginia Coast Reserve (VVCR)! You're invited to the 6th Open Farm Day at Brownsville Preserve. Join VVCR staff and volunteers for one of our favorite spring activities!

This free, all-ages event features guided nature walks, wagon rides, family activities and more! A midday picnic lunch will be served (available while supplies last).

Two guided naturalist hikes will be offered (no need to RSVP). Join us for a family nature walk at 11:00 a.m. or a birding and habitat walk at 12:30 p.m. 

There's something for everyone to enjoy during Open Farm Day. Take in the beauty of the 1,250-acre preserve from your seat on a guided wagon ride. Do a little bird watching from our docks on Upshur and Phillips Creeks. Or search for geocaches along the public birding and wildlife trail. Enjoy the many benefits of time spent together in the great outdoors!

Want to be a part of the fun? We are currently recruiting for volunteers to assist with family activities, parking, lunch, musicians and photography.

For more information about the event, or to volunteer, please contact Outreach and Education Coordinator Margaret Van Clief at mvanclief@tnc.org or 757-414-9227.

 

Enjoy Open Farm Day

Brownsville House at dusk. A two-story brick house with small white dependency buildings sitting behind and to the left. The moon is faintly visible in the sky.
Historic Brownsville House Brownsville Preserve is the headquarters of and gateway to the Virginia Coast Reserve (VCR). © Matt Kane / The Nature Conservancy
A smiling girl holds up a paper butterfly she made at a craft table during Brownsville's Open Farm Event.
Connecting with the Community A young visitor to Brownsville shows off a finished craft project at the second annual Brownsville Open Farm Day. © Jennifer Davis / TNC
A dozen kayaks are laid out in two rows on the ground during Open Farm Day. A group of people stand around the kayaks listening to the float leader.
Open Farm Day 2017 Coastal scientist Bo Lusk leads a group on a kayak outing during Brownsville Preserve's annual Open Farm Day. © Alex Novak / The Nature Conservancy
A trail made of weathered boards cuts a straight line through a stand of trees. Tall grasses grow next to the trail.
Brownsville Preserve Explore scenic marsh and forest habitats along Brownsville's three-mile (round trip) William B. Cummings Birding and Wildlife Trail. © Peter Frank Edwards
× Brownsville House at dusk. A two-story brick house with small white dependency buildings sitting behind and to the left. The moon is faintly visible in the sky.
× A smiling girl holds up a paper butterfly she made at a craft table during Brownsville's Open Farm Event.
× A dozen kayaks are laid out in two rows on the ground during Open Farm Day. A group of people stand around the kayaks listening to the float leader.
× A trail made of weathered boards cuts a straight line through a stand of trees. Tall grasses grow next to the trail.

Take a Closer Look

Family enjoying a boat tour at Brownsville Preserve.

Program Overview

Community Outreach

Engaging community members of all ages and backgrounds and connecting people with the places we protect at the Volgenau Virginia Coast Reserve.

View looking down on four students crowding around a TNC staff member who is holding out a small fiddler crab for them to see.

Program Overview

A Living Textbook

At the Volgenau Virginia Coast Reserve, we're connecting students and teachers with the natural environment through hands-on activities and experiences.

A smiling man in a wetsuit, mask and snorkel stands in waist deep blue water and holds up eelgrass shoots.

Program Overview

Marine Habitat Restoration

From building oyster reefs to establishing the largest successful eelgrass restoration effort in the world, we're putting science to work in Virginia's coastal bays.

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