Overview
Calling all nature lovers and community scientists across the commonwealth!
From April 26 - 29, 2024, join Virginians and others around the world for the 2024 City Nature Challenge! Don’t let the word “city” fool you—observations can be made anywhere, including your own backyard.
Explore the opportunities below to learn how you can get involved. Hone your iNaturalist skills or enjoy a guided hike led by TNC staff and volunteer naturalists. Help add to our knowledge of the biodiversity in our urban spaces.
We will be updating this page throughout the month of April with local events in your community. Stay tuned!
Visit our Volunteer page to find information about additional opportunities to connect with nature, from watershed cleanups to collecting eelgrass.
Hone Your Observation Skills
Webinar: Learn How to Observe with iNaturalist
Wednesday, April 17
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Register
Join The Nature Conservancy as Maura Duffy, TNC's Conservation Coordinator in Virginia, demonstrates how to use the free iNaturalist app and website to make wildlife observations and identify species.
All registrants will receive an email with the Zoom meeting information a few days before the presentation. We will also share a recording to those registrants who cannot join us live.
Capture Your Nature Experiences: Photography & Journaling
Friday, April 26
8:30 - 10:00 a.m.
Preddy Creek Park - 3690 Burnley Station Road, Charlottesville, VA 22911
Register
Join TNC and Senior Conservation Writer (and avid photographer) Daniel White on a guided walk to capture your experiences in nature through photography and journaling. Explore a variety of ways to document your observations using your notebook and camera (including an iPhone or android device).
Guided Hikes and Outings
Guided Nature Walk (Eastern Shore of Virginia)
Friday, April 26
8:00 - 1:00 a.m.
Sunnyside Road & Seaside Road, Northampton County, VA 23310
Register
Join TNC's Wetlands Program Manager, Kati Booth, on an exploration of our Cubberly site, a beautiful forested wetland along Cobb Mill Creek that lies within Delmarva Migratory Bird Stopover Habitat.
Advocacy in Action Walk (Charlottesville, VA)
Friday, April 26
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
304 Old Lynchburg Road, Charlottesville, VA 22902
Register
Join TNC's Public Funding and Policy Manager, Mikaela Ruiz-Ramon, for a walk at Azalea Park and explore advocacy in action. Learn how public funding has improved the park, and how you can get involved and speak up for nature.
Bird Walk at Riverview Park (Charlottesville, VA)
Saturday, April 27
7:30 - 9:30 a.m.
1909 Chesapeake Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902
Register
Join TNC and expert birder, Jim Nix, on a guided walk to make wildlife observations and identify species, specifically migrating spring birds.
Abingdon Cycling and Whitewater (Abingdon, VA)
Saturday, April 27
8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Park at the end of Berry Creek Drive, Abingdon, VA.
Hosted by Whitewater and in partnership with Abingdon Cycling, volunteers will spend the morning documenting plants and animals on the property in an effort to log and quantify the natural elements of the land. The Appalachian Range is one of Earth’s most important ecosystems and these efforts will help us quantify the importance of its conservation. No registration is required.
Bird Hike at the Cedars Natural Area Preserve (Jonesville, VA)
Saturday, April 27
9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
32637 Main Street, Jonesville, VA 24263
Bring your binoculars! Come look for birds with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Laura Young around The Cedars Natural Area Preserve system. No skills required, just come out and have a good time looking for and learning about the birds of Lee County. If you are not a birder, this is a slippery slope to becoming one. No registration is required. We will meet at the Daniel Boone Soil and Water Conservation Office and drive to the site together.
Fernbrook Preserve Nature Hike (Charlottesville, VA)
Saturday, April 27
9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Fernbrook Preserve - Burnt Mill Road, Charlottesville, VA 22911
Register
Join TNC and Master Naturalist, Dorothy Carney, for a guided hike to explore this natural area, part of the Old Growth Forest Network.
Volunteer Stewardship Workday with the Ivy Creek Foundation
Saturday, April 27
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Email to register
Join the Ivy Creek Foundation for a public work day of removing invasive plants, trail maintenance, and landscape restoration.
Frog & Salamander Hike (Charlottesville, VA)
Saturday, April 27
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Bentivar Farm Road, Charlottesville, VA 22911
Register
Join TNC and expert herpetologist, Chris Asquith, on a guided walk to make wildlife observations and identify species, specifically frogs, salamanders, tadpoles, snakes and other amphibians and reptiles.
Guided Walk at Hungry Mother State Park (Marion, VA)
Saturday, April 27
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
626 West Lakeview Lane, Marion, VA 24354
Experience an easy, guided walk led by Hungry Mother State Park interpretive staff through a meadow and a short distance on the backside of the lake trail to see all the spring ephemerals. No registration is required. Meet at the gravel parking lot located at the address listed above.
Fairfax County Watershed Cleanup—Burke Lake Park
Saturday, April 27
9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
7315 Ox Road, Fairfax Station, VA 22039
Register
Fairfax County Watershed Cleanup—Cub Run Stream Valley (Penrose Place)
Saturday, April 27
9:00 - 11:30 a.m.
14395 Penrose Place, Chantilly, VA 20151
Register
Fairfax County Watershed Cleanup—Cub Run Stream Valley (Flint Lee Road)
Saturday, April 27
9:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Fire Hook Bakery - 14701 Flint Hill Road, Chantilly, VA 20151
Register
Tree ID Hike: Celebrate Arbor Day with a Spring Walk in the Forest (Charlottesville, VA)
Saturday, April 27
10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Ivy Creek Natural Area and Historic River View Farm - 1780 Earlysville Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903
Register
Guided Hike at Breaks Interstate Park (Breaks, VA)
Saturday, April 27
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
627 Commission Circle, Haysi, VA 24256
Join staff from the Breaks Interstate Park for a hike where you will explore nature and learn how to use iNaturalist to identify plants, trees, insects, and more! The hike will be on a moderate trail that contains both ups and downs. Please wear hiking shoes and bring water and snacks. We will meet at the Breaks Interstate Park Visitor's Center. Driving will be required to the trailhead after meeting at the Visitor's Center. No registration is required.
Frog and Toad Night (Fluvanna County)
Saturday, April 27
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
917 Long Acre Road, Palmyra, VA 22963
Register
Join the Rivanna Conservation Alliance for an evening of frog, toad, and other pond critter identification at the Scheier Natural Area ponds in Fluvanna County!
Guided Wildflower Hike at the Clinch River State Park (Saint Paul, VA)
Sunday, April 28
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
16620 East Riverside Drive, Saint Paul, VA 24283
Register
Join TNC's Clinch Valley Program Community Outreach Manager, Nick Proctor, and Land Protection Manager, Meg Short, as well as TNC Volunteer Karen Elmore, for a guided wildflower walk through the Clinch River State Park and alongside the Clinch River, one of North America’s most biologically diverse watersheds!
Fairfax County Watershed Cleanup—Lake Accotink Park
Sunday, April 28
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
7500 Accotink Park Road, Springfield, VA 22150
Register
Beautiful Trace: Art in the Park (Charlottesville, VA)
Sunday, April 28
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
1445 Darden Towe Park, Charlottesville, VA 22911
Register
Leave a beautiful trace in the spirit of artist Andrew Goldsworthy. Join artist Amanda Nelsen for a walk along the Rivanna River at Darden Towe Park where we will create a nature-based message and image for other hikers to enjoy using the natural materials we find.
Self-Guided Experiences at the Virginia State Parks
Friday, April 26 - Monday, April 29
Trails are open and ready to be explored. Pick your hike for a self-guided experience and document your findings along the way:
