Appalachian Habitat Association

08/29/2026

08/16/2026

🌳🦌Mark your calendars for the 2026 BOSA BASH! Make sure you come out to the Sedalia Center in Big Island, VA on September 12 to support the Bedford Outdoor Sportsman Association. There will be live music, food trucks, raffles, b**r truck, and we will be set up along with many other venders. This is going to be a super fun event to help support BOSA's mission in Bedford County. Hope to see you there.🦃🌳

💲- $10 cash entry
🪑 - Make sure you bring a chair to enjoy the music
⛺️- Camp spots available through the Sedalia Center

08/16/2026

Nothing like a puppy, especially a bird dog puppy, and even better (at least for some of us) an English Setter puppy. This one will be at Saturday's AHA Conservation Banquet, so get ready. This little girl jumps right in with the adult Setters she's around, loves to play and snuggle. She heads right into the brush, nothing timid about her! Be sure to meet her!

08/10/2026

We'll have a 5-day Kansas deer hunt for 2 with J&M Whitetail Outfitters up for auction during our August 22 Conservation Banquet. Steven has great accommodations and 30,000+ highly managed acres to hunt. It's just one of several hunts and fishing trips available this year. Argentina doves, African safari, ducks, snow geese, upland birds, and hogs are among the other hunts. There's also a drum fishing trip in NC and trout in Bath County.

September muzzleloader opener isn't far off... we are ready and waiting! Who has a tag that they'd use on one of these bucks?

07/08/2026

This could be just the opportunity you've been looking for!

Reach out today if you are qualified to be an instructor and are interested.

07/03/2026

Once again, the AHA Scholarship Committee received outstanding applications from college-bound and current college students who are the upcoming generation of natural resource and wildlife conservation professionals.

The committee awarded 7 scholarships to students from the AHA focus area that includes Allegheny, Augusta, Bath, Botetourt, Craig, Highland and Rockbridge Counties.

Scholarships of $2,000 to $8,000 totaling $30,000 have been awarded to two graduate level, three undergraduate and two first-year college students. Their studies are in wildlife biology, forestry, environmental science and wild turkey poult/deer habitat. Three students are also previous scholarship recipients.

Stay tuned for information about each of these students.

04/12/2026

AHA AGAIN OFFERING 7 SCHOLARSHIPS TOTALING $30,000

Local high school seniors and college students interested in or studying wildlife conservation and forestry related fields are eligible to apply for one the Appalachian Habitat Association scholarships (AHA) being offered this spring.

The non-profit AHA is offering up to seven scholarships that will be awarded to students who will or are planning to pursue an education that will lead to a two-year or higher degree in a course of study associated with Forestry, Wildlife Management, Wildlife Biology, Habitat Management, Conservation Resources, Conservation Criminal Justice or a similar field associated with improving wildlife habitat and/or protecting wildlife.

Students from the Virginia Counties of Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Botetourt, Craig, Highland and Rockbridge, and the Cities of Buena Vista, Covington, Lexington, Staunton and Waynesboro are eligible for the scholarships.

The non-profit AHA will accept applications from 2026 graduating high school seniors and post-secondary students currently enrolled in programs at an institution with an accredited program as identified above.

Scholarships ranging from $2,000 to $8,000 will be awarded to the top seven applicants. Awards will total $30,000.

Application requirements and the application are accessed at

https://apply.mykaleidoscope.com/program/AHAScholarship2026

or by emailing [email protected] for a link to apply.

For more information, contact Ed McCoy at [email protected] or by calling 540-339-0622.

Fully completed applications must be completed by May 31, 2026.

The AHA awarded 7 scholarships to students from 5 different counties during the current academic year. Those awards totaled $30,000.

Our annual banquet is a major fundraiser for the organization, and it helps fund these scholarships. The 2026 banquet returns to Augusta Expo on SATURDAY, AUGUST 22.
For tickets, contact Jim McCoy at 540-570-6070.

Kaleidoscope

12/12/2025

Healthy forests don’t happen by accident -- they happen by management.

This month we’re excited to launch the Appalachian Habitat Association’s new forest management awareness campaign. Our goal is simple: educate the public on why active management -- thinning, cutting, creating young forest, and improving stand diversity -- is essential for wildlife across Appalachia.

This effort was brought to life in partnership with the Give for Grouse Initiative, whose mission aligns with our own. While ruffed grouse is a focal species, the work absolutely benefits deer, turkey, songbirds, bears, pollinators -- truly the entire ecosystem.

Our billboard is now live, the link to the campaign is below and we hope they spark conversations about what real conservation looks like in our region. If you care about healthy forests and thriving wildlife, help us spread the word.

HabitatVA.org

12/02/2025

Order yours today!

Annual Conservation Banquet Help us advocate for ruffed grouse and healthy forests while supporting our local logging community with the purchase of a t-shirt! Every shirt sold helps fund conservation efforts, supports sustainable forestry, and keeps dollars right here at home. These high-quality te...

11/28/2025

‼️Calling all NOVA and Northern Shenandoah Valley landowners!‼️

The Piedmont Environmental Council has announced the application for the 2026 Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative incentives program is open now until November 30th:

"Grassland bird species across North America have suffered steep population declines due to habitat loss by agricultural conversion, succession into forests and development.

To combat this decline, the Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative is now offering financial incentives to farmers willing to participate in grassland bird-friendly land management practices during the 2026 haying season. These practices help create habitat for nesting, foraging and raising young – and can fit into farmers’ production goals.

The program is open to 16 counties across the northern Virginia Piedmont, Blue Ridge, and Shenandoah Valley, and a minimum 20-acre commitment is required. Since 2021, 57 farmers have enrolled over 3,600 acres in our incentives program, so we’re really excited to keep the good work going!

VGBI is offering $35/acre in monetary payments to farmers willing to adopt delayed haying (delaying the first cut of hay until July 1 or later) and/or summer pasture stockpiling (rotating livestock out of select fields between April 15 and July 1 or later).

The deadline to fill out this upcoming year's interest form closes Nov. 30. Please visit vagrasslandbirds.org/incentives to learn more. 🌾🐦"

Make sure to apply today before space runs out!